“Build it and they will come.” When it comes to building a presence in the social media world, especially on Facebook, there has never been a bigger misconception. The good news is that anyone can create and launch a Facebook page. In just a few easy steps and a couple of photos, your page is up and ready for the world to see. But, if you want a valuable and sustainable Facebook presence, you need to roll up your sleeves and get ready for some heavy lifting.
Put quality over quantity
Getting people to “like” your page, let alone visit your page, is a more complex endeavor. If you have money to burn you can get some page “likes” pretty quickly. There are all sorts of paid resources that promise a bigger following but proceed with caution. What value are you really adding when you are focused on quantity over quality? These people may unlike you just as quickly as they clicked that little thumbs up without giving your page a real glance. Earned “likes”, on the other hand, are immensely more valuable and much harder to come by. You need to pound the pavement, create solid content, promote engaging events or contests, and find new (and valuable) prospective followers each and every day. It can be frustrating to spend 12 or more hours on a promotion just to get a few likes. If this doesn’t seem worth it, look at the bigger picture. Naturally earned (organic) likes from peer-to-peer shares typically represent loyal customers that will stay with you (and buy from you) for years to come. That alone can justify the extra effort.
Invite the right people to like your page
When it’s time to invite people to like your page, it’s tempting to invite all of your current Facebook friends. Don’t do this. While some of your established friends will love to support your organization, it won’t make sense for everyone. If your company creates baby products, your single male friend is probably not going to like your page – even if he likes you. Don’t take it personally, and stay smart about your invites. Additionally, if this is a new venture, send an introductory message as to why you are sending this invite. Otherwise, your friends may not know you are even affiliated with the organization.
Form relationships with industry colleagues
Before you invite your industry contacts to like your page, remember that this is a reciprocal relationship. This is especially true in small industries (i.e. local network of artisans) where one sale, one recommendation, and one like can make a big difference. When you return these favors with public nods of recognition, you will find that your colleagues may become an extension of your sales force, possibly sharing your new product launch with their own loyal customer base. Pay attention to these important relationships and put in the time. Your presence will begin to grow in a very natural and meaningful way.
Join groups relevant to your business
When you join relevant groups on Facebook, you’re not only building your presence, but you’re also strengthening your own business. In this community of like-minded individuals, you can talk about similar issues and share resources. As an added bonus, the more that you offer helpful advice, the more you become a top-of-mind company – without pushing the hard sell.
Create contests and giveaways
Everyone in the Facebook world loves free stuff and “friends and family” types of discounts. Use this to your advantage and create giveaways that will also build your numbers. For instance, require that people like your page and share your content on their own timeline to be eligible to win. Before you know it, you can accumulate many solid new likes, especially since new fans will see that their friends gave you a stamp of approval. This is also an ideal time to run some paid promotions on your page to achieve maximum exposure.
Give shout outs to your vendors
Above all, don’t put your Facebook value at the number of people that like you. Instead, focus on how many people are truly connected with your brand. If you have three fans that act as brand ambassadors on your behalf, that far surpasses the benefit of 100 random paid “fans” that never engage in the conversation or take time to like your posts. Of course, if you found this article helpful, we hope that you will share it with your Facebook friends!
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