Michele Scism
The Results Lady
As a an entrepreneur your most important job is to sell your products and services. We have all heard the old saying “Nothing happens till you sell something.” To sell something you need visibility and if possible, massive visibility.
Social media in general and Facebook specifically can provide you with the edge you need to get massive visibility for your business. With over half a billion people using the site and millions more joining daily it is a good bet that your ideal client is there.
I speak to entrepreneurs on a daily basis and what I hear the most, well after “I don't care what people have for lunch”, is that they just don't know what to do with their fan page after they create it.
If I can share 3 simple steps that you can use on a regular basis to get massive visibility on Facebook, would that interest you? I thought so. A 3 step Fan Page Strategy is all you need.
1. Add Fans
Facebook is designed to work as an intricately woven network of friends and their friends. Every time you can get someone to comment, like, post or interact in any way with your fan page then that information is spread virally among the person and his network.
One of the ways I add fans to my fan page is by building a strategic network of personal friends on Facebook and then asking them to “like” my page. I have developed a profile of the ideal person for me to connect with and they consist of people in 3 categories:
- My potential clients
- Potential colleagues and joint venture partners
- Those I want to learn from
A lot of people question me about this particular strategy but here is the way I look at it. Facebook gives us the ability to have 5000 personal friends. I don't know about you but I don't have 5000 personal friends which tells me that Facebook wants me to expand my network. Done!
2. Fan Page Content
So you created your fan page and now you don't have a clue what to post. I recommend that you take a trial and error approach. By following this idea I have found that my fans really respond to the following types of posts:
- Quotes
- Videos
- Blog Posts
- Asking Questions
Be creative. Try something different every once in a while but remember this – don't post too many times a day on your Fan Page. The Facebook algorithms are always watching and if they feel you are spamming people they will give you the old Facebook slap. I try not to post more than 4 times a day.
When I am trying to decide on content I am always thinking “How can I add value to their lives?” That might be something I have created but it also may be something someone else created. I am a huge sharer of information and I realized a long time ago that I don't have to create the information to share it.
3. Get the Word Out About Your Page
This is the part of the strategy that takes a little thought. What could you do to get the name out about your Fan Page. The great thing is that there are lots and lots of ways you can do this. Here are 3 of the ways I do it.
Comment on other fan pages – I'm not talking about spamming other pages with your information but you can visit other fan pages and share your valuable information that is designed to improve their fans lives and be sure to mention your fan page. Or better yet you can comment on those fan pages when you are using Facebook as your fan page.
Facebook Ads – I am a fan of Facebook ads because they can be so targeted and specific. Remember that people are not necessarily on Facebook to buy things but they really like clicking the like button on an ad that peaks their interest. In the early days of my fan page I did this and added about 800 new fans in a little over a week.
Tagging – Of course my favorite Facebook strategy. If you have listened to me talk about Facebook before you know that I am always talking about the power of tagging. So how does this get you visibility? You could find a great blog post that someone you are connected with (and who has a decent following) wrote and share it with your fan page. In the update you tag the person who wrote it and hopefully their fan page if they have one. To tag is simply to type the @ symbol and then their name. If you choose carefully not only will all of your fan page fans see the update but also it will attach to the blog post writers wall and their thousands of friends can see it.
To wrap this up – find a few great strategies that work for you and then be CONSISTENT and PERSISTENT. Don't give up – do them over and over and watch your fan page grow.
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You always have such great advice Michele. Thanks so much for sharing!
MIchele –
I agree with Debbie – you always share great information that is practical and easy to implement. The problem with this is that if it is easy to do, it is also easy NOT to do. I darn not say which side I have fallen on recently.
Good news, though… I am back! I am also grateful for all that you do.
Be Well.
Paul.
http://AllAboutGratitude.com
LOL Paul I am so glad to see you are back!! One of my favorite contributors :)) Michele
Thanks for the great advice. Do you think a concentrated, targeted audience is better than attracting the masses at times? What about regularly adding pictures or images?
Hi Michael – Thanks for starting this discussion. I see several people have been chiming in. Absolutely think that the more targeted the better. That is actually one of the great things about Facebook is that you have the ability to target who you connect with and you have the ability to run ads to promote your fan page that can be very targeted. I also think that putting out the right info on your fan page with naturally attract the targeted audience you are looking for. As for pictures, images, videos etc. – I think they are all extremely important. They make your fan page unique. You also have to remember that people learn in different ways and you will find that you will connect with different people in different ways.
