As a fellow small business owner, I know first-hand how valuable Facebook can be for connecting with potential customers. But getting those initial followers is tricky without the right strategy.
After helping dozens of entrepreneurs effectively grow their Facebook presence, I‘ve identified the most impactful best practices to organically build your audience.
Implement these proven tactics to start gaining more followers:
1. Create an Approachable, Trustworthy Page
Your page needs to look professional before visitors will consider following you. Based on Facebook‘s own research into follower motivations:
- Profile pictures with faces increased follows by 52%. Use a high-quality headshot of yourself or logo.
- Cover photos with text saw a 114% increase. Share your brand slogan/value prop.
- Pages with a clear call-to-action button acquired 15% more followers. Add "Shop Now" or "Contact".
Additionally, completely filling out your Page description builds authority and familiarity during those vital first impressions.
2. