Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes for Bloggers and Business Owners
Facebook: both friend and foe to bloggers. Learn Facebook's tricks with these 10 Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes and how to fix them.
10 Common Mistakes You Might Be Making On Your Business / Blog Facebook Page
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes1. Making your page into fan page for yourself
I'm not going to say that it's vanity to have a page with your name in it or for your blog URL to be your name or include your name because I myself have my own name reserved on the interwebs... sarahliberty.comBUT I AM going to say that it can easily be a turn-off if you make your page where most of the notable content is pictures of yourself, your husband, or even your kids.Don't believe me? Let's go into the basic pain points of your audience.Put yourself in your audience's shoes. Why are they scrolling through Facebook? They are PROBABLY scrolling through Facebook while either bored or waiting on something. They might be willing to share something to their personal page but it's only going to be something that they really resonate with.Including too much of your personal life can easily look like your own PERSONAL Facebook page. Which... how can they resonate with that?Here's 2 examples from my own page, one that did well and one that did not.
Didn't do well...
Didn't do well, maybe because there isn't something to respond to.
Did pretty good!
This got responses because I asked a question and because it's something that people feel that they can share to their page.So...
Make things that OTHER people want to share to THEIR personal Facebook page...
YES, I know that there are successful fan pages on Facebook that have incredible engagement and growing pages.In 100% (haha, ok, maybe 98%) of those cases, they started small... rewind 8 years ago and they were probably NOT making a fan page for themselves.For instance, Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, has one tiny picture of herself on her blog, and she only started her Ree Drummond Facebook page in the last year. And it's STILL not nearly as big as her Pioneer Woman page.People want to hear about THEMSELVES, not YOU.
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes2. Not posting often enough
Think about a page that's a little bit bigger than yours and has similar content. They are probably posting more often than you are. Most bloggers and business pages should post at least once a day, preferably twice.Your audience won't see everything you post, even if they try. Give them more chances to see what you have to say to them!
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes3. Not including any personal touches on your page
It's a fine line, but you have to show your personality on your page. Maybe this means going live so they can find your voice. Or maybe it means writing your captions in a sassy or cute way that reveals a little of your emotions.People ultimately share things that make them feel good, help their friends understand more about their personality, or show others a helpful tip that they feel might help their friends.
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes4. Only sharing your own content
Even if you write a killer blog article once a day, you aren't going to be able to hit home runs every time, and you won't be able to answer every question that floats in the heads of your audience.Plus, sharing is caring, so find other bloggers who share similar content and stop looking at them as competition! SHARE their posts with your audience and your audience will start to see you as a valuable resource that is THE authority on marriage tips, dog pictures, etc. More related to this in tip number 9. See also: 4 Reasons I'm Terrified of Being a Christian Blogger
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes5. Sharing only one type of content
Don't ONLY share blog posts- even if they aren't all yours. Also share images, videos, and even polls.People like variety, which is why TV shows for toddlers have like a 1 or 2 minute maximum for each scene. Give the people variety so that your page doesn't look all the same.
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes6. Not having a concrete theme/ audience
The likelihood of your fans enjoying all of the same things that you do (technology, marriage tips, healthy recipes, photos of dogs, and romantic fiction) is very slim... You could try to make a fan page that engages all of these things, but it would be impossible to find.If you put all of these kinds of tips on your marriage tips page, don't be surprised when you either lose fans or lose engagement on your content.See also: Christian Blogging Tips from 12 Top Christian Bloggers
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes7. Not learning from your mistakes
So, you shared an article of your own and it got ZERO engagement. Great! Use this as a lesson.There might be some reasons why.
- Maybe the content was not relatable
- Maybe the content didn't scratch the itch that your audience is currently feeling
- Perhaps there wasn't an easy way for them to respond! Consider asking a question next time that your audience can answer.
- Maybe your caption makes it obvious that you scheduled it and it doesn't feel authentic.
- Maybe you didn't quite hit your niche and you shared something you maybe shouldn't have.
- Or maybe that time of day isn't a good time for your audience!
Learn and grow! And try new things as both Facebook and your audience are constantly changing. For instance- I tried a video because I see that videos are doing well on Facebook. I can see that my text moved too quickly now, but it still did fairly well for my first try. Keep trying!!!
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes8. Not engaging with everything you can on your page
Someone comments on your latest blog promotion! Great!Congratulations, that's a win.If in any way you can thank them, answer a question, or respond to a compliment, DO IT! Not only does it look good to the others who are looking (and they ARE looking) but, Facebook sees this engagement as ANYONE'S comment, not yours.Facebook sees that this link now has 2 comments and so they figure that it must be doing well. Now they will deliver it to MORE news feeds. Win-win! See also: 5 Money and Sanity- Saving Tips for Christian Bloggers
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes9. Not participating in share groups
You aren't an island and you need help from bloggers who understand! You need to know what is doing well for bloggers of comparable size. Here are some other reasons to join share groups:
- Gets comments on your blog posts in the beginning when traffic is slow
- Others might share your blog posts with their readers and help grow your audience.
- You get to see the things your peers are writing, and if they are successful, put some of those tips into use for your own writing.
- Others might have helpful tips on how to improve your writing, marketing, or social media skills
Common Facebook Blog Page Mistakes10. Giving up
Don't give up! Facebook will change their algorithms and your reach will be down by 50% one week. Don't take it personally, keep trying. There are millions of active Facebook users every minute... that's too many to give up on! Maybe your audience will respond the best to a video format, or a question and answer format.Take a dip in numbers to mean: I should try something different in order to best reach the people who care about my content.People ultimately care about how you can help them; they want to see themselves in your writing!
To sum it all up...
You know you want your blog to be a service to the other people around you! So do everything you can to make it all about them!Focusing on yourself isn't the key here.While some people might enjoy your weekly or daily selfies, that isn't the point of a Facebook business page! (Even if you are doing a makeup page, my opinion still stands!) Make your page about your reader as much as possible, and wait to watch it grow!
My Facebook blog page isn't perfect, but it's growing!
I started in June of 2017 and by time of writing (December 13th 2017) I've reached 1,807 page likes. I took a course that I highly recommend to anyone who is wanting to get organic traffic to their blog or business from the millions of people who are active on Facebook 24 hours a day.Now. Here's a confession... Facebook used to be a big hairy mystery to me, but I am learning how to grow a Facebook page, talk to my followers, and monetize my page from Rachel Miller, who is probably a certified Facebook genius and definitely a Christian Mom of 4.She taught me that when you are TRULY speaking to your audience, they will appreciate it and share with their friends. And that's how a viral image gets started.Is your audience on Facebook? Definitely. Help them find you! Massive Growth is possible on Facebook?!I did something gutsy... I paid for a course from Rachel Miller called Moolah- Facebook Massive Growth Strategies. (My affiliate link!) It's only made available a few times a year. The next time this course will be made available is early 2018.It changed my feelings about Facebook and we are now friends. I recommend this course to everyone I can think of.
Alright friends! Join Christ-Centered Mama on Facebook, in either my page or my group... or both!
Like and Follow Christ-Centered Mama on Facebook at Facebook.com/christcenteredmama Join the Christ-Centered Mamas Group where we talk about motherhood and Christianity and marriage-related issues at Facebook.com/groups/christcenteredmamas
If even one person is drawn to Christ's love through my blogging, I consider it a wild and amazing opportunity. I'm thankful to God for the privilege. If you are spreading God's Word through your blog, He will empower you to grow and spread His message.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”-Jesus as recorded in Acts 1:8
What about you?
How do you feel about your business page on Facebook? Is it growing? What can you do to improve your reach and jumpstart your growth?