What NOT to do on Facebook

Today’s post is based on a comment a friend of mine made in his Facebook status this morning.  He was saying how amazed he was at how many people post constant status updates, one after the other, to market their business.

He also went on to say how he didn’t mind the occasional marketing status update, but that lots of them annoyed him.  So what he did to these people was "Hide" them from his status updates on his Facebook page.  What this means is that he no longer sees the updates of people he has "hidden".

In response to his status update, another friend commented, saying he actually removed these people as friends.

So what’s the lesson here?

Well, if you insist on solely using your status updates to market your business, you’re going to have people deleting or "hiding" you.  What this means, is that your message will never get through.

So here’s what I think you should do, and what I do myself:

Remember that Facebook is a Social Media platform.  It’s a way in which people connect with each other online and is used by a huge proportion of the population.  Now, you must also remember that people don’t like to be sold to.  So if every single status update you post is about your business, or is pointing them back to your website, very soon you’re going to be deleted or at least hidden, so they don’t have to read your constant pushing to get them to your website.

Instead, I suggest you pepper your status updates with what you’re doing each day. You could be working on your business, but don’t post a link.  Even talking about a new client you’ve picked up, or a project you’re working on is great.

Also, using Social Media for marketing your business is all about building relationships.  So post the occasional update to talk about what you’re doing with your family this weekend, or something one of your children did today that you’re really proud of.  Also, if one of your Facebook friends posts something about what they’re doing, make a positive comment, or congratulate them on an achievement they’ve posted about – interact with them.

This shows the world that you’re just another person and that you care about them too.

It’s not that hard, and if you do this you’ve got a much better chance of getting your message across when it counts.  Try it and see what a difference it makes.

You probably realise that Facebook is one of the many very powerful ways to market your business out there, but if you’re like many business owners, you have neither the time, the knowledge or the inclination to spend the time marketing in this way.  But that’s ok, because my team and I can do this all for you.  For a small monthly fee, we can keep your status updates happening on a regular basis, which will in turn drive more and more people to your website. Contact me for more details.