Developing Better Facebook Strategy

As a yogi, I constantly remind myself to practice non-judgment, whether I am looking in the mirror and seeing the extra weight around the middle or browsing my Facebook feed and seeing the status updates of my friends and the pages I “like.”

That said, I’d like to see all of your yoga studios, classes and products get better engagement on Facebook. Look at the list below and feel free to comment in with any questions you might have.

5 Social Media Flops: What Not to Do on Facebook!

1. Do not use #hashtags on Facebook.

Why? This is a Twitter technique for creating searchable terms. It creates a disconnect with the people who “like” the page on Facebook, the very people you want to create a deep and meaningful relationship with.

What should you do instead?

Be real, just like you do when you get in front of your yoga class. Use your normal speaking voice on Facebook. Oh yeah, while we are on the subject, do not let your Tweets update your Facebook status!

2. Stop double posting.

Seriously, we are friends and when you invite us to like your page we do it…because we are friends. That means you have an obligation to create quality engaging content on your page. Separate your page and your personal presence and find a way to define the voice of each page. Also, if you post 10 times in a row about nothing we are going to hide you from the newsfeed. Don’t clog up our newsfeed!

3. Stop telling us to come to your class.

Your schedule is on your website or on Mindbody, right?

Start inspiring us to want to learn from you, practice with you and care about what you are creating. Please, we are all begging you to stop posting your schedule and start motivating us to shut off the TV, get off the couch and expand our mind with you!

4. Do not hold a contest where we have to post a picture and “like” it and beg our friends to “like” it.

Seriously, these type of contests suck and are a violation of Facebook’s terms of service. You must use an approved application such as the WildFire contest app. It also feels pathetic when you grovel and ask us to “like” your photo so you can win something that you generally lose anyway.

Is this really the engagement that you think will grow revenue at your business?

If you want to give stuff away, use Facebook offers and make it good enough that we all want to claim it; that will grow your page and your engagement.

5. Stop whining!

OK, I know this is the most negative post I have ever written and I am telling you what not to do. Seriously, there is a difference between sharing some drama and constantly whining and complaining about life.

News flash: Facebook is the All Positive News Network. Your whining makes us think you are a source of negative energy. Look at the situation and find the positive story to tell, this will keep us interested in your life and we will still feel your pain.

Seriously, the best advice I can give you is do more of what works. When you share from the heart and people respond—do that more often. We learn best and grow the fastest when we repeat doing the right thing.

If you are guilty of any of the above issues, do more of what feels right and resonates with the people you are attracting into your life or business. Facebook is still in the baby stages of growth. The one billion users are irrelevant. The growth is coming from how and what we engage with. Let the content you share define your voice and presence. Share more; share honestly from the heart.

OK, enough negativity. What can you do right? What can you do better? What can you do more of?

Picture quotes. Before you tell me they are “so last year,” let me remind you there are more than 240 billion photos on Facebook. We love photos, but we also need help deriving meaning from the images. Quotes make this easy. I love the above photo; it is one of my favorite spots in San Francisco. When you see the Palace of Fine Arts do you see the magic of the World Fair, of something old made new again? The quote on the picture makes it easy to share if you have any love or romanticism for San Francisco in your life.

“If you’re alive, you can’t be bored in San Francisco. If you’re not alive, San Francisco will bring you to life.” ~ William Saroyan

Including shareable content in a blog post like this is not enough. To complete this, it has to be shared on Facebook effectively. For me, this is sharing the picture with the quote as text in the caption, followed by a call to action to read this blog post and a link to it. This is a simple technique that will get you more engagement on Facebook (your picture is easier to share) and more engagement to your blog as the image is shared.

Do all of that, and we will look forward to seeing your content in our newsfeed on Facebook. Let your social content bring your business to life, like San Francisco has brought me back to life.

Like elephant Work and Money on Facebook.

Ed: Brianna Bemel