“You like me, you really like me!”
It’s hard not to get excited when someone likes our organizations page on Facebook, especially early on.
It could be the beginning of a beautiful romance of brand and consumer.
But then things go wrong. Brand statuses are ignored. Questions are left to wither alone in silence. The flame is no longer there.
Why? Probably because we committed one of these four Facebook marketing sins:
1. You stopped being interesting
An unofficial content marketing mantra to live by is “be useful or be interesting.” If you’re not one, and you’re not the other, well, you’re just boring.
Only publish when you’ve got something useful or interesting to say. And keep your standards high on each piece of content you produce.
2. You were too pushy and clingy
It’s one thing to hug your customers, it’s an entirely different thing to suffocate them with your presence.
They liked you on Facebook so they could get access to your whitepaper? That doesn’t mean they want to know about every almost-news item that comes out of your organization.
Remember, this isn’t your internal customer newsletter, this is your externally facing Facebook page.
3. You started acting weird
You lured them in with your promises of a chance to win an iPad and you’ve since bombarded them with non sequitor comments on politics, the weather, and other topics that just seem strange coming from you.
Most organizations are needed for just a small sliver of their customer’s day (if that). Trying to be their be-all, end-all (by updating your brand’s Facebook page with a comment on every earthquake, rainfall, political scandal, sports event and office prank) can leave your audience wondering who, exactly, you are.
4. You were never there for them
Being an absentee partner is just as bad as being a suffocating one. If you stop calling, are never around, and only show up every once in a while, chances are your audience is going to seek out other brands.
The common thread is that people feel like they stopped getting what they signed up for. The takeaway for organizations? Don’t worship the gods of false likes. In other words, don’t just gimmicks and one-time promotions unrelated to your core offering in hopes that it’ll start a relationship with a customer.
Most long-lasting relationships aren’t built on lies.
Editor’s note: These 4 sins of Facebook marketing were based loosely on this post from AllFacebook.com
[Image: apostolosp]