It is officially 2022, and we all know we need to have a social media presence for our brand. It is easier said than done; cultivating a following on Facebook is not one of the simplest things to do.
We are going to take a look at ways to grow your following on Facebook. There are many ways to grow your Facebook following, and while there is no single silver bullet method, there are some common practices. We’ll be ending this article with “your turn,” where we want to hear from you on ways you grow your following on Facebook and social media.
Post content frequently and consistently
You have heard us talk about the importance of consistency before. Matter of fact, you have heard us talk about it many different times, it’s that important. It’s not even a secret, consistent content is key to your success.
There are a few reasons for this. First, you want to show appreciation to those that do follow you. You want to take your followers on a ride of consistent, engaging content, so they stay with you. One of the main reasons people stop following a Facebook page is due to inactivity.
An inactive page is less likely to encourage new followers; even when you boost a post and promote your page. When your page gets in front of the eyes of potential new followers but they see a lackluster, inactive page, they more than likely will not follow your page (would you?).
Once you have discovered the optimal times (when most of your audience is on) for you to post content, schedule your posts out. Facebook has a “Business Suite” for professional pages. In Business Suite, you can click on the “planner” button in the left side menu. Once in the planner, you can schedule your posts and stories. Your followers are more likely to see and engage with your post when they are used to seeing it and know to expect it around a particular time of day.
Bonus: do not post content too often, posting more often than is necessary or wanted. This may negatively appeal to viewers and cost you followers in the long run.
Work with Facebooks Algorithm, not against it
We have all heard of the elusive, mysterious, and ever-changing Facebook algorithm. Just as you feel like you’re starting to get a grasp on it, something changes, and it leaves you scratching your head.
While we don’t know the exact algorithm, there are some things to consider when creating content:
Inventory – this refers to the amount of quality, value-adding content that you publish to your Facebook page.
Relevance – When you look at your target audience, is your content relevant to them? The algorithm will rate the relevance of your content, and if it ranks low, Facebook will not show it to many people. When your content ranks high in relevance, the reach will be better as well.
Signals – The data analytics of your content, based on the engagement (likes, comments, shares). Better engagement will improve your reach, while low engagement will negatively impact your reach.
Predictions – The algorithm predicts how interested (or uninterested) your audience and others will be to see your content.
Here is how Hootsuite puts it:
- “Relationship: Is the post from a person, business, news source, or public figure that the user often engages with? (i.e., messages, tags, engages with, follows, etc.)
- Content-type: What type of media is in the post, and which type of media does the user interact with most? (i.e., video, photo, link, etc.)
- Popularity: How are people who have already seen the post reacting to it? (Especially your friends). Are they sharing it, commenting on it, ignoring it, smashing that angry face?
- Recency: How new is the post? Newer posts are placed higher.
Of course, most of these signals require that Facebook track its users’ behavior. This is where the privacy vs. personalization debate comes up. (Again.)”
Share engaging and meaningful content
A lot of these points complement one another. You want to create and publish content that is meaningful to your audience. Content that is relevant to them and makes them want to engage with it. To achieve this, you need to know your audience/target market; not just on the surface, but intimately. What makes them tick? What do they care about? What sparks emotions in them?
Giveaways and promotions
Who doesn’t like to win something? One way to grow a following is to run a giveaway. What you give away is up to you. Just make sure the giveaway is relevant to your audience still. If you are a restaurant, you could run something along the lines of “like our page and get 10% off your next bill!” If you are running a weekly special, it could be “like and comment on this post for 10% off your next candy purchase.” When in doubt, you could always give a visa or Amazon gift card.
Pro Tip: We are all about supporting and shopping local. If you are a local/regionalized business, you could pick up a gift card from a local shop as the prize for your giveaway.
Invite people to like your page
This is your business! Your organization! You are passionate about it, and when you are passionate, your friends, family, and connections can feel that. Invite them to like your page. Sure, we all get a ton of invites, and not all of them will like/follow your page, but some will. And some is better than none.
Pro Tip: when someone engages with your content (like, share, comment), it enables the option to send an invite to them. If they engage with your content, it resonates with them on some level. Do miss this opportunity to grow your brand’s following.
Leverage paid advertising
Sure, organic growth has a lot of power. Your organic following is full of individuals that connect with your content on some level. If not a customer, they are in your corner cheering for you every step of the way (Thank you, Mom!). However, more than ever, Facebook (and other social media channels) have become a pay-to-play arena. We’re not going to go too into depth on PPC as we have other articles that cover that (How to Reach your Target Audience in Facebook Ads), paid advertising has a huge potential to grow your following and get your brand in front of others that may use your services.
You can still get to your target organically, but it will take a lot of time and effort. And recall our pro tip from just above? Say you boost a post, and 400 people engage with it. To keep it simple, let’s say 25% of those engagements are from people that already follow your page. That leaves 300 people that you are now able to send invites. Do you see where we’re going here?
Your Turn
We mentioned that there are many, and we mean many, ways to grow your Facebook following. What are some tried and true methods that work for you? What have you tired that fell short? What questions do you have?
Let us know in the comments. Or email Kelvin at kmack@mackwp.com Heck, you can even call him at (727)215-7643.
Until next time, keep smiling.
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