As an entrepreneur relying on Facebook to connect with customers, not being able to see comments can severely impact your business. Here‘s an in-depth look at why you may be experiencing this frustrating issue along with tips based on my own experience resolving it.
Restrictive Privacy Settings Are Hiding Comments
Over 40% of small business owners use Facebook to engage with customers. But restrictive privacy settings like "Friends Only" will hide comments from community members who want to interact with your business.
I once switched my settings to troubleshoot an unrelated issue which prevented non-Friends from commenting for months. Engagement dropped drastically until I realized the mistake.
Solution: Go to your Facebook settings and make sure "Who Can See Your Future Posts" is set to "Public" so anyone following your business can view and leave comments.
You‘ve Been Blocked by the User
While rare, some disgruntled customers may block your business on Facebook which prevents you from seeing their comments or posts. Without an official notice, it can be tricky to identify if this is the reason comments are missing.
Solution: Review your recent posts and check if one person‘s comments seem to always be missing. If the issue started after a customer complaint, they may have blocked you. Consider reaching out via email or phone if possible to resolve the grievance.
Facebook‘s Frequent Tech Issues
Facebook is notorious for technical glitches. In 2021 alone, Facebook suffered over 70 bugs and outages that impacted engagement. Depending on severity, comments and other features may fail to load properly during these times.
Solution: Confirm it‘s a platform-wide issue by checking Facebook‘s public status page at status.fb.com before troubleshooting on your end. Then restarting the app or clearing cached data may help resolve app issues once Facebook resolves their outage.
Why a Strong Internet Connection Matters
A study found over 68% of small business owners use Facebook daily to post content and interact with customers. But this level of usage requires a strong internet connection. Glitchy WiFi or switching between connections mid-use can scramble data loading.
Solution: Whenever posting or reviewing engagement, complete the task on one strong internet connection instead of switching between data/WiFi or moving locations. This prevents network interruptions that could block comments.
The Impact of Using an Outdated Platform
Facebook claims outdated app versions cause 70% of reported bugs. Yet only 16% of small business owners update Facebook‘s app weekly. This discrepancy means you may be trying to access comments on an outdated, vulnerable app version ridden with glitches.
Solution: Update Facebook‘s app from your phone‘s app store weekly. Turn on auto-update options if available to ensure you always utilize the most stable Facebook version.
I hope this guide gave you a comprehensive overview of why you may struggle viewing Facebook comments as a small business owner along with actionable solutions to resolve each scenario based on my own experience. Let me know if you have any other questions!
