Growing a fan base on Facebook is less of a “Build it, and they will come.” philosophy and more of a “Respectfully join the conversation.” situation. Increasing your audience requires a lot of help, since fan page permissions are very limited. You can’t necessarily send messages to a new user or even see their friends. So how do you find new people? Rely on your current fan base.
Sharing is Caring.
Your number one goal is to get people to interact with your posts. Every time someone likes, shares, or comments on a post on your Facebook page, their friends are likely to see it in their feeds. Hopefully a friend will want to learn more and follow the link to investigate your page. If you have a lot of great content on your page, they’ll “like” it too.
If you’re a dentist and your Facebook page is full of pictures of severe gingivitis, people are probably not going to “like” it. But if you have fun images, inspirational quotes, and cute messages from the staff, a referred visitor is more likely to “like” your page.
Spread the Word.
People won’t know you have a Facebook page if you don’t tell them.
- Add Facebook and Twitter icons to your website in a prominent place, usually the top right.
- Print your Facebook and Twitter links on business cards, invoices, flyers, ads, and add them email signatures.
- Post a decal or flyer in your window and on your counter.
- Add the links on your packaging and freebies printed with your business information.
Convert Customers to Evangelists.
Your current customers are your best chance at getting new customers. As they are paying, ask if they have signed up for your Facebook or Twitter pages. Let them know the latest and greatest information about your business, as well as exclusive discounts, are available online.
Tweet It Out.
Your Twitter audience is much easier to grow than your Facebook fans. You can use software like TweetAdder to look for people who fit your customer / client demographic. Search local Twitter profiles and past tweets for keywords that indicate an interest in your services or products. Then follow those people. If they don’t follow you back after a few days, unfollow them and move on.
Twitter only allows you to follow people at a certain ratio. If you have followed too many people who have not followed you back, Twitter will not allow you to follow any more until you unfollow some. Be careful not to follow or unfollow too many people at once, or Twitter will suspend your account for spam activities. This is why we recommend using a program to find new followers.
The content you post on your Facebook and Twitter pages should be different. Every so often, remind people you have more information on Facebook, and share a link to your page. This should help pull over more interested people on your Facebook page, where fans are harder to find.
If this all sounds daunting or confusing, you’re not alone. Feel free to call or email us with any questions you have about social media.
