These Three Mistakes are Costing You Facebook Followers

Your Facebook fans and followers can “Unlike” you in just one click. When you’re competing with a news feed full of friends, family, and beloved causes, you need to make the space you take up count, and help, rather than hinder, your reputation on the social media platform.

Facebook can seem like an environment of arbitrary posts and random “Likes,” and in many cases, it is. We’ve all hit “Share” without checking the source, or updated a status rife with typos and incomplete thoughts. Still, when people stop following a particular organization, the decision is rarely half-hearted. In fact, it’s usually the result of strong negative feelings about the page, rather than a more neutral lack of interest.

Taking a few proactive steps right now can greatly reduce your chances of losing followers, and improve the quality of your page at the same time. These steps are guided by the things you should not do on your organization’s Facebook page.

Only Posting About Your Products and Services

Chances are, your followers already like what you’re selling. Posting new lines, upgrades, or future developments is fine, and keeps loyal fans in the loop on what’s to come. However, incessant posting about what you sell will quickly become a turn off. Instead, give your brand personality and context by sharing content from outside sources or your great company blog.

Spend some time finding news and entertainment websites that fit with your brand voice. Visiting them a couple of times during the week should provide a few great links for your Facebook page. It also shows followers you have a finger on the pulse of relevant trends and conversations. It’s certainly acceptable to tie your business or organization into the post, and explain why the subject is important to you. Just don’t be overly egocentric, especially if the link involves a tragic or controversial issue.

Use humor, and language demonstrating how you don’t take yourself too seriously. Followers like to glimpse the real people behind your brand, and few things bridge an electronic gap like well-timed and clever humor. Depending on the nature of your services, any funny posts should be appropriate for your audience. Take language and graphics into consideration first and foremost.

Make the most of images and video on your company’s Facebook page. Keep an eye out for pictures that complement your style with color and tone. Don’t share pictures and videos too often though. More than once or twice a day may clutter feeds, and become annoying to your fans.

Never Interacting with Followers

Social media platforms are wonderful for putting people in direct contact with businesses and organizations they like. Following your page might mean coupons and inside information for them, while their subscription means heightened popularity for you. This symbiotic relationship only works, however, when the interaction goes both ways. If you ignore fans who regularly make comments and share your posts, they will likely find other connections.

Despite the fact that your Facebook page is not a customer service hotline, you’ll probably get occasional, case-specific questions and comments regarding orders or experiences. Rather than ignore these, or worse, chastise the person for their post, thank them for inquiring and kindly offer a helpful email address or telephone number. Answer general questions clearly and in a timely manner, as others may share the poster’s interest or concern.

If someone is especially enthusiastic about promoting you on their own page, give them a shout-out on yours. If they happen to post great content themselves, consider sharing one of their posts when appropriate.

Offering special deals though Facebook contests and promotions shows your appreciation for followers. Just be certain to adhere to the network’s rules and policies on contests, and avoid violating the privacy of your fans.

Facebook features a negative feedback metric for organization pages to discover what people don’t like about their page. Learn how often fans retract their “Likes,” hide you from their feed, or even report you for spam. Counter these negative interactions by altering your habits accordingly, and concentrating on areas that garner positive responses.

Posting too Often and Flooding Feeds

No matter how much someone loves your product or service, it probably comes second to the posts of real-life acquaintances. If the strongest association fans make with you is scrolling past yet another update or attempt at being funny, they’re likely to hide you from their feed. Even interesting links and images turn into white noise when you share them every hour, on the hour.

Instead, set a limit on yourself for daily posts. When you have fewer chances to send a message, it’s all the more important to state it succinctly. Ultimately, you’ll spend less time posting sub-par content, and characterize your page with engaging posts on an effective schedule. Think of it as an opportunity for quality over quantity. If sticking to this plan is difficult, look into an application for setting Facebook post schedules.

Your business or organization’s Facebook page is a free marketing platform and direct link to your actual customers. Don’t let it work against you by annoying your fans and ignoring their wishes. When your posts focus on what customers want, rather than what you’re trying to sell, your followers’ loyalties will stay put.

Ever tried a new Facebook tactic, only to lose followers in the experiment? Share your caveats in the comments!