I just passed a milestone on my facebook page, 1000 likes. It's been a neglected page for quite some time, so it's taken way too long to get to this point. The interesting part is the last few months, I've had the time to take the strategies that I have learnt and actually put them into place on growing my own facebook page.
A graph showing engagement (likes and comments) shows quite clearly the point at which I suddenly had some time free and I turned my attention to Craft Blog UK.
So how exactly do you get more facebook fans, comments and likes?
Get more engaged with other pages and you will naturally grow your fan base on facebook
Here are a few tips. They work - you can see from above! In this post I'll concentrate on activity off your page, in the next post I'll look at posts on your page. You need to get both right in order that people will engage with your posts, but it's best to start with trying to find other pages to socialise with.
- Everything you like or comment on will be seen on the ticker and in your page activity, which is often posted in a fans news stream - your fans are watching - use it as a chance to show people how engaged you are not what a spammer you are.
- Spend 5-10 minutes at least a day looking through your 'home' stream and interact as your page.
- Give other pages that complement your own, the thumbs up and add a comment as your page.
- Don't spam pages. Rather than post at the top of someones wall, take a look at their posts and comment on one of these, if you are posting as your page you don't need to add a tag.
- Don't like or comment on anything you don't actually like.
- Use the 'most recent' home stream so you can be in the first to comment on something that comes from a very popular page, it has more chance of being read.
- Don't copy and paste any messages - you are a spammer if you do and facebook will not appreciate it. Be a human being and you wont get in trouble! If you don't have time don't bother at all.
- Search for pages to like that fit into your 'target market' - the more pages in your stream, the more interesting interacting will be.
- Everything you like or comment on will be seen on your wall - your fans are watching - use it as a chance to show people how engaged you are not what a spammer you are. (those paying attention will see I repeated that point - it's for a good reason!)
NB: Spam
I have heard people liken posting or tagging etsy and folksy listings on facebook page walls to fly-posting on someones shop window, it's a great visual analogy - you just would not have the audacity to do that in real life so why do it online.
I welcome people posting their latest blog posts or any relevant news my subscribers might be interested in on the Craft Blog UK facebook wall. But I delete etsy and folksy listing posts, regardless of who has tagged me.
The side effect of the right sort of engagement
GREAT INTERACTION = TARGETED FANS
TARGETED FANS = MORE ENGAGEMENT
MORE ENGAGEMENT = MORE TARGETED FANS
Continue this way until you are super happy that you reached you next facebook milestone and you sold lots of stuff ;) More tips can be found in the Craft Blog UK Blog Tips List
Worth shouting about? Please share this if you have found it useful and don't forget I'll be back with part 2 of this post soon.
x Hilary :)
All the lead images I use for my post come via my flickr group - Craft Blog UK Flickr Group