Although TikTok is the hot new app right now, good old Facebook continues to serve as a reliable foundation for social media marketing. Despite what you might assume, Facebook is still widely used by over 2.9 billion people per month! Folks spend an average of 33 minutes per day on the platform, and the largest age group is 25-34 year olds. Surprised? There’s no need to discard Facebook just yet.

My blog post “11 Things Not to Do on Instagram” has been one of my most popular posts for a few years running, so I figured it was time to write a Facebook version! While it may seem like Facebook is easy and intuitive, there are several things you’ll want to avoid when managing a Facebook business page. Without further ado, here are 9 things not to do on Facebook.

1) Don’t use hashtags.

Do hashtags actually matter? On Instagram, they’re still a useful tool. Yet when it comes to Facebook, the research shows that using a hashtag on Facebook has zero positive effect when it comes to reach. Besides, using a hashtag on Facebook makes you look a little cringey.

2) Don’t set up your business as a profile instead of a page.

Profiles are meant for individuals, while pages are meant for businesses. If you set up a profile for your business and have people friend you for updates, it appears that you’re very out of touch and don’t know how the platform works. Pages offer many advantages too, like analytics, scheduling, ads, and more. Facebook explains the distinction between pages and profiles here.

Along these lines, I’d advise you to have only one Facebook account. Many people want to create a separate work account and personal account, but Facebook will shut you down if they detect that one human has two accounts. Believe me, I’ve been there back at my first job in higher education. In the same vein, take care not to reply from your personal account when you respond to someone’s comment on the brand’s post. You can always toggle back and forth between your personal profile and the brand account when responding.

3) Don’t forget to optimize your CTA button.

I recently wrote about Facebook CTA buttons, a commonly underutilized tool on Facebook business pages. Most people set it up with “Learn More” and link to their website. If you use “Learn More,” be sure to link to a customized landing page rather than just dumping folks on your homepage.

It’s also worth noting that there are dozens of other options beyond Learn More! For nonprofits, I often recommend using the donate button. “Sign Up” is another great option if you’re looking to grow your email newsletter.

4) Don’t write excessively lengthy posts.

You’ve probably heard hundreds of times by now that people have short attention spans these days. It’s true, though! Sometimes longer copy can work, but not for everything you post. Experimenting can be helpful to see what your audience prefers. For the most part, aim to keep things concise. Research from Hubspot shows that posts with about 40 characters performed better than longer posts.

5) Don’t post too often.

I know, I know. It can be tempting to post ALL THE TIME to get ALL THE NEWS out to ALL YOUR PEOPLE! However, the research shows that once you post 5 times per week or more, ROI starts to drop. I typically recommend posting 3-4 times per week on Facebook. It’s a manageable cadence for most, and you won’t oversaturate your audience at that rate. Quality is more important than quantity!

6) Don’t ignore the comments section (or negative comments).

All too often, brands will throw a post up on Facebook and then wander off. “There, I posted it.” Posting isn’t enough! If you want to grow a community around your brand, you have to show folks that you care. Social media is a two-way street, after all. Respond to people’s comments to show you care. Facebook also boosts you in the algorithm as your posts rack up more comments.

Also, be sure to reply to negative comments when you can. A thoughtful answer or letting them know their feedback will be shared with a larger team can help them feel heard. To learn more about community management, check out my blog post “7 Tips for Meaningful Community Management.”

7) Don’t share images that are too small.

Sometimes I see brands post the tiniest image that’s fuzzy and hard to see, and it’s always such a bummer. Your audience wants to see awesome, high-quality content! Be sure to keep Facebook’s recommended image sizes in mind. 1200x630 pixels is the recommendation, but the absolute smallest you can go is 600x315. If you’re not sure of the sizing guidelines, they’re always a quick google search away!

8) Don’t use multiple CTAs in one post.

If you want your audience to take an action after seeing your post, make sure it’s just one action. Folks aren’t likely to follow through if you include three or four separate actions. Keep it simple!

9) Don’t forget to pin a post to the top of your profile.

A quick and easy win for your Facebook page is to create an evergreen post and pin it to the top of your profile. It can be a beautiful photo of your business, a review by a magazine or influencer, or even a video answering common questions about your brand! Anything that will be relevant and helpful to visitors for a long time to come is a great choice. You can update this seasonally or as needed.

For more social media insights, check out my unboring email newsletter!

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