These days, most businesses have a Facebook page. Setting up an account is easy, and your new business profile can be live in a matter of minutes.
Setting up your business page is only the first step. Growing your Facebook following is a commitment, but when you put the effort in you could open your brand up to new customers and opportunities.
The question is, how do you grow your Facebook fanbase? And how do you do it on a budget?
The good news is, you can grow your business page organically without having to spend any money!
To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of our top ten tips for growing your Facebook followers. Check it out!
#1. Post Regularly
You know the saying, “quality over quantity”, but when it comes to social media it should be “quality AND quantity”.
If a potential follower visits your page and it hasn’t been updated since 2016, they’ll wonder if you’re still in business. The solution is to keep your page fresh with regular, informative updates.
Your updates should be relevant and you should schedule your posts for a time when your target audience is online. For example, you may be targeting overseas shoppers who live in a different time zone. It could be worth posting at 2 am to get maximum reach from your post.
So, you know you should post a lot. But exactly how often should you post on Facebook? The answer is, you should aim for one quality post on your timeline per day. And don’t forget to add regular updates to your Facebook Stories!
The great news is, you can repurpose content from your other social platforms to make less heavy lifting. And when you have us in your corner, you can use Tailwind Create to generate hundreds of beautiful post designs personalized to your brand in one click for Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook! It’s three for the price of one! Check out Tailwind Create below :
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#2. Always Be Professional
You should save the personal posts for your private page. Keep your business page professional, and double-check your content before posting.
Make sure there are no spelling errors, and that your images are clear and crisp.
Your cover image and icon should fit with your brand and you should avoid anything that could cause offense.
Fill out your page information so that your fans can learn more about what you do. Use a generic email address such as [email protected] rather than a personal one.
Don’t forget to include your website and your general location as this will boost your credibility.
#3. Respond to Comments
You can increase your reach by interacting with your followers. Every comment, like, or share, spreads your post and helps you build your followers list.
By responding to your fans it shows them that you’re a real person, and you’re there to answer any questions. If you’re a store owner, answering a query about a specific product could secure the sale.
Comments may not always be positive, but you should be courteous. Don’t forget to delete any spam comments as they can be offputting to your followers.
#4. Create Original Content
Facebook users see a lot of content. In fact, there are 14.58 million uploads to the social media platform every hour. To get noticed your posts need to be original and shareable.
You’ll need to understand your target audience and their interests. For example, they may like funny memes, interesting facts, or exclusive videos. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ideas until you find something that works.
Keep all of your original content consistent so your users know what to expect. This could be as simple as including your logo on all of your images or using the same color palette for your memes.
#5. Make Your Posts Interactive
If a Facebook post goes viral, it usually leads to an increase in engagement. When users comment, like, or share your posts, it will be shown to more people.
You can improve your chances of a viral post by encouraging interactivity.
A smart way to do this is to end your post with a question. You can also pair a question with a graphic. In the following example, the question is “which one are you?”
It’s not uncommon for videos to go viral. Styles that perform well on social media include “how-tos”, cooking tutorials, and funny videos.
Think about what you have to offer, and share it. Remember to include captions on your videos for those who are hearing impaired and people who prefer to scroll silently.
#6. Tell Everyone You Know
People will only follow your Facebook business page if they know it exists. Share your page with your social network and ask your friends and family members to follow you. Choose a relevant name for your page so that it’s easy for your friends to find and tag you.
If you have an existing website, email newsletter, or other social media accounts, spread the word. Let your audience know that following your page on Facebook will be worth it. For example, you could give them access to special deals, expert tips, or giveaways.
Make sure you include your Facebook link in your email signature and feature it on your business cards.
#7. Collaborate with Other Brands
Cross-promotion isn’t a new idea, but it is an effective one. When you collaborate with another brand that complements yours, you can both grow your followers.
Collaborating can be as simple as giving someone a shoutout and asking them to do the same in return. If you’re a blogger or influencer, you can write a product review and ask the brand to share it on their page.
Just remember, if you’re receiving free products in exchange for a review, you should mention this in your post.
You may also like to ask influencers or experts to create a guest post for your Facebook page.
#8. Run a Giveaway
You can get people excited about your page with a giveaway. Your prize should be something that’s appealing to your target audience. For example, you wouldn’t give away a pair of men’s socks if your core demographic is women who are interested in books. Instead, you’d give away a gift pack featuring some of the must-have new releases.
You can maximize your reach by asking your fans to like, comment, or share your giveaway. If you want to save money on shipping costs, consider giving away a digital gift certificate to one of your favorite online stores.
Alternatively, if you have products to sell, you may like to run a giveaway on someone else’s business page. To get more followers, a “like” for your page can be a condition of entry.
Be mindful, if you run a competition you’ll need to have clear terms and conditions that meet your local law requirements.
#9. Host Live Events
When you live stream on Facebook you can connect with your followers in an instant. You’ll show the world that you’re genuine, and users can interact with you in real-time.
Whether it’s a virtual party, a tutorial, an interview, a performance, or an announcement, you can do it virtually. Tailwind goes live almost every week to talk about various aspects of social media marketing and give tips and tricks for marketers to succeed!
Of course, you don’t want to talk to yourself. Make sure your existing followers will be online and ask them to share the details of the event.
Test your camera, microphone, and sound before you go live, and if you’re not feeling confident you can have some notes prepared.
And don’t forget the background. Make sure there are no clothes on the floor, or dirty dishes behind you.
Going live on camera can be daunting at first, but over time you’ll become a live-streaming superstar.
#10. Use Watermarks
We’ve spoken about original content, and you know how important it is to be unique. But creating your own graphics and taking the perfect photo can be time-consuming. If your post does go viral, other people could steal your content for their own page.
While there are copyright laws, not everyone on social media will do the right thing.
You can use watermarks on your images, and if they’re reshared you’ll still get credit as the original source. Watermarks also help with brand recognition, as your logo or handle will be seen over and over again. If someone sees a clever meme elsewhere with your details on it, they may just seek you out and give your page a “like”.
Growing Your Facebook Followers Without Spending Money
Are you ready to grow your Facebook followers without spending any money? It is possible to get quality connections with a few simple strategies.
In this article we gave you ten tips to help you grow your business page. You should post regularly, and always be professional. Don’t forget to respond to comments, create original content with watermarks, and make your posts interactive.
Invite those in your circle to support your page, and spread the word on your website, email communications, and other social media profiles.
Collaborate with other brands, and consider running a giveaway. This will create excitement about your page, and encourage people to follow you.
Finally, consider hosting a live-stream event. Live-streaming is a good way to connect directly to Facebook users and show them that you’re genuine.
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