Take a quick look at many of the business fanpages around Facebook and you will spot a big issue. There are tons of businesses treating their fanpages the same way they would treat a personal Facebook account. They just don’t seem to put the time into watching how they handle their activities on Facebook which can actually turn out harmful to their business if not careful.
Let’s take a look at some of the issues that such businesses have so you will be able to avoid them with your own page:
First, make sure you not using your Facebook for pure marketing. Do you like to have commercials thrown at you all the time? Neither do the people who Like you on Facebook. Not only will you not get repeat business, you may annoy those who would have otherwise become first time customers.
Secondly, always watch what you are posting. While you may find a ton of quotes or other info put out by others quite fascinating, not everyone will agree. Add in plenty of your own original content as well. Remember, the better your content, the more likely you are to gain Likes from people which can then help drive others to your page as well.
On another note, there are definitely three big no-no’s to avoid when posting. Try to avoid making negative comments about others, and certainly avoid talking about politics or religion! These are the quickest way to turn people off and send them running.
This brings up a third point; keep your business and personal pages separate! Keeping up with your friends and family is important, but you should maintain a separate page for doing so. No matter if you are a CEO of a major corporation or a small business owner, you should try to keep your business page focused.
The last issue is a particular pet peeve that we see happen all the time. Status updates are important; however, this doesn’t mean you shoot them out every single time you feel the urge. Your updates should be regular yet not be a down to the second record of everything happening. Keep them natural and you will have greater success at retaining people who Like your page.
Keeping your Facebook business fanpage healthy can be quite simple as long as you keep these tips in mind. Doing so can make all the difference in the world between a page that gets tons of Likes and one that simply stagnates and gets lost in the mix. In the end the whole idea of social media is to be social. At the same time though it is important to observe etiquette. You wouldn’t walk into your brick and mortar business and start talking about how another business is horrible or about the latest gossip going around. Clients and/or customers would be turned off in a heartbeat leaving you to handle damage control. The same goes for your fanpage. Keep things light and interesting, focused and regular, and original. You will find that these more than anything will help your fanpage be more successful in the long run.