Here's the thing about marketing on Facebook: when a campaign delivers, it can really deliver. A post goes viral and the company behind it wins the hearts and minds of a new throng of fans. Conversely, when campaigns fail to gain traction, it can be one of the most frustrating experiences for a business owner trying to grow his or her brand.

The good news is that unsuccessful campaigns leave clues regarding why they failed. Their inability to light up the social channel can usually be traced back to a number of common Facebook marketing mistakes. We'll explore the top seven so you can avoid them and squeeze maximum value from your social media marketing. 

Mistake #1: Making Facebook The Core Of Your Marketing Strategy

The biggest risk with putting all of your marketing eggs in the Facebook basket is that you don't control the platform. That means you don't make the rules. You follow them.

That's a risky proposition because Facebook can change the rules in ways that impact your business. Indeed, it has often made such changes in the past.

If your potential customers are spending time on Facebook, it makes sense to include this social media platform in your overall marketing strategy, but don't bet the farm on it. If you do, a single algorithmic change can reduce your reach and wipe out your traffic.

Mistake #2: Focusing On Yourself

You love your products and sincerely believe in your company's mission. That's great! It's also understandable that you want to tell everyone you meet about your brand.

But that's problematic in the social channel. Facebook users want to interact with brands that offer value. They don't want to be inundated with claims about your awesomeness.

This is one of the most common Facebook marketing mistakes among brand owners. The good news is that it's easy to fix. If you're constantly in promotional mode, take a breather. Truly engage your fans and followers. You'll find it's a much better way to inspire their trust. It'll also spur many of them to tell others about you.

Mistake #3: Failing To Define Your Objectives 

Every marketing effort should be attached to a goal. For example, you generate leads to introduce prospects into your sales funnel. You design an intuitive, easy-to-navigate website to encourage people to stick around and consume your content.

It's the same with social media marketing. Before you jump into the deep end by creating and boosting posts, generating “likes,” and investing in ads, it's important to know precisely what you're trying to achieve.

Are you trying to build brand awareness? Do you wish to connect with customers and prospects in a way that engenders their trust and loyalty? Are you trying to drive targeted traffic to a particular landing page on your site?

Identify your goal before you get started. It'll save you a lot of heartache and frustration down the road.

Mistake #4: Neglecting To Create An Editorial Calendar

One of the biggest Facebook marketing mistakes brand owners make is to create posts on a sporadic schedule. They'll write a flurry of posts over the span of a few days, followed by radio silence for the next three months.

If you want people to stick around and connect with your brand, you need to post on a regular, semi-frequent basis. Posting once a quarter or even once a month isn't nearly enough. Try to post at least a few times a week.

An editorial calendar will help you to stay on schedule. It also highlights the topics you'll post about weeks in advance. You can easily schedule content that complements your company's plans, whether those plans include seasonal promotions, in-store giveaways, or community events.

Mistake #5: Assuming You Can Gain Traction Without Advertising

Facebook has been tightening the screws with regard to organic visibility. In 2016 alone, brands faced a 52% decline in reach. This trend isn't going to reverse itself. In fact, it's likely to worsen as more brands create an ever-growing mountain of content.

That's the reason more and more brands are turning to Facebook advertising. They're willing to pay for traffic rather than waiting by the sidelines and hoping somebody notices them.

Don't rely on Facebook's organic search to deliver the traffic you need. It's time to advertise.

Mistake #6: Tracking The Wrong Metrics

Social media marketing is all about engagement – but how do you track it? 

The number of “likes” a post receives is helpful intel, but doesn't tell the whole story. The number of comments on a post is also helpful. But again, it only allows you to see a glimpse of what's happening on a macro level.

Placing too much emphasis on post-specific “likes” and comments is one of the most common Facebook marketing mistakes among brand owners. Neither of these provide useful insight regarding the true level of engagement among fans of your brand.

What metrics should you track instead? Fortunately, Facebook provides most of the important ones in an easy-to-use dashboard:

• growth in post reach
• growth in post engagement
• overall reach
• growth in page views
• growth in page likes

 Notice the above are macro metrics. They don't focus on specific posts. Rather, they focus on overall growth.

This is a far better approach to assessing the level of engagement.

Mistake #7: Being Too Verbose

Don't use 500 words when 50 will do. And don't use 50 when 10 will do.

Brevity is your friend when posting on Facebook. The tighter your posts, the more likely they'll be read by your followers and fans.

 If you can avoid making the seven Facebook marketing mistakes above, you'll be ahead of the pack. Most brands commit one or more of them to their detriment. Execute a smart, carefully-planned social media strategy and your brand will benefit from greater exposure, more traffic, and more engagement.