7 Mistakes Cleaning Business Owners Make on Facebook
If you are a cleaning business owner, you need a business Facebook page. Why? It is one of the largest social and business media platforms out there. According to Techcrunch, Facebook has over 800 million users and that number will continue to rise. Many Facebook users are there for a purpose -- business.
But having a presence on Facebook isn't enough. There are certain fundamentals you will need to follow to have a successful business page. There are also certain no-no's to avoid. Let's take a look at the mistakes cleaning business owners make on Facebook that can hurt their reputation online.
Mistakes cleaning business owners make on their Facebook business page
- Being too personal: Don't use your business page for personal details. Sometimes sharing too much “personal” information can be a turn-off to customers and prospects. Also, we often see many of these same business owners connecting to customers and prospects through their personal page too.
If you do this, be very careful when posting about these personal topics:
* Personal adverse information about family: Remember, you are in the cleaning business and having a professional image is very important. Resist the impulse of sharing intimate details of personal medical problems, a relative's criminal record, or other intimate details with customers and prospects.
* Strong religious, social, or political views: Since these are sensitive topics for most folks, these are best avoided. It is advisable to keep your deep-seated views out of the social networking realm.
* Sexual comments or photos: This is a strict no-no for a business page. If you really must, share these only on your personal profile that is not accessible by your business customers – current or potential.
* Any controversial views or opinions: Remember, the purpose of your business page is to share relevant information, engage visitors/fans and to create awareness for helpful products and services. You want to lay off antagonizing people by using offensive language or strong opinions that might harm your image and turn people away.
- Not putting enough effort into your Facebook page: Creating a successful Facebook strategy requires a commitment, which means devoting time and effort. You should post interesting, relevant and engaging information daily. This will increase fan growth and also keep your current fans interested. Out of sight means out of mind when it comes to your Facebook page. Interacting with your fans on a consistent basis is the key and make sure that every comment is replied to and every query addressed judiciously and timely.
- Negative Posting: We can't stress enough about the importance of keeping your posts positive. We are all human, right? We all are bound to be irritated, annoyed, or peeved about one thing or another at certain times. But this is not the place to vent out frustration. Your business reputation is at stake. Resist the temptation to post something negative and risk rubbing someone the wrong way. Stay positive in your posts.
- Managing negative feedback: Eventually, someone will make a negative comment on your wall. You have to keep your tone neutral, yet positive. Remember, no matter what; do not get drawn into a mud-slinging match. Handle criticism with dignity.
- Using Facebook for promotion only: Many business owners use their Facebook page to make promotional offers because they don't know what else to post. Don't overkill the promotion bit. Remember that most people come back to a page if it offers them valuable information. A good rule of thumb is to use the 80/20 rule – 80% content and no more than 20% promotional posts. That will keep your fans coming back for more.
- Categorize: If you must post about your business on your personal Facebook page, do not blast it out to all your followers because many of them really don't care. But here's a way to do it that many users aren't aware of. Facebook allows you to categorize your personal friends into groups without them knowing. This helps you to send out relevant posts to one particular group while blocking access to another group. Use this to target posts to the group of people that are interested in your business.
- Humdrum and predictable content: Don't add the same boring content every day; mix it up. We try to do something different frequently on The Janitorial Store's Facebook Page.
We created different categories to use when posting and we also color coded each category in an Excel spreadsheet. This way when we are filling out our social media calendar, it should have a rainbow of colors, meaning that we used different categories to post our daily content. If not, then we know we are being too predictable with our postings.
For example, we ask questions; post YouTube videos, helpful articles from each of our websites, inspirational quotes, and an occasional product offering.
Facebook is a social platform. By adding humorous pics, videos, links, and interesting, engaging and relevant content, your audience will flourish, but do avoid the mistakes we outlined above. To a cleaning business owner, a Facebook page is a mirror of your business. Devote time to it, pay attention to it, and give thought into making that personal connection with your fans, friends, visitors, customers, and prospects. It may just become one of your cleaning businesses greatest assets.
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Jean Hanson helps owners of residential cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through her online community at MyHouseCleaningBiz.com. Jean is also the host of the popular Web TV show CleaningBiz.tv and author of the popular newsletter House Cleaning Profit Tips - sign up today!
