Facebook is a bit like chess: the rules are very simple, but it takes years to become a pro.
Create a post, add some text and click ‘post’ – anyone can do it. But creating a post which won’t just attract interest from visitors, but which will also encourage them to like, comment and share it? That’s a far more complicated matter.
In an earlier article, we discussed the vital ingredients for a successful Facebook post. In this article, we’re going to take the opposite approach.
So, here are 5 errors frequently made on Facebook, and how to avoid them.
Happy reading!
#1 Too much text in the description
Facebook wasn’t designed for long paragraphs of text. Users have an attention span of around 3 seconds (that’s roughly the time it takes for one click of a mouse or one ‘swipe’ on a smartphone). So, stick to the essentials!
If your text is too long, like in the example below, your text won’t appear in full, so users will have to click ‘See More’ in order to read the rest.
Of course, there will always be people who are willing to read your content in full (especially if they’re your biggest fans), but if you want to optimise your visibility, try to stick to just one or two sentences in general.
Here’s a better example with just 2 lines of text, which is far more readable:
#2 Too many outbound links in your post
It’s tempting to cram lots of information into one post. But again, it’s likely that your fans will lose interest, because you’re asking them to think about several things at once. As a result, this will reduce the number of clicks you get on your post.
Remember, you have just a few seconds to encourage a user to interact with your posts… so keep it simple!
Here’s an example that contains too many links:
Here, it would have been better to split the post into several separate posts, or to create one post which linked to a page on the site where all of this information could then be found.
Here’s a good example that contains just one link:
#3 Overly-obvious product promotion
You can’t deny it: if you’re on Facebook, it’s because you’re wishing (directly or indirectly) to increase your revenue. It’s therefore totally legitimate to want to promote your products/services.
However, try to avoid flyer-type advertising which sings the praises of your products and waves your prices in your readers’ face: this could come across like cheap spam, and rightly so.
This is the sort of thing you should avoid:
Instead, let your creativity flow and try to point out the strong points of your product in a more subtle manner, for example by invoking a feeling of nostalgia in your audience.
Here’s a good example from a shop selling garden sprinklers:
#4 Don't respond to negative comments
Always keep an eye on comments you receive from your audience: there will always be people who criticise your products and services.
You can ignore such comments, or even conceal them using the ‘hide’ button, but we don’t recommend doing this. Instead, act quickly before other users start joining in and making matters worse.
Start by thanking the user politely for their feedback. Tell them you understand that they may feel this way, and then offer to continue the conversation in private in order to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
The idea is to show that you listen to your fans, but also to move away from discussions in the public comments section as quickly as possible.
Go for friendly, more individualised language rather than an overly formal register.
Who likes receiving a formulaic reply which they can tell has been copied and pasted to hundreds of other users?
#5 Begging your audience for likes and shares
You know that the more your audience interacts with your posts, the more people will see them. So it’s totally legitimate to interact with your audience.
Once again, however, there are good and bad ways of doing this.
Avoid taking an overly abrupt approach, like this for example:
Vous devez savoir que plus votre audience interagit avec vos publications, plus la portée de celles-ci augmente. Interagir avec votre audience est donc tout à fait légitime.
Cependant il existe, encore une fois, des bonnes et des mauvaises pratiques.
Évitez de le faire trop abruptement, comme ici par exemple :
One of the best ways of getting your fans to like, comment on or share your posts is by running a competition.
Here’s a great example which received more than 830000 views:
So, in summary...
The list of mistakes mentioned above is, of course, not exhaustive. We simply selected those we encounter most often with our clients.
There’s no such thing as a perfect post which will always work 100%. Results will always vary depending on your fans. The key is to analyse your posts regularly and try to note any trends.
Which mistakes do you think must be avoided? Share your experiences in the comments!
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