How to grow a healthy and engaged Facebook following.
Hands up if you can remember L.B.F.
Life. Before. Facebook.
Yes, it really did exist, even though for some of us it’s hard to imagine because, lets face it, Facebook and social media in general is as much a part of our daily lives now as morning coffee and fresh knickers. We sleep with our phones by our beds. We check them before we go to sleep, when we wake up and countless times throughout the day.
Love it (yes!) or loathe it (whaaat?), it’s not going anywhere.
Find your tribe.
Facebook is actually a pretty wonderful thing if you think about it. When in history has it been so easy to connect and engage with people, whether they’re on the other side of the world, or in our own community? And we can BUILD community. We can surround ourselves with like minded people. In other words, we can find our tribe.
Look at any business. They have a presence on Facebook, guaranteed. As a business of any size, any kind and any age, you need, at the very least, a Facebook page and ideally, a Facebook group.
Your page is like your shop window. It tells people you exist. It tells them where you are and what you do and it gives them a flavour of what it might be like to work with you. It pulls them in.
Your group though, that’s where the magic happens. That’s where you build your tribe of like-minded people and yes, you’ve guessed it, ideal target customers. This is where you will really engage people. Because it’s all very well having a page with thousands of likes, but if your followers aren’t engaging with you, what’s the point?
Of course, if you’re reading this you must be a member of my Facebook group right? If not, you’re missing out on a TON of great advice so get yourself over there pronto!
Join the ‘Marketing S.O.S – Standout & Sell’ Facebook Group.
Top tips for growing a Facebook following:
Here are my top tips for building a strong and engaged following on Facebook:
– Be consistent. You don’t have to be the best, but you do have to show up. Post something. Every. Single. Day.
– Don’t get disheartened. Building meaningful relationships takes time. Your likes won’t happen overnight, but if you’re consistently showing up and giving value, they will come.
– Cross promote your business profiles on your personal page and across other social media platforms. Sometimes we forget to think of friends and family as potential referrers. Don’t leave them out but don’t spam them either, infact don’t spam anyone!
– Giveaways. A well thought out giveaway can really boost your numbers. What product, service or package could you give away, or give a taster of, to tempt people into your tribe or reward your existing followers who regularly contribute or share? Also known as a Lead Manet!
– #hashtag. Hashtags aren’t as commonly used on Facebook as they are on other platforms like Twitter and Instagram. But a few (really, 2 or 3 tops) relevant hashtags can help people find you. Lot’s of events have their own hashtags which help you connect with other people who are attending. Or create your own hashtag!
– BE CONSISTENT. I know. I already said it. It’s important. Do it.
– Go live. I can hear you thinking that sounds terrifying af. But it works. Think of people you follow. Don’t you love to actually see people talking to you? It makes you feel more connected, because you are. You can speak to your followers in the moment and answer their questions. And, without getting too techy here, the Facebook algorithm favours video, especially live video. So get over yourself and give it a go! You can watch my video and follow my tutorial on how to (or how not to) do lives here, or read some hints and tips here.
Don’t be boring
Remember whether you’re on your page or in your group, only about 20% of your content should be talking about your product or service. The rest of the time you need to be sharing interesting and entertaining stuff which is going to really engage your followers. So for example, what’s going on in the world which will interest them? What drives and motivates us (and our tribe)?
Important. If you think what you’re posting might be boring, it probably is. So don’t post it! No one’s interested in following a boring page – so look at it objectively.
Be consistent. Be creative. Be passionate.
Go forth and grow.
Love Kate
