11 Foolproof Ways to Grow Your Small-Business Facebook Following You don't need to be a social-media expert to be an effective marketer on the platform.
By Anna James Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Your business may have a solid marketing strategy, but are you an effective Facebook marketer?
Facebook estimates that it is home to more than 30 million active small-business pages. How will yours get noticed? How do you turn one fan into 1,000? Here are 11 creative (and perfectly legal!) methods to generate a Facebook following that convert likes to sales fluidly:
1. Make your Facebook page home.
Once you have set up a comprehensive business page, request a personalized web address, such as www.facebook.com/ENTMagazine. Promote your new hub of business across your other social media profiles (LinkedIn, Twitter etc.) and on printed marketing collateral including business cards, highlighting: We're on Facebook!
2. Analyze your advertising efforts.
Through the admin panel of your page, or the Adverts Create Tool, you can orchestrate simultaneous marketing campaigns on your budget. The benefit of Facebook advertising initiatives is that it tracks your customers' responses in real figures. Examine what works and engineer your efforts according to that response.
Related: How to Create a Facebook Messenger Chatbot For Free Without Coding
3. Use Facebook Graph search (it's your secret weapon).
Imagine one of your fans at the center of a spider web. Graph Search enables you to learn more about them through the other pages they have liked. This information leads you to pools of like-minded individuals to target. It's a cheeky, albeit ingenious, way to extend your web -- your online reach.
4. Add a Facebook "Like" button -- wherever possible.
You don't need to be a coding wiz to embed a button on your website. Chances are, the person visiting your website is one of the 864 million who are already logged into Facebook that day, and may be inclined to click a like button, earning you a fuss-free fan.
5. Unite your channels.
Keep all of your social-media accounts on the same digital page by enabling integration, allowing you to post an image on Instagram that will automatically publish through your Twitter account. Save effort and promote your Facebook page concurrently.
Related: The 10 Biggest Social Media Myths for Small Businesses
6. Give the VIP treatment.
Pave the way for "Likes" with real incentives. A Mexican eatery chain revealed the locations of their free burrito giveaways only through Facebook status updates, driving traffic to their business page. Who can pass up a free lunch?
7. Partner up.
Find businesses with complimentary offerings to yours -- for example, a dog walker could form an alliance with a grooming service. Find businesses with the same amount of likes and approach them with an offer to cross promote your businesses, whether it be a joint offer, a competition or a mention. It's the easiest way to double your following.
8. Create an app.
More than 19 million people routinely access Facebook through mobile devices and apps are growing in popularity. Small businesses are now able to customize their own app online for a small fee, or outsource it.
9. Talk the talk.
Facebook enables you to connect with your customers above and beyond an Instagram shot or a 140-character tweet. Pages are designed for businesses to engage in detailed discussions with their target audience, which generates word-of-mouth advertising.
10. Be a source.
Content marketing is experiencing a boom, with 86 percent of business-to-business marketers adopting it to promote businesses. Publishing factual and engaging articles via your Facebook Page will position your brand as a source of information, securing a following. Experts suggest posting content five times a day, so you're "top of mind" of your fans.
11. Link to your personal profile.
We all know the feeling of dread when a friend requests a "Like" for their new business venture (which seldom yields a good response). Instead, every employee should link your business page to their personal profile under the "Work and Education" section. Repost content from your page on your wall to attract likes.
What other strategies would you recommend? Share in the comments section below.
