Why Facebook Users Unliked You — And What to Do About It

The #1 reason Facebook users unlike your company Facebook page is too many updates, according to research from ExactTarget and CoTweet.

Data from “The Social Break-up” [PDF] reveal 44% of Facebook users say they unliked the brands they once liked because the brand posts too frequently.

Why Facebook Fans Unlike You

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More than half of Facebook users (51%) change their mind after liking a Page, and 43% will unlike your Page if they no longer want to see your posts. Another 38% click the “X” so your posts no longer appear in their news feed.

In other words, an ill-formed Facebook strategy might be undermining your social media efforts.

Other top reasons Facebook unlike you:

  • Your wall is too crowded with marketing posts
  • Your content is too repetitive or boring
  • Your fans only want deals and you don’t offer enough of them
  • You’re too promotional
  • Your content is not (and never has been) relevant to users

Wow. Harsh stuff, right? So what’s a company to do?

What to Do When Facebook Users Unlike You

First, admit you have a problem. Something has to change, and it starts with you. This is the hardest part. Try these tips:

Talk Less About You, More About Them

It’s natural to want to crow about yourself. And you should…sometimes. But try 80/20 — that 80% about your users and 20% about you — instead of the 20/80 you’ve been using.

People like to talk about themselves. And they like when you listen. As Toby Keith says, “I like talking about you usually…but occasionally…I wanna talk about ME.”

Adjust Your Frequency

Dan Zarrella, the well-respected “Social Media Scientist,” has analyzed thousands of Facebook updates (or is it millions now, Dan?). His research has found posting to Facebook every other day is best.

I understand the impulse to publish more. Your not getting immediate results, you’re feeling nervous, you start posting more frequently in hopes of sparking interest or learning what content works.

Resist the urge.

Offer a Facebook Exclusive Promotion or Incentive

I know you hate discounting. So do I. But for better or worse, consumers have come to expect it. Blame the recession.

I’m not saying you should run a coupon every day. I’m saying give them a special offer every once in a while. A perk — a thank you for being a friend. It’ll remind them to pay attention to your Facebook updates.