Facebook Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Kruse, K. (2020, December). UCD Magazine December 2020 - Facebook Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. Retrieved March 26, 2021, from https://www.omagdigital.com/publication/?m=54087&i=684331&view=articleBrowser&article_id=3821517
Social Media: Facebook Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Facebook is a valuable tool for business - but there are a lot of pitfalls you need to watch out for.
So here are seven common Facebook marketing mistakes you should avoid, and suggestions for what to do instead.
Taking off without a runway:
Facebook success is in the details. Before you take to the airwaves of social media, you need a plan.
It's like this: If you're driving and you don't know the way to your destination, you check the GPS app on your phone. You do that because it saves time, expense and a whole lot of needless suffering.
Social media strategy works the same way.
Begin with the end goal in mind. For most dealers, the goals are to engage more customers and sell more cars.
Giving yourself a social media strategy "runway" gives you the best chance to achieve those goals.
Making it all about you:
Facebook is a success when you're able to connect with your customers. Think about the Facebook pages you follow and why you follow them.
It's not so you can see a lot of sales promotions, right? Your fans are no different.
People stay engaged when the posts they see are meaningful to them.
Before you post, ask yourself this simple question: "Is this something our customers would like to see?"
Failure to engage regularly:
Facebook is not a one-way broadcasting tool. One of the best ways to build a lively, loyal community on Facebook is by engaging regularly with your fans.
Designate someone in your organization to engage with the people who comment on your posts.
Engage means responding to all comments, page messages and reviews - both positive and negative.
A Facebook page should be considered a valuable company asset, and as such, there are investments required to retain its value. Specifically, investments in financial resources, human resources, content creation, attention (there's a reason it's called "paying attention"), and analytics and reporting.
In fact, sometimes dealers need to restructure their operations in order to accommodate social media and spend resources more effectively.
Not completing your "About" section:
Your Facebook "About" section projects the image of your store. It's an incredibly important step when setting up and optimizing your page.
The page should include your founding details. How did your company begin and when? What's your mission or your vision for the company? What drives you and your company on a day-to day basis?
People will quickly scan your content. Put your most important details in first paragraph.
Add keywords, terms and phrases anyone searching for your dealership would use. Keywords matter in social media as much as they do on your website. Don't overlook them!
Answer questions your prospects need answered in order to make educated decisions. That's the value that separates you from your competitors.
Keep industry jargon out of your "About" section. Your customers don't work in the car business , so don't speak to them as if they do. Keep your language relatable and easy to read.
Not using Facebook ads to capture in-market leads:
Facebook advertising is a strategic complement to your current advertising.
Part of your investment in Facebook is for Facebook ads. Simply put, your Facebook marketing will under perform without Facebook ads.
Why?
Ten years ago, social media was a fertile field of wildflowers, full of kittens and unicorns. The landscape was wide open for dealers who wanted to capture attention and engage in-market customers.
Today, social media is a dense, crowded, noisy, smoggy urban jungle.
Posting on your page is no longer as effective as it once was. A robust Facebook ads effort will give you the results you're craving: more sales.
Failing to track, measure and analyze your results:
Too often, I see dealers jump onto Facebook without a clear idea of what success really means for them.
Look for success markers.
The top Facebook key performance indicators, which will give you a solid foundation from which to measure results, include audience growth, audience profile, audience engagement, leads, sales and negative feedback.
Develop your process to track, measure and analyze. Part of that process should include a designated social media manager – someone with the skills to create reporting that calculates return on investment.
Facebook marketing mistakes do not have to happen.
Facebook is a powerful medium for car sales – but only if you’re all in.
Being “not quite sure” can lead to trouble. Facebook’s awesome power only works when you’re firing on all cylinders.
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Kathi Kruse is an automotive social media marketing expert, blogger, consultant, author, speaker and founder of Kruse Control Inc., which coaches, trains and delivers webinars focused on integrating social media and online reputation management into dealership operations. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
