Using Facebook for Business? Hubspot.com has 9 Tips on What Not to Do

No one is denying that Facebook has become a viable business tool. People are coming up with new marketing methods for Facebook literally every day.

However, there are also things you shouldn’t do with Twitter – which is what Diana Freedman writes about at hubspot.com: “The 9 Worst Ways to Use Facebook for Business.” They are:

1. Duplicating your Twitter Strategy on Facebook. Twitter and Facebook are two different platforms, and you need to use them differently. While it’s good to Tweet two or three times a day so that your customers (hopefully) see you, too many Facebook updates could lead to people dropping you. When you do post on Facebook, take advantage of the extended number of characters you have to get your point across.

2. Posting plain-text entries exclusively. People like variety. Post relevant videos or links to interesting articles. Involve your readers.

3. Not Allowing Fans to Share Content. If you don’t let your fans post on your wall, what’s the purpose of having a Facebook page? If you sell a product, for example, don’t you want pictures of your fans using that product to put on your wall?

4. Not Responding to Fans’ Comments. Facebook is a social medium, so be social. Respond to comments and questions. If you don’t have time, make time.

5. Ignoring Fans’ Comments and Content. Those very contributions to your site can be shared with others when they’re beneficial to promoting your product or service. They can also be great content additions when you’re short on time. So use them!

6. Not using Facebook Questions. This new Facebook service, allows anyone to ask and answer questions to and from Facebook users. It’s a great way to get customer opinion on your product ideas, service changes, etc.

7. Using a Profile Image with a poor thumbnail. When you upload your logo or brand image, Facebook cuts it down to make it fit in the little thumbnail on the profile. As a result, many logos get cut in half or rendered totally unrecognizable. Create a 200px-wide image of your logo and use it.

8. Not Linking to your Facebook Page from your Website. Stop keeping your page a secret! Put a Facebook link box on your web page and start drawing traffic to your Facebook page.

9. Putting Up a Page with No Personality. If your page is stuffy, you won’t get many fans. Facebook users want to connect with friends, not with a sales pitch. Freedman provides several examples of companies who are doing this correctly.