Everyone is on Facebook. Every business is on Facebook, and if they are not they will be out of business soon. When you are looking for ways to promote your business don’t you want to find places that are going to be full of people that are likely to be interested in what you are selling?
With everyone being on Facebook, it’s naturally the best place to source customers. You can use Facebook ads and their advanced targeting let’s you really get in front of the right people, but some still like the organic approach of getting people to like their page and then trying to convert them.
It’s no secret that Facebook is gaming this big time. Years ago you could post an update on your business page and all of the people following your page would see the post and interact. Engagement rates were through the roof. Then Facebook got smart and greedy at the same time. They drastically limited post reach, and that pissed a lot of people off…especially the ones that paid Facebook for the likes only to have their posts not be shown to those people. It was a shady move, but there isn’t anything you can do about it.
Page likes still have value and it’s still worth building your likes up, but I definitely don’t use paid ads as frequently as I did before to grow them these days.
Remember this key point while reading through my tips: the more that one of your posts is shared or liked, the more people will see it. You see all the posts that your friends share and like. If it is something that appeals to you as well you will like the page also. It is just natural and nobody is immune to this. I’ve done it myself. I see a friend share an update for a company page and I end up liking the page. Then I see their updates in my feed. It’s a pretty simple and effective concept!
So on with the Tips.. Here’s how to Grow Your Facebook Likes.
Place the Facebook widget in your sidebar.
Facebook makes it very simple for you to create a custom widget box for your website. I would opt for the one in traditional Facebook colors because people automatically connect with it. Most people are signed onto Facebook anyone, so it makes it so easy for them to like your page with a simple click. Instead of just placing it on your sidebar and waiting, create a custom graphic to put above it. An animated arrow pointing down that says “Like us on Facebook” does the trick just fine.
Run penny ads and then scale via shares and likes.
I wouldn’t suggest going after likes that cost several dollar each, but there is nothing wrong with keeping a campaign running with a small $5 to $10 daily budget and bids for each like at a couple pennies. You will have to target third world countries, but it’s a way to build your likes up and if those people like and share your posts it will help attract more free likes. They won’t be the highest quality, but they can help a boring page look popular and if you gain some organic likes from their activity it’s a bonus.
Make your posts fun and not advertisements.
Everyone hates ads. There isn’t anyone that signs onto Facebook saying “I can’t wait to see what ads are shown to me!” People hate them and don’t want to see them. You need to make sure your followers don’t view your posts as advertisements. There is a way to drawn attention to services or products without it sounding like an ad. The best way it with humor. You can make a funny post about any topic. Use a funny image and a clever heading and you will attract clicks to whatever you are promoting.
Require a “like” to read your blog posts.
There are a lot of plugins that will hide your blog posts and require a task to be completed before the user can view it. One option is requiring them to like your Facebook page. This can work but it can also piss people off, so I suggest testing to see how your readers respond to it.
Post regular discount codes.
If you post awesome discount codes all the time your followers are going to share your posts and that is going to result in a lot of natural new likes. I have a friend of mine that is in the vape niche and he has a large website that does well. They post a new discount code almost daily exclusively on Facebook and those posts receive so many shares. This is the only way he has grown his page and he receives several hundred likes daily this way.
Share images from your company or office.
You have to mix in some posts that don’t have any offers or links. People like your page because they are interested in your business, not just what you want to sell them. Post images of staff or fun office events. Hint: if you have good looking employees it doesn’t hurt to show them off a bit. I have seen an image of a receptionist receive thousands of shares and likes and the business page grew overnight.
Hit up your active customer list.
If you have an email list of your current customers you should send them an email and offer them something special if they go ahead and like your Facebook page. These people already spend money with you so they obviously like whatever it is that you sell. These are the types of people that will easily share your Facebook posts without you even asking because they like your business. Tell them to like your page and leave a comment on the page to receive a special discount or gift.
Rank your Facebook page in the SERPs.
Facebook business pages rank on the top of Google so easily. Optimize the profile with your accurate address and contact information. Include your main keywords and company name in the about sections and include your URL. There is very little that needs to be done in order to have it ranking on top. When you can rank your Facebook page for multiple keywords you will attract likes naturally.
Study your Insights reporting to see what posts do the best.