Hope that helps and thanks for getting this discussion started. Michele
Great advice Michele,
I recently set-up a fan page for my coaching business and had been pondering ways to increase the traffic. I agree with you, it’s about trying various strategies until you find what works. The important thing is to try something.
Everything you recommended has worked for me. After reading your article, it just validates that I’m on the right track. Thanks again for sharing and I look forward to connecting with you on facebook, twitter, and linkedin.
Blessings,
Lisa
FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carpe-Diem-Strategies/205736802775935
Twitter: karpediemcoach
Thanks Lisa – I just checked out your fan page. Great job! Thanks for commenting. Michele
@Michael Yublosky- Good question Michael. I’m of the belief that it is important to establish a target market (specific people you want as clients), as opposed to reaching out to the masses. When you have a target market you can really define how you want to spend your time on your marketing efforts. You can decide which groups to get involved with online and offline. If you have an integrated marketing campaign, you can decide who to send your direct mailers too, what tradeshows to attend, what networking groups to join, what online blogs to focus on, and who to follow on Twitter or Linkedin. This will also save you a lot of money in the long run, as you won’t be taking what I call the “Shotgun” approach and trying to reach those who might not be interested in your message. When you define a Target Market it’s more of a “Rifle” approach, you know who you want to spend your time getting your information in front of, be it online or offline. You could even go a step further and decide what “Market Segment” of your “Target Market” you want to focus on. This will really save you a lot of time and money. It will also make your marketing efforts more effective.
The Facebook Ad really allows you to determine your Target Market by putting in key words or phrases that might appeal to people you want to reach, or have follow your fan page. I just ran my first ad and have been getting great results in just a few days.
Good luck to you Michael. Michele what do you think?
@Michael. Hi Michael, I have one more comment. I think pictures are powerful, as long as they really support your written message. Most people comprehend better with visuals. An image can really take your written message to a whole new level with your readers.
Be Blessed!
Lisa
Carpe Diem
FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carpe-Diem-Strategies/205736802775935
Twitter: karpediemcoach
Hey Cindy – Well Facebook has just been calling them pages. I just did a quick google keyword search to see what the users have been calling them and Facebook Page and Facebook Fan Page are both close in numbers and then Facebook Business Page comes in with much less searches. So I think at this point they are still interchangeable. Hope that helps. Michele
Thanks Estra for stopping by. I really think Facebook ads can be a powerful tool. Good luck – Michele
Lynn that is such a great strategy – I spend a lot of time doing that as well. Thank you so much for letting everyone know. Thanks, Michele
Hey Judy – I have been hearing the same thing from several different people. I want you to go to a blog post that I wrote about usernames that has a picture of the page you should be seeing when you go to facebook.com/username and tell me if you are seeing the same thing. Does it show you have your personal name chosen and then is there a second box that asks which page you want to name? The link is https://decisiveminds.com/the-1-way-to-make-your-facebook-fan-page-easier-to-promote/144
Let me know if you are seeing that box and what message it gives you when you chose your page name out of the box? Thanks, Michele
@Lynn Brown-Hi Lynn sounds like a good strategy you have to draw people to your page. I think the most important thing in your approach is that you have set a consistent and specific goal of 15 minutes per day to research 10-20 prospects you would be interested in connecting with. It’s that type of committed and consistent effort that pays off. I look forward to learning more from your future post!
Have a great evening!
Blessings,
Lisa
Hi Michele,
Thanks for the great information on “Vanity” URLs on Facebook. I was actually able to shorten my long URL this week because I surpassed the “25 Followers” requirement to get a shorter URL. The visual and directions you laid out in your blog is a great step-by-step process on how to shorten your name. I will share this with my fans, clients and followers.
Thanks again for being a great resource!
Blessed Regards,
Lisa
http://www.facebook.com/carpediemsuccess
Michele,
Thanks for the feedback on my Fan Page, glad you like it!
Have a good evening and I’ll see you online again soon.
Blessings,
Lisa
Hi Maria – Thanks for commenting. I am sorry it took a while to post – it was in my spam folder. I love Get10000Fans.com – great program. Thanks, Michele