Someone asked me today “how do I get more likes on my Facebook Page?”
In fact it’s a pretty common question. And it’s not hard to understand why.
At the end of 2015 Facebook quoted that they had 1.59 billion monthly active users. In fact, in Australia roughly 62.5% of the population has a Facebook account. It’s not hard to understand that your perfect audience, the people who you really want to connect to, the individuals that you would love to have as clients are in hanging out on Facebook. The only issue is how to get these people to find and follow you on Facebook.
Facebook Reach is Down
I’m not going to sugar coat it. Organic reach, or the number of people that actually see your content without advertising, is down on previous years. In fact, if even 10% of your Facebook followers see your content then you’re doing pretty well. In other words, if you have 100 people who “like” your Facebook Page then less than 10 of them (on average) will see any particular post that you share. As disappointing as it is, it’s the facts.
Let’s think of a major newspaper. If you wrote an article that was shared in your local paper there’s a high chance that readers would notice the article. Why? Your local paper is smaller and the readership is generally really active and interested. But if that same paper great to become one of the national tabloids and each issue was more than 150 pages then the chances of the same article being noticed is much smaller. The growth of organic reach in Facebook is much the same. Five years ago Facebook was much smaller, but these days with over 15 million Australian accounts the platform has become big, noisy and everyone is clamouring for attention.
Of course you can pay to advertise… but that’s a different story.
Why should I grow my Facebook Page?
So despite the busy-ness of Facebook, having a healthy set of followers is still important. The chances of them seeing your content is lower but they are still people who, despite the noisiness of Facebook, have announced that they want to see valuable content from you.
Promoting your Facebook Page gives people the opportunity to say “yes”.
And down the track, there’s lots of other ways that you can use this audience. For example you can re-target them with Facebook ads. And even if you don’t want to run ads just yet, starting to build the audience is an important first step that you can capitalise on later. So the aim here is to grow your Facebook Page as simply and quickly as you can.
Growing your Facebook Page followers shouldn’t be hard. In fact I suggest that there are seven simple ways that you can advertise your Page and grow your following. Each is simple, unobtrusive, free and something that you can start doing today.
7 Ways To Grow Your Facebook Page
1. Update your Facebook Profile (personal) and add your Facebook Page as your current workplace.
You can do this right now. Log into Facebook and update your Work and Education details. This way any friends, family or even strangers that look at your Facebook profile will instantly find a link to your Facebook Page. As a bonus, your employment details sometimes show when strangers hover over your name. This can be great if you are a active in other Facebook groups or interact in places where other’s can see you (such as friends of friends).
2. Tell people about your Facebook Page.
Ok, this might sound really simple. But the crux of it is that everyone is busy with their own lives. If you don’t ask someone to stop what they’re doing and come and like your page then the chances are they won’t.
Whether you’re talking to people on the phone and saying “oh, for more information like that you can always visit and like my Facebook Page”, or including it in a direct email, or just telling people at your local coffee shop a real, human to human request also has a much higher chance of converting too.
3. Refer to your Facebook Page on your highest converting traffic sources.
In fact you could refer to your Facebook Page on ALL your traffic sources but let’s start with the biggest. Work out what your most visited web page is and put a link to your Facebook Page. Discover what your most downloaded item is and put a link to you Facebook Page. Identify your most often sold product, and drop a photocopied flyer in with it that includes a link to your Facebook Page. You get the idea.
4. Put a link to your Facebook Page in your email signature.
According to the Radicati Group, in 2015 the average business person sends 122 emails per day. What? That’s over 15 emails per hour!
Imagine if you just added the words “Visit and Follow me on Facebook for regular updates on our product range. You can find my Facebook Page here… ” (or something similar). This is a great way of reminding people over a hundred times a day that you have a Facebook Page.
[Bonus] Have a look at Wisestamp. Wisestamp is a 3rd party tool that manages your email signatures. Not only does it help you create stunning looking signatures, but it also allows you to place dynamic content… such as your latest post from your Facebook Page… auto-magically!
5. Put a link to your Facebook Page in any outgoing documentation
How many paper invoices do you send each month? What about your monthly newsletter? Do you do a letterbox drop each season? Is there anything else that you send regularly direct to your customers? If so why not refer to your Facebook Page and encourage people to come and follow you there? Even if you just updated you letterhead it would be a great start. And once it’s set up you don’t need to think about it again.
6. Promote your Facebook Page inside Facebook.
This one sits by itself for one key reason. Only people who are on Facebook will be interested in following you on Facebook. I really can’t imaging someone joining Facebook just so they can follow you (but perhaps you really are that compelling:)) If you’re active in Facebook Groups, such as the local buy, sell, swap or perhaps a special interest group like the local knitting club, sporting fan club or motor enthusiasts crowd then have a think about spruiking your Facebook Page there too. Most of these groups have clear ‘rules’ on what can and can’t be promoted but chances are you’re passionate about your business and have joined several groups that align with that passion.
Imagine you’re a butcher… and you’ve joined several related groups for meat lovers… When someone asks for the perfect osso bucco recipe you could comment “I shared a fantastic osso bucco recipe on my Facebook Page just recently. You can check it our here…” This strategy works fine for some groups, and not so well for others. But as long as you are promoting great content first and aren’t being spammy (“come like my page… please like my page”) then you’re on the right path.
7. Share your Facebook Page content on your Personal Profile
Chances are you’re passionate about your business and many of your friends and family are too. Feel free to share your best content on your personal profile and let your friends and family know exactly what you are up to.
After you write a post, find that big old share button, and share the post to your own timeline.
So what are you waiting for? Any of these 7 strategies are things that you can start doing TODAY. In fact, if you have less than 500 Likes on your Facebook Page I suggest you start doing several of these things now and start watching your Facebook audience grow over the next month or so.
But it’s over to you. Which of these strategies do you like the best? Which have you tried and found success with? Is there anything else that you’re doing that’s working great for you? Let me know in the comments below.
