For many new businesses to Facebook, one of the most difficult things to do is build a Facebook fanbase. To Facebookers, the more fans you have, the more credible and worthy your brand likely is of their attention. This leaves businesses just starting out on Facebook in a difficult position… so what are the best ways to build your fans from scratch?
Here’s our top 5:
5) Promote your page on all your collateral
The best collateral to advertise on, is those that live on the web, your e-mail signature, your Facebook profile description, add a widget on your website, on twitter etc. It doesn’t hurt to advertise your page on print collateral as well. Keep in mind that before you hit 25 fans, you won’t have a customized Facebook URL. So get 25 fans first, then start promoting externally.
4) Encourage your family and friends to become fans
A simple message to your close family and friends regarding becoming fans of your new page is a great way to reach that 25 fan threshold. Once you hit it, you may want to “suggest a page” to some of your other friends with a personalized message – to build a little more following.
3) Write engaging content
Social media needs to be “social”. If your simply talking at your fans about your products, or events – they’ll see through it and ignore you, or worse “unlike” you. To engage your fanbase, ask their opinion, ask questions, and most importantly, interact with them yourselves. You need to be the catalyst for conversation.
2) Run a Contest
This is sort of a gray area, because Facebook has Contest Guidelines that you should follow. Some common contests include “Fan of the Month” – where one fan gets recognized publicly, usually with some sort of reward – or, “Voting Contests” – where you invite your fans to vote on their favorite product, picture, etc. The best contests are those that can create a little buzz, the more people comment and “like” the more personal pages your link gets displayed on.
1) Use Facebook Ads
Facebook ads are hyper-targeted, and very useful. Once you have built a decent following, write some simple ads and target individuals likely to enjoy your page. Even with a minimal budget, you get new fans fast. Be sure to switch up your ads and targeting from time-to-time, this ensures your reaching all your potential fans.
