Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform, with around 1.47 billion daily active users. With all those users (and businesses) on the platform, mistakes happen. Let's fix that.

Read this post to learn the most common Facebook mistakes as well as how to avoid them and make your brand a Facebook superstar.

Here are five Facebook mistakes we'd like to see end.

1. You think you don’t need a Facebook page.

Even if most of your business comes from word-of-mouth referrals, consumers are looking you up online. You know what I do as soon as someone recommends a business to me? I Google the business. And I’m not the only one.

Consumers use social media to check out your business. They’ll look at your photos, reviews, social media posts, etc. You need to be ready for that.

The fix: So, set up your Facebook page. Post content and interact with customers as well as local consumers. Here's how to get started on social media.

If you need help setting up a Facebook Business Page, check out this how-to:

Creating a Facebook page is just the beginning. We’ve got a whole lot more work to do. 

2. Going in without a strategy or goals.

Social media is fun, right? Who needs a strategy for that? Well, you do. If you go in without a specific, defined goal, you are setting yourself up for failure.

The fix: Set a goal. Figure out how you’re going to achieve that goal, and start building your plan.

We suggest using some form of an editorial calendar to plan your social media posts. This will help you stick to your plan as well as make sure your social media posts have enough variety (so you aren’t posting the same thing all the time).

You can use any editorial calendar you find (or the monthly calendar on your wall or phone). Whatever works for you will be best here.

And don’t forget to track your Facebook goals.

For instance, if your initial goal is to get 50 more followers each week or month, you’ll want to figure out how you’ll go about this and watch your Facebook insights to make sure you are consistently hitting this goal.

Don’t forget to periodically reassess your goals. The goal you begin with shouldn’t be your end game, and you’ll want to rethink your goals as you hit them.

3. You automate everything.

Some automation is good. I schedule our social media posts at least a few days out to make sure we’re set for a while.

But, you don’t want to just schedule posts and forget about your page until the next time you schedule more posts. That will make you seem robotic, and no one can relate to a robotic brand.

The fix: Check in on your Facebook as often as you can.

You’re busy, so maybe you can’t afford to check it five times a day. But, if you go through your notifications first thing in the morning or even in the evening right after dinner (who wants to do dishes anyway?) you’ll be able to keep up with the engagement on your page.

Here are some things I do to show that we are present (and human) on social media:

• Like it when someone shares your post
• Like comments on posts
• Reply to all messages or comments as quickly as possible
• Comment when someone mentions you in a social media post
• Reply to Facebook reviews too
• Comment on others’ posts – even if it doesn’t help you immediately make a sale, it helps build that relationship
• Post a question and reply to the comments

4. You’re not posting content that is targeted to your ideal customer.

Sometimes, social media seems like the perfect place to go on a little rant about something that’s been bothering you. Or, maybe you really want to share a funny meme you found.

Hold on a second, though.

As satisfying as it can feel to get something off your chest on Facebook and watch the likes accumulate, your business’s page isn’t always the best place for that.

The Fix: Think before you post to your business's Facebook page.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before you post something:

• Would my customers find value in this?
• Will this offend someone? (I know you don’t want to have to worry about this, but it would be a shame to lose customers because of an offensive joke or post.)
• Will this inspire consumers to take action and make a purchase?
• Even if it’s off-topic, will it help build a relationship? (For instance, a motivational quote might not help you make a sale, but it might drive engagement and make your followers see that they can relate to you)

Whatever you do, make sure your followers will find it useful in some way. Otherwise, save it for your personal page (or maybe just a text to a friend).

5. You share unattractive images.

Blurry phone pics are the worst. Don’t share those. If you’re planning to share a photo you took with your phone, try to set it up, center it and take a few photos before you decide on one. And use the editing software on your phone (or download a photo editor) to make the photo more crisp and clear.

As far as graphics go, I know everyone thinks they’re a Photoshop expert, but maybe you aren’t. And, that’s okay. I know I'm not.

Instead, try a service like Canva that allows you to use pre-made elements and fonts to create graphics. Or, hey, you could find someone to do this for you.

Shameless plug: Our social media plan comes with nice graphics that we’ll share to Facebook for you with a customized message.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject, please don’t steal images from Google. Here’s a post about what you can and can’t use from the Internet as far as images go.

Now it’s your turn. In the comments, tell us your biggest Facebook challenges or mistakes you used to make that you’ve since fixed.