Facebook page followers…
Most businesses want more of them. But if you’re reading this post, I’m guessing you know how tricky that can be in practice.
Your follower count gives you a great idea of your audience size and reach on Facebook.
And as your business grows, it’s a solid goal to strive for as you scale.
But the quality of your followers is important too. You should always aim to attract more pet parents that are a perfect fit for your business.
Not just any old Joe Bloggs.
Because qualified, targeted fans mean more engagement. And engagement means everything.
So how do you get more qualified followers? Here are 11 top tips below.
1. Add your Facebook page everywhere
To gain more followers, you need to make people aware that your page actually exists. Which means you should use all the available space you have across the interwebs to shout about your page.
You can do this by:
- Ensuring your Facebook personal profile links to your Facebook page
- Add a Facebook like widget to your website
- Include the link in your email signature
- If you have a Facebook group, include it in your about section and member welcome posts
- Add the link in your bio on your other social media platforms
2. Share different types of posts
One of the reasons follower counts plateau, is due to lack of variety. If you post the same type of content each day, you can struggle to connect with your audience.
Experiment with different post types to see which ones get the most likes, shares and comments.
Share a mixture of image posts, gifs, polls, recorded video and live video. And vary the types of topics you talk about too.
Inside the Pet Biz Thrive Online Club I teach the 8 pillars of social media content.
These are:
- Story posts to build know, like and trust
- Tips posts to share value
- Authority builders to share your opinions and perspectives
- Connection posts to show you understand your audience
- Promotional posts to call people to action
- Testimonials and case studies to build credibility and social proof
- Lead magnets to grow your email list
- Light hearted content to foster engagement
Engagement on your posts is what puts your content in front of more people. It actively boosts your reach. And the more people see your posts, the more likely they’ll follow you.
3. Post at the right times
The lifespan of a Facebook post is a mere 3-6 hours. That’s only a tiny window for your audience to see your posts.
So posting at the right time is critical on Facebook. Your posting schedule needs to align with your audience’s scrolling habits.
If they’re active between 4pm and 8pm, that’s when you need to publish your content. If you fall outside the active time frame, it’s likely your audience will miss your content altogether.
Check your page insights to find the best posting time for you.
4. Collaborate with other brands
There are a whole host of different ways you can partner up with other brands. All of which can help you grow your following, with the right strategy.
For example:
- You could collaborate with an influencer, where they share an image or video of their dog trying out one of your products. They share that across their social channels and tag your Facebook page in the posts.
- Appear on a popular podcast related to your field and direct people back to your Facebook page.
- Do a live interview in another business’s Facebook group and direct people to your page.
- Write a guest article for a big online publication and include the link back to your Facebook page.
- Run a competition or prize draw with a business buddy. All your audience needs to do to enter, is like both of your pages.
5. Leverage other people’s Facebook groups
Join relevant Facebook groups where your ideal client hangs out. Become the expert in those groups and take time to interact and provide value every day.
Then ensure you have the right breadcrumbs in place that will lead them back to your page. Like making sure you have a link to your page on your personal Facebook profile.
If you get friendly with the group owner, they may be happy for you to do a live interview where you can then promote your page too.
Check out this post on how to leverage Facebook groups.
6. Interact with your audience
Spend time engaging directly with your audience. Most social media users like to feel seen and heard by the businesses they engage with.
Take the time to reply to comments left on your posts. Respond to direct messages when people hit your inbox.
When you interact, you boost your reach and engagement rate. Which means more people are likely to see your posts and follow your page.
By building real relationships and showing you care about your followers, you’ll also build brand loyalty. And loyal fans are more likely to spread the word for you.
7. Share exclusive discounts and coupons for Facebook fans
Make it known that your Facebook followers get access to exclusive discounts when they follow your page. Mention the kind of discounts they can access in your pinned welcome post on your page.
You could also include a Facebook like popup on your website. This allows you to gift your visitors a coupon if they like your page.
Discounts codes and coupons are also a brilliant way to incentive people to leave reviews on your Facebook page. Which is a great way to build your social proof and gain new followers as a result.
8. Check your insights often
Facebook Insights is a great way to understand how your audience behaves, and which content is performing. So check them often.
This will help you identify which activities are gaining you followers, and what you might need to change or tweak moving forwards.
Members of the Pet Biz Thrive Online Club found the tutorial on Facebook’s new insights hugely useful to help them navigate their own data.
9. Email your list
As well as including a link to your Facebook page in your email signature, you can also send a simple email to your existing list.
Simply ask your subscribers to follow your page and why they should. Tell them about the benefits they’ll receive by following your page. Then include the direct link.
10. Run Facebook ads
One of the most obvious and easiest ways to get more Facebook followers, is to run ads. Even if you only have a small budget, you can still run an engagement add for a few pounds a day.
Since Facebook ads can target people based on demographics, behaviours and interests, it’s a great way to guarantee that you’re reaching the right people.
And that way they’re more likely to engage with your page, and more likely to convert into paying customers.
11. Invite people that like your posts to follow your page
Use Facebook’s nifty little feature to invite every person that likes your post to like your page.
This works well, particularly if you’re running Facebook ads. Facebook itself will often notify you and suggest you invite those specific people to like your page.
Spend some time going through your page to invite your post likers. Click on the likes on your individual posts, then click the invite button next to each person’s name.
Gaining Facebook followers requires more than just throwing up a bunch of posts and seeing what happens. You need to bring your page into people’s awareness and have a great content strategy behind you.
I hope you found these tips useful to help you grow your own following. How many Facebook followers do you currently have? Let me know in the comments below…
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P.s. If you need help to reach more pet parents and sell more of your products or services, there are a few ways I can help you do that:
For 44 ways to get more clients for your pet business, grab the FREE Pet Biz Sales Booster Bible.
The Pet Biz Thrive Online Club is my super affordable, contract-free membership programme and your safe space where you'll learn all about how to market your pet business online. So you can grow your audience and attract new clients. Doors are currently open to new members. Learn more and sign up here.
If you need more 1-1 coaching support to give you the clarity, focus and plan to achieve those results you crave, check out my coaching packages here.
If you're on a tight budget, want to DIY your marketing and kick-start your progress, I have a few online courses to help with that. All my courses are designed to help you market yourself with more ease and flow, without spending all hours in front of your computer. Head over here to check them out.
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Not sure what you need? Email me at hello@karlyedwards.com and let's chat about how you can market and grow your pet biz.