<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1628844417177726&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
FREE CONSULTATION
FREE CONSULTATION

Our Blog

Our latest articles, all in one place.

Do's and Don'ts of Facebook for Business

DATE PUBLISHED: August 11, 2014
 

If you're reading this post, odds are you're a savvy marketing manager who is familiar with what constitutes "good behavior" on Facebook. You haven't posted any incriminating college photos nor have you shared extreme political opinions on your brand's profile page. That's good. Better yet, research firms are continually unearthing interesting tidbits on how to most effectively reach users on Facebook for business purposes; these tidbits can help guide your Facebook strategy and expand your reach on the network.

do this not that facebook edition (infographic) resized 600For example, take Hubspot's recent infographic illustrating the do's and don't of Facebook for business. It's a must-read and we've taken the time to summarize it for your reading pleasure:

Do Follow the 80/20 Rule; Don't "Sell, Sell, Sell"

Your Facebook followers don't want to be incessantly blasted by marketing pitches. In fact, it's a sure-fire way to get them to abandon your page entirely. Hubspot suggests you follow the 80/20 Rule: 80 percent of your posts should be social in nature (while still pertaining to your industry or audience) while 20 percent of them should pertain to actual products or services.  

Say you're a dealership that understandably doesn't want to bombard followers with new models and promotions. Instead, link this piece in Sunset Magazine on the "Top California Road Trips" and ask your followers, "What are your favorite summer California road trips?" It's a fun, social post that also deals with the automotive industry. (We're assuming your followers aren't taking Amtrak regularly for their road trips.)

Do Respond Within One Hour (No Later Than 24 hours); Don't Ignore Your Audience

This one is easy. Always acknowledge a customer interaction, even if it's a brief "thanks!" Positive comments are blessings from the social media gods: treat them like gold. Furthermore, if a longer, more conversational response is required, make sure you sound like a real, live human and not an algorithm. 

Do Keep Your Posts Under 80 Characters; Don't Write a Lengthy Post

In this tweeting and smart-phone age, less is more. Followers won't pour over a 500-character post and the research backs this up: posts with less than 80 characters received 66 percent more Likes and Comments compared to lengthier counterparts. 

Do Build Your Facebook Following Organically; Don't Buy Likes

While money can, quite possibly, buy happiness, it won't help you to artificially create a Facebook following. Hubspot's suggested approach isn't exotic, but it works: reach out to your established networks and spread the word about your page by linking it to your emails, website, and/or blog. 

Do Ask Questions and Post Enticing Content; Don't Write Fake Comments

Followers are dying to comment and share their opinion; explicitly ask them to do so at the end of your post. Don't just take our word for it: according to Salesforce Buddy Media, posts that have a question located at the end of a post have a 15 percent higher overall interaction rate and a 2x higher comment rate than those asked in the middle of a post.

Do Post No More than 1-4 Times a Week, 1-2 Times a Day; Don't Clutter the Newsfeed

The number one reason social media users "unliked" a brand on Facebook was because the brand posted too frequently. Play it cool and don't blow up the newsfeed.

Now it's your turn. What are some Facebook "do's" and "don't" that you'd like to share? How has your brand been able to grow its Facebook following? Is Facebook still relevant to your inbound marketing goals?