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Cleveland, OH—Even as you’re trying to figure out what you should be doing to maximize your Facebook strategy, it’s equally important to know what you shouldn’t be doing. A recent article in SmallBizTrends.com highlighted the top 10 most common mistakes that small businesses make on Facebook. Here is a summary:

1. Using a personal profile instead of a business page. Assigning your business page to the wrong category screams, "I don't know what I'm doing." Worse, Facebook has strict rules about this and can take your page away from you. So be sure you’ve created a “Business” page, and if you haven’t, migrate it immediately.

2. Not filling out your profile completely. Include your hours, phone number, your website URL, and all other relevant company information that a user might want. Make it easy to find the information users are looking for; don't make them hunt for it.

3. Don’t use Facebook as a broadcast medium. It’s not the place to post a press release or a link to your blog without some conversation. Think of it like an online cocktail party: create a conversation first and give users a reason to want to interact with your brand.

4. Don’t ignore comments. Facebook is all about engagement, so engage with those who comment on your wall or send private messages.

5. Don’t leave spam on your wall. Just as you’d remove trash from your lawn, remove any inappropriate conversation from your wall. This is your brand and your responsibility to manage it.

6. Don’t use hashtags; save those for Twitter. 

7. Don’t “like” your own post. (Why else would you post it if you didn't like it?)

8. Don’t ignore Facebook Insights. One of the perks of a business page is that you do get free analytics information about who is seeing your page, whether or not they’re interacting with it or talking about it, where they are, and more. This is extremely valuable info not just for social media, but for all your marketing efforts.

9. Don’t use a bad avatar. This is the image people see when your posts pop up in their news feed. Keep it simple, easy to recognize, distinctive, and square. If your logo isn’t square, and you don’t want to redesign it altogether, create a special version that is square just for social media use.

10. Don’t forget to customize your cover photo. This is a great opportunity to showcase your brand image—don’t squander it.

Read the entire article here.

Small Business Trends is an online publication for small business owners. Learn more here. Top image: hypebot.com