I have to admit it I, like everyone else, have been obsessing over how many Facebook fans I have. Right now I have 986 fans and I really want to get to 1,000. Why is it so important? Wouldn’t I be better off with 500 fans who are potential clients that are engaged and participating in my Facebook discussions rather than 1,000 random people that have no interest in my business? Of course the answer is yes but sadly social media can be like high school where you get judged by how cool you are and how many friends you have. When I am speaking to my clients they all seem to want more Facebook fans and when I ask them why the answer is usually the same “Duh so I can sell them stuff” and that boys and girls is why nobody is following you. Let me suggest a few ways to grow your followers.
1. Give me a reason to like your page. How many times do you see your friends post become a fan of my business page on their wall and then get frustrated that their friends won’t become their fans. You simply need to give them a reason to be a fan. Can you offer them something free? Most people need a reason to become a fan so give them one.
2. Now that I am a fan what do you plan to do to educate or entertain me? This is where things get interesting. I am stunned by how many fan pages have no content or even worse, outdated content on them. I like to say cash is king but when it comes to social media content is king so please update your page on a regular basis. If your last post is wishing me a Happy New Year as we are closing in on July 4th you probably need to update your page.
3. Make me want to interact with you. The biggest challenge when it comes to social media is trying to get your fans to interact with you. Many people are lurkers they will read all of your information but they will never comment. I am amazed by how random comments can get the most interaction. Recently I posted on my personal page that I just had a bowl of Cocoa Puffs, life is good. Now if you know me that really wouldn’t surprise you but I had over 20 comments to that post. If you read an interesting article that pertains to your business post a link on your wall and ask your friends what they think about it. Recently I posted an article that offered networking tips for introverts and asked if anyone used any of the tips. I am trying to use my fan page to educate my friends about social media and networking.
4. Reply to your friends posts. If your friend posts information on their fan page, take a minute to write a comment. Now don’t just say “hey great post” tell them why you liked it try to help them get a conversation started. It is ok to disagree with a post but please be polite about it.
5. Tell me something I don’t know. Use your fan page to educate me. I have many friends who are in the health field and I am always suggesting they tell me ways their service can help with my problems. Did you know that Chiropractic care can cure migraines? I didn’t know that. What can your product or service do that your fans might not know?
6. Ask me a question. Try posting a question on your fan page to get people to interact with you. Recently I asked my fans if they prefer in person or online networking. I was surprised by how many people responded for the first time to this question
7. Stop trying to sell to me. If every post is trying to convince me to buy something I will stop being your fan. Concentrate on educating me about your products or services try to follow the 80/20. Only 20 percent of your posts should be about trying to sell something.
8. Recommendations. Ask your clients to recommend you on social media. Think about life, what happens when something breaks? You ask your friends who they have used in the past to solve the problem and do they recommend them. There is nothing like a recommendation from a client to help you grow your business.
9. Stay on point. When you are on you fan page try to keep the posts about your business, an occasional personal story is ok but you want to focus your posts on your business.
10. Remember your audience. An issue I see all the time is people get too technical and post information that most of us don’t understand. Be careful when you are using industry jargon. Your goal is to educate your fans so that they will consider being clients.
11. Stop trying to scare me. Guess what I know Mountain Dew is bad for me but I am still drinking one as I write this article. Posting information to scare me won’t make me want to be a fan it will only alienate me.
Remember, you won’t grow your fan base over night, you will need to stay focused and keep repeating the steps above. If you like this article then become a fan of my page at www.facebook.com/friendsofkevin and be sure to post a link to your page so I can like you back. Maybe someday I will get to 1,000 fans!
The Friends of Kevin is business development / networking group that serves the business, non-profit and artist communities. Our goal is to promote your business both online through our website and social media presence, and in person at our “friend working” events.The Friends of Kevin raises awareness of local non profits while allowing our friends to network in a stress free environment.
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