Facebook has become such a part of life that it feels like it’s been around forever. In actuality, it’s only been here for a few years. As such, it is still a relatively new arena for online marketers. There was a time when Facebook was a small-time follower to the (then) much larger MySpace,but that has changed. In recent years, it has come on like a rolling freight train and turned into a powerful social community with millions of users. It has phenomenal power to help you build your brand, but it does come with some things you need to be mindful of. In this article, we will take a look at some of the most important Do’s and Don’ts of Facebook Marketing.
1. Postings
DO: Post regularly. Post useful content. Let your personality come through here. This is how you will build connections with the user base.
DON’T: Spam. Nothing will cause you to be “unfriended” faster than sending a continuous stream of spam. Don’t try to sell all the time. Contribute to the conversation. You want to be seen as a trusted resource…not a slick hustler.
2. Type of page
DO: Pick the right type of page. Facebook has personal profiles, fan pages, group pages and community pages. Read about each one and decide which is right for you. Each has different features and restrictions and the choice can’t be changed later, so do your due diligence before you start.
DON’T: Run your business off a personal Facebook account. For one you’re limited on the number of friends. If you make a mistake that violates the terms of service, you also risk getting your personal account suspended.
3. Budget
DO: Start with a small budget. You don’t actually need to spend money to use Facebook marketing effectively. Create viral campaigns, use pages effectively and let your users do the work for you.
DON’T: Spend a lot of money on Facebook PPC up front. Facebook has so much traffic that you could literally spend $1,000 in 60 seconds on its PPC platform. When you’re just starting out, test small – as small as $20 a day until you can prove that your campaigns are making money.
4. Photos
DO: Have professional photos taken. People do “judge a book by its cover.” If you’re running a business on Facebook, you need to have photos that make you look great.
DON’T: Post photos that are too casual. Suggestive photos, nightlife photos, etc. should all be avoided. Photos of your wild college parties may be fine for your personal page, but they’re not going to do much for your business reputation.
5. Being personal
DO: Respond personally to user comments and messages. Yes, it takes a lot of work, but the idea is to connect with people. That’s where the power of Facebook lies. Take the time to talk to your users. It’ll make a difference.
DON’T: Just be an impersonal brand. Though big brands do advertise on Facebook, the real power of the platform comes in connecting with real people.
6. Information
DO: Fill out as much information as you can. In your bio pages and your info pages, your contact information, etc. should all be filled out in detail.
DON’T: Let the pages get old. Marketers often fill out their information once and don’t change it, even if six months down the line the information is totally different. Make sure you check your info and update it regularly, about once a month.
These are some of the most common Do’s and Don’ts of Facebook marketing. Remember that building a fan base on Facebook does take time, but once you get going it can spread virally very quickly.
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Pretty awesome list of Do’s and Don’t's. I personally like talking to other users and connecting with them, that way we learn what they want and expect from us so I can make a proper adjustment to their needs. You’re right, it is a lot of work but something that should be done, if you really can’t get the time to do this then maybe hiring someone to keep in touch with your fans is a great idea.