Understanding how to effectively utilize Facebook as a marketing tool can be beneficial to help grow your small business. Facebook among other social platforms, has become the primary way for businesses to connect to their customers and increase their reach to new audiences. With the desire to go viral, many businesses are searching for new strategies to help increase their social following. We’ve compiled a list of the top 15 strategies to help increase your Facebook followers and likes.
1. Hashtags
While hashtags are often associated with Twitter or Instagram, utilizing popular hashtags in Facebook posts can also increase likes and followers on Facebook. Establishing keywords that match the services or products of your company in your posts is the best way to correctly use hashtags.
2. Videos and GIFS
Videos and GIFS are winners for attracting the most engagement/likes. Creating entertaining video content and relatable GIFS for your posts will be liked/shared drawing in new followers hoping to see more engaging content. This is a popular way to increase social reach and possibly go viral.
3. Host a Giveaway / Contest
Hosting a contest/giveaway on Facebook is a good way to market your business’s products and/or services while keeping your followers engaged. Hosting a giveaway on your website can be done easily using tools like Rafflecopter. This popular tool allows you to create, manage and share your giveaway to niche Facebook groups or forums, giveaway websites, and of course on your Facebook page. By making “visit Facebook page,” one of the ways to enter the contest/giveaway, you’ll be more likely to increase the number of Facebook followers you have.
4. Tag Other Pages in Your Posts
Tagging brands that have a similar audience to yours in your posts can help increase followers. Finding brands that regularly post content featuring their customers or other brands to tag, are likely to be noticed and can even gain a shout out from that brand.
5. Add a Facebook Likes Popup
Utilizing popup apps like “Facebook Likes popup” is an effective way to potentially increase sales and followers. The Facebook likes popup app, allows you to offer customers a discount coupon on your business’s product/service if they like your company page. Not only will they like your page, but they will also follow, hoping for future coupons.
6. Create and Add an Email List
Along with offering discount coupons after followers have liked your page, adding a “join our email list” popup that also asks them to “Like” and “Follow” you on Facebook, is another way to increase sales and followers. You can then directly email your list, discounts, and alerts on new products/services.
7. Target Emotions
An effective way to increase engagement is to post content that will bring emotion out of your followers. This step should be used with good judgment but if done properly, can appeal to your followers’ emotions and will be liked and shared. Often people use non-controversial current events in their posts as a way to gain attention and stay current. For example; a good idea for a local restaurant establishment would be to create a post about the current Burger King/ Taco Bell menu feud.
8. Join Relevant Industry Groups
Joining industry groups on Facebook that are relevant to your business is an effective way to promote your business. Engaging in groups related to your business regularly leaving insightful comments can drive traffic to your company page. If readers like your content, they will likely click and view your page to learn more. Including your company page URL, can help lead industry group followers to your website while potentially gaining new customers and follows.
9. Commenting on Blogs and Posts
While posting on pages and answering niche blogs questions are important, it is equally vital to add a @ tag with your company page as you sign off and will drive traffic back to your page by clicking the @ tag to view your page.
10. Use Automation Tools to Boost Social Activity
Frequent posting is an important way to gain new followers but can seem tedious among other duties. Marketing automation tools like Hootsuite are used to set up your posts for the week in advance. Automation tools allow you to set up posts as you normally would with pictures and/or videos and choose a specific time to post in advance. For example, if you’d like to start every Monday morning with a post highlighting a new feature, you can pre-schedule your Monday posts to reflect that.
11. Engage with Your Community
The best way to increase likes and gain organic followers is to turn to who you know! Turn to family, friends and past customers to like your page and invite others to do the same. Spending the time to engage in groups within your community as well as niche groups is a good way to introduce your business to the community and increase followers/customers.
12. Leverage other Social Platforms
This may seem like a common thing but is easily forgotten. Adding your social media links to your website is a simple way to leverage your page to gain new followers. Another way is to create an engaging storytelling post that continues other social pages. For example, a beauty page might post the first half of a makeup tutorial on Instagram and invites viewers to see the finished product on Facebook.
13. Mix Up Your Posts
Posts filled with wordy text and/or too many of the same content can become repetitive and will be scrolled by. Mixing up your posts with a variety of GIFS, videos, pictures, and copy will keep your viewers engaged. Funny or relatable posts will be shared, driving new traffic to your page.
14. Use Facebook Live
Many people use Facebook Live to hold Q&A’s and as a way to funnel out tips of the trade. However, Facebook Live can be used to showcase new products and explain services. Conducting a weekly live stream can help increase your followers and gain new customers.
15. Partner with an Influencer
Many businesses are now developing partnerships with influencers and niche fan pages to tap into a wider audience. While partnering with influencers will likely come at a price, having an influencer endorse your service/product on their page, will drive a wide audience of new followers your way. If money is tight, partnering with a niche page is a cheaper way to tap into pages and audience specific to your type of products/services to achieve the same result.
Marketing through engagement on Facebook is both efficient and convenient and provides businesses with an interactive medium that reaches their audience and new customers. Although this list of 15 Facebook strategies may sound overwhelming and time-consuming, the benefits are worth it! If you have any concerns or need help to properly market your business on Facebook, please feel free to reach out…We’re always happy to help!
Danielle Foley, President
Foley Marketing Advisors
dfoley@foleymarketingadvisors.com