Does your Facebook Strategy make your Brand look like Gargamel?

As any true child of the 80s knows, Gargamel is far from a friendly face. Bent on capturing Smurfs to turn them into gold, eat them for lunch, or just destroy them, Gargamel is enough to terrify any Smurf… and likely the 80’s child that still lives within many of us.

It thus goes without saying that, as a marketer, you don’t want to scare your audience away like Gargamel. Papa Smurf is a preferable role model (if you’re set on an 80s cartoon star as your social media analogy, like we are here).

Effective Facebook Marketing Strategy

How do you know if you are scaring away customers like Gargamel on a tear after Smurfs? You may need to re-evaluate your strategy if:

1. You are not relevant.

Your rapport with your fans is based on your brand image. If you deviate too far from the ideas that people have about you and your business, you risk losing their interest in what you have to offer. If, for instance, your brand is based on helping people learn more ways to generate leads for their business then posts about the latest public gaffe by a trendy pop star will dilute your message. Yes, these stories are within the news cycle and trending on twitter, but if your business is about business, then your message will not engage people who are only interested in business. You are sending your message to the wrong audience. Rule of thumb? If it feels like a stretch for your brand, it probably is.

2. You post too much.

Social media can be addictive. Even if all your posts are relevant to your theme, you can overdo it and overwhelm people with too much information. They then tune you out. Create a posting frequency schedule and stick to it.

3. You post too little.

You can also over-correct and post too little. When you take this route, fans forget about you and alienate Facebook, whose algorithms stop showing users the type of content you’re engaged in. The Edgerank Algorithm filters relevant content for users.

4. You sell too much.

The fastest way to lose Facebook fans is to sell too much. For 80% of useful content, only pitch 20%. Better yet, first test a 90/10 ratio. People who come to Facebook want to be entertained and informed. Selling to them is a huge turn off, so do it as little as possible.

5. You are negative.

Negativity seldom works. For brands on social media, it is a huge mistake. There are many ways you may appear negative to others without realizing it. You are negative when you trash your competitors, complain about anything at all, or lash out at any criticism made in the comments.

6. You offend people.

You may think you are being witty, when, in fact, you hurt people’s feelings. People have varying levels of sensitivity, and as a marketer, you should stay clear of saying anything that might be taken in the wrong way. Again, a content schedule will help here, as your posts will be thought out in advance, increasing the likelihood that you will be able to vet them thoroughly for any possible misinterpretations of your message.

7. You are boring.

There are many ways to be boring. You can have long lectures in your status update. You can post the same things over and over again, just rotating it from one week into the next, or you can talk about politics, economics, or become an activist. Stay fresh, stay relevant, and keep things short and sweet.

In conclusion; it’s very easy to become Gargamel through your brand’s Facebook page. However, with the use of these guidelines you can be the Social Media King on Facebook rather than the Social Media Villain.