Mistakes for small businesses to avoid on Facebook

The world of small business marketing has undergone a massive evolution in a short time. With the rise of digital media, it's never been easier for small business owners and entrepreneurs working on limited budgets to reach new customers. They can especially thank the influence of social media in modern marketing. Social platforms are no longer just a virtual gossip board for teenagers in the high school computer lab, but a credible channel to market through.

Chief among the social media platforms is Facebook, the billion-dollar social network. Everyone from McDonald's to grandma and grandpa are online and creating a Facebook page is a remarkably efficient way for small business marketing. But new customers and friends don't just magically appear - there's still work involved. So beware these common mistakes when using Facebook that sink a social media strategy:

Not paying attention. Social media is all about what's happening now. Small business owners can't afford to set up a page, fill out all the appropriate information and then fail to continually check up on activity. Blink and you might miss something important. Not only is it a bad practice that will inhibit entrepreneurs from using Facebook effectively, but it will also reflect badly on them, because friends and potential consumers won't keep up with an inactive or disinterested page. 

Trying to do too much. Conversely, trying to do too much will often rob posts of quality because owners are in too much of a rush to produce content no matter the circumstances. Spelling mistakes, a bad link or slightly incorrect information are all things that can slip through the cracks when trying to pump out content just for the sake of updating a feed. Another consequence of posting too often is you risk being viewed as a spammer, something both the gatekeepers at Facebook and a business' friends won't take kindly to.

Talking, not listening. Facebook is certainly one of the premier online social arenas to voice opinions, but not for businesses. An entrepreneur's task isn't to constantly hype the business by talking non-stop about it, but listen to customers and post content that engages friends to interact and communicate. Nobody wants to friends with somebody who won't stop talking about themselves.

Ignoring feedback. If a user likes, comments or shares your content, the first thing to do is thank them for their input or activity. Ignoring someone who commented on a photo won't encourage them to do so again, thereby losing page activity. It doesn't take much time, and the payoff is big, because customers always appreciate being paid special attention by the business.