Let’s face it – no one intends to tank their event planning business on Facebook. But the truth is, most event planners don’t properly promote their business on social media.

You may have been using Facebook to connect with your friends for years. But sharing pictures of dinner, puppies, and children with friends is far different than designing a solid social media campaign designed to increase both client acquisition and retention.

Your Event Planning Business on Facebook

Sure, when you are first getting started, it’s easy to make mistakes. Many of these mistakes occur just because newbies are, well…newbies.

They simply don’t know any better.

So, to help you increase the exposure of your event planning business on Facebook and avoid embarrassment, here are 7 things not to do or post on your Facebook business page

7 things not to do or post on your Facebook business page

1. Not responding to questions and comments. Times have changed. It is not unusual now for prospective clients to check you out on Facebook and Twitter before making a purchase decision. What are they looking for? An active, engaged community. Sure, opening yourself up on Facebook will invite dissatisfied customers to air their grievances to the world, but it’s how you respond to their rants that will define your brand for new customers. Do you ignore the negative? Or do you respond professionally with appropriate solutions? Your potential customers know no business is perfect. So – get out in front of your mistakes, admit your human-ness, and move on.

2. Not talking to your customers, but at them. Are you pushing out press releases and cross posting email newsletters to Facebook? Nothing will tune out an audience faster than one-way communication methods. Facebook, by design, is about discussion.

3. Not managing your page. What do potential customers see first when they look at your Facebook page? Is it full of spam, enticing them to click here and there and win a free iPad? Even if you don’t have anything to say, best practice is to check in each day and make sure your page is spam-free.

4. Writing long posts. Sure, Facebook gives you 60,000 characters to make your point. But that doesn’t mean you need to use all 60,000 characters! Try making each post/response clear, concise and on-topic.

5. Liking your own post. Maybe there is a reason no one else is liking your post – roll up your sleeves, dig in, and figure out the problem by figuring out what your niche market likes, dislikes and what language to use when you’re speaking to them.

6. Not using Insights. Everything you need to know about your page’s performance can be found on the Insights tab. Take a look at least once a month and see what you can be doing better.

7. Being a one-topic poster. Sure, you may be only on your business page to promote your business. But do it with personality! Show your other interests and your audience will appreciate the opportunity to really get to know you.

The event and party planning business is unique in that it is driven primarily by communication. Be aware of those things that can make you look like a bad communicator on Facebook.

Now I’d love to hear from you.

In the comments below, let me know if you have done any of the things on this list?

Can you think of any other things not to do on Facebook?

Thanks for sharing!