Many business owners now realize the advantages of using social networks to reach out to their target market. Using Facebook allows them to communicate with customers and receive feedback from them. By using Facebook, businesses are able to post status updates about their new products, discounts and promos that can be easily seen by their fans and followers in the social network.

Facebook opened many marketing opportunities for businesses and you're missing a lot if you are  not yet taking advantage of the world's largest social networking site to connect with customers and business partners. Unfortunately, there are marketing blunders that many businesses commit on Facebook. These blunders may appear unimportant but they can actually affect your credibility as a business and even drive away some of your customers.  Here are some of the top mistakes businesses should not do on Facebook:

Not Using a Facebook Fan Page for Your Business

Do you still use a personal profile instead of a fan page for your business? If the answer is yes, it's time that you use an official business page on Facebook. A fan page can make your business or your brand look much more reputable and professional than when it uses a personal profile to connect with your customers. By using a fan page, you also get to take advantage of features that are only available for pages such as fan likes, deals, analytics, and checks-in. You also get advertising options if you want to promote your page. Don't get too sentimental about losing your personal profile though because you can convert your personal Facebook account to a Facebook fan page.

Incomplete Profile Information

If you want to use Facebook as a marketing tool, you might as well fill out your profile information completely so your customers get to know more about your company or your brand. Filling out your profile information also allows your customers to know the URL of your business website, where to find you and the best time to visit your physical shop. They may also check your profile information for your toll free numbers in case they're interested in buying some of your products that you have shared on your Timeline.

Not Answering Comments

Many customers now use Facebook to order goods and ask questions and they do this by using the Facebook messaging system or by leaving their concerns as comments on your Facebook Timeline. You should not be surprised if some of your fans leave comments asking if a particular product is available in a certain color or whether you do customization for some of your merchandise.  Ignoring comments may be perceived by your fans as poor customer service and this may discourage them from doing business with you. Using Facebook may be a more convenient option for them to communicate with you so you might as well accommodate comments that are left on your status posts and photos.  You can say thank you to fans who leave positive comments about your business. You should also see to it that you answer questions and even complaints that your fans post on your Timeline.

Poor choice of profile picture and cover photo

Try to use a clear and catchy profile picture that can stand out in the news feed. Avoid using plain, text heavy and grainy photos as your Facebook profile photo. Of course, your profile picture should be representative of your brand so you should use a well-scaled image of your company logo or images of your most important products. Don't forget your cover photo. You can use your cover photo image to showcase some more of your best products.

Author Bio
Monique Jones is an Engineer who deals with telephone systems. Besides being an Engineer, she also works as a part time writer. She helps her colleagues and other people about their communication issues, giving effective solutions to address their needs.