Most companies rush to jump on the social media bandwagon without knowing what it takes to build a community which is engaging. Let’s face it: isn’t engagement the real reason you’re starting a Facebook page in the first place?

Yes, it’s about brand awareness; yes, it’s also about driving traffic to your website and making sales. But the main purpose of having a good Facebook page is to build a community of loyal customers.

A savvy marketer knows that community leads to engagement and engagement leads to relationships. Once you’ve built a strong relationship with your fans, you can count on them to buy from you.

There’s another way around to it. Some people who are already your customers will join your fan-base. They have been “wowed” by you in the past, and are looking for more.

The fewer Facebook mistakes you make, the higher the engagement factor.

After working with Fortune 500 companies throughout the world, I’ve identified the following key mistakes most companies make with their Facebook page:

1. THE ALL OR NOTHING SYNDROME

Some companies suffer from the all or nothing syndrome. They will create a chic fan page and then forget about it. Creating a page is great, but what you do with it afterwards is most important. Creation takes a few minutes but maintaining a thriving community via Facebook will take time, dedicated effort and genuine intention.

The companies on the ‘nothing’ side won’t take time to acknowledge their commentors, or answer customer queries on the page. Worst of all, some will buy Facebook fans. There’s your engagement gone down the drain.

On the flip side, some businesses want to do it all by themselves. They’ve spent hours on social media without many results, but refrain from asking for help when they should’ve picked up the phone long ago. They risk over-doing it and ending up wasting time (and fans); for instance posting four to five posts each day which are all promoting their next-best product.

Remember, most people do not appreciate you spamming their news feed and you end up in their black book!

Give some love to your page by posting relevant, useful posts for your readers. Facebook works best with diverse content and people engage more with a combination of pictures and interesting topics.

Keep your fans in mind before you hit the “Post” button. Ask yourself: Will my ideal customer appreciate this? Take it from there.

2. THE CLUELESS PAGE OWNER SYNDROME

Facebook is a platform open to each of your fans. They can post practically anything on your page. Although there is a setting to mute other people’s comments on your page, you do want some engagement and would love to hear from your readers, right? Following the notion that the customer is always right, you also want to pay attention to what they are saying.

That said, there will be occasional debates on your page. If you find that the readers are fighting amongst themselves over an opinion on a topic you opened up, stay where you are and b.r.e.a.t.h.e. There’s no point in jumping in and defending the one with the ‘right’ opinion because remember the customer is always right.
What you can do is enjoy the fact that your page is evoking a discussion and that people care.

Then, step in when you feel the discussion has cooled off a bit. Don’t make the mistake of deleting the heated or negative comments (even if they are against you) – people will not forgive you for that.

Thank them for their feedback and honesty and handle the situation cool-headedly. You know how to do it – just tap into it!

3. THE PURELY ONLINE SYNDROME

Most small-to-medium businesses often think that what goes online remains online. In other words, the positive raves you’ve got on your Twitter will remain online forever – perhaps you’ll leverage it as a testimonial and slap it on your website but that’s it.

Savvy marketers stay away from the “purely online” syndrome by integrating their online presence with offline brick-and-mortar stores. This is a super-cool way to let the customers know you’re creating ripples online as well. It’s a subtle form of promoting your online page. For example, at the checkout counter, businesses can have a wall of fame where they put a collage of what online fans love about them.

You can leverage your Facebook page by flaunting hundreds of fans offline. Or run a campaign “Like us on Facebook for coffee for two on us!”

Now that you know the top three Facebook page mistakes, why not hop online and straighten things up? You’ll love yourself for it!

Maria Abadilla, director and chief reviver at Revive Projects, is passionate about helping franchises attract, engage and retain their clients through marketing, communications support, training advice and social media policy development. Reach Maria at mariaabadilla@reviveprojects.com.au