Seven Ways Your Small Business Facebook Page is Turning off Customers

At this point, every small business knows it’s necessary to have a presence on Facebook. But if you’re not executing your social media strategy properly, having a mismanaged Facebook page can be worse than having no page at all. From posting infrequent updates to using poor grammar and punctuation, any number of Facebook faux pas can turn potential customers away from your business. Here are some frequent mistakes you should try to avoid on your small business Facebook page.

1. Infrequent Posting

What good is a Facebook page if no one ever posts on it? Small businesses typically have a small number of employees, so no one carves out the time to post on social media. This can hurt your business in two ways. First of all, you won’t be reaching people in the manner that social media was designed to. But second and more damning, companies that do not update their small business pages look unprofessional and disorganized. Aim for one to two posts per day to start.

2. Posting Too Frequently

On the other hand, there’s such a thing as too many posts. No one wants their newsfeed dominated by just one company, and if you post too many things, you may find fans tuning you out rather than engaging with you.

3. Using Poor Grammar and Punctuation

There’s nothing worse than a post that makes your company look stupid, and using poor grammar and punctuation will do just that. Embarrassing misspellings, incorrect usages of “their” and “they’re,” and misplaced apostrophes can give your page a sloppy feel. Customers won’t want to buy anything from you if you can’t keep the mistakes off your page.

4. Ignoring Complaints From Your Customers

Facebook can be a double-edged sword for small businesses. It’s great to engage people, but it also means that one angry customer can post a complaint that everyone can see. It’s unfortunate, but you can’t afford to ignore that person’s post. No matter what their beef is, treat the customer considerately and take their complaint seriously by responding to them quickly. Even if you can’t fix the problem right away, you can reassure your customer that you are working on it, which gives your company an on-the-ball feel.

5. Posting Illegal Contests

Facebook has very strict rules regarding contests. Read them, memorize them and abide by them. Otherwise, you could find a contest that you promote on your page shut down due to violations. That’s embarrassing to you and annoying to those who entered the contest.

6.  Being Too Sell-y

When people “like” brands, they expect some sales pitches; that comes with the territory. But if you’re not providing some non-sales-related content as well, such as interesting pictures or thoughtful questions, then they probably won’t stick with you for long.

12 Keys Rehab does a great job mixing their sales information with creative content. Their Facebook link to their “How much do college students drink” infographic went viral, sending a huge amount of traffic to their page and website. A healthy balance between content will keep your fans engaged and interested in your product.

7. Posting Too Few Pictures

Facebook is a visual medium. Don’t be afraid to add images to give your page some life. You might be illustrating the point of the post, or you might be adding pictures of employees to give your company a more familiar feel. Whatever you decide, a picture is always a valuable addition.

Getting Facebook fans is great. Getting them to stick around can be tough. Follow these 7 tips and you’ll start to see the number of people who leave your page start to drop dramatically.

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Scott Huntington is a writer, reporter, blogger, and social media marketer for CJ Pony Parts. Follow Scott at @SMHuntington