The Facebook insight report is packed full of information. Take a look at it often and read it like you would a Google Analytics report. Find out what posts performed the best for you and take notes. These are the types of posts you need to focus on in the future because your audience related well to them. With that being said, stop posting what doesn’t receive engagement. Spend a few minutes a day reviewing this and you will quickly understand your Facebook audience better. Posting content they like gets more shares and likes, which helps put it in front of more people that will potentially like your page.
Tag people in your posts (and offer them a deal!).
This is so simple it hurts my brain when I don’t see anyone else doing it. Post an offer such as a 10% discount. Tag 10 of your followers in the post and tell them all they have to do is share they post and you will send them the coupon code. Do this every day multiple times, and you will see your posts getting major shares. Their friends will see it and like your page because they want a discount too. People don’t care what the discount is for…they just want it!
Start using your Facebook page URL in blog comments.
Want to drive a huge number of people to your Facebook page? Start using your Facebook URL in blog comments instead of your website. This is the perfect job for a VA. Have them comment all day long on niche blogs and link to your Facebook page. To be honest, this is one of the easiest ways to get new likes and fast.
Use a “Like us on Facebook” popup on your website.
Since most people are going to be already logged into Facebook when they visit your website they can literally like your page with a single click. A popup with a “like us on Facebook” is such an easy way to get new likes. They don’t have to enter a name or an email address. Just click a single button. People do this without even thinking twice!
Find large Facebook groups to promote your page.
Facebook groups are the rage right now, especially in business and finance niches. You can’t spam obviously, but if you join and build up your credibility you can casually drop your page to the group and if you made a strong enough impression you will receive new likes on your page. You have to give some sort of value if you are going to expect likes in return.
Use a custom URL for F sake.
Look at your Facebook page right now. If your business page URL ends with something like 3485435734579346534765783465873465783 then kick yourself in the nuts and then sign up for a vanity URL. It takes 10 seconds to do and it will help branding and it makes you look more appealing. Always use your business name if possible. If people see the original numeric URL some might assume it’s a spam page. You have to take every step offered to look legit if you expect people to like your page.
Make Facebook your customer service hub via your contact page.
I have seen great success with this after having a few clients switch to this. First, you need to open up messaging on your Facebook page. Then, remove the traditional contact us form on your website and include a like button. Have instructions on the page that tell the person to like your Facebook page and then visit it in order to contact support. For a business that gets a lot of general inquiries this is a golden way to get hundreds of new likes every day!
Comment as your page on other niche pages.
Did you know that you can comment as your business page? Not many do, and it’s a very easy way to put your page in front of people that could potentially want to like your page. Visit large niche pages and comment as your page. You need to make sure it doesn’t appear spammy because they are going to know what you are up to. Provide value and they will leave your comments. This is a great way to drive a lot of likes over time.
Use Facebook comments plugin on your blog.
If someone is responding to your blog post by leaving a comment with Facebook that makes it very likely that they will then share the post on their Facebook page. This helps to put you in front of a large audience and get more people to read it. Make sure you have a “Like us on Facebook” button at the end of all your blog posts to turn some of this traffic into new likes. I’ve also noticed on several blogs that their comments went sky high after switching to Facebook comments simply because almost everyone is on Facebook and it doesn’t require them to open a new comment account with someone else.
WARNING: BLACKHAT (use a like jacker script)
This is blackhat but it works. A like jacker basically forces everyone that visits your website while logged into Facebook to like your page. Some people will notice it and remove your page, but a lot of people will go on and never notice. If you are a legit brick and mortar store then I would suggest against this, but if you are an online store or you are doing a short term project I say roll with it.
Negotiate for an influencer shout out.
Find an influencer in your niche that has hundreds of thousands of likes. Negotiate a shoutout, where they tell their Facebook followers to go like your page. Some want money, but some will be able to be bribed with discounts or free product. Always negotiate. Tell them you are skeptical all their followers are real and you need to do a test run to see if the engagement rate is as good as expected. Most will be willing to work out a deal. This is a great way to get loads of quick likes.
Conclusion
When you see how many simple ways you can grow your Facebook likes, it makes you realize that the post reach debate is useless to argue about. There are so many ways to increase your likes without spending money, so even if the reach percent is down, you are still putting your offers in front of a huge audience.
If you are interested in social media marketing make sure you check out my past posts about increasing your Twitter followers and how to use LinkedIn to generate leads. I’m also almost done with a post about growing your YouTube subscribers and another one about growing your Instagram followers. Stay tuned!
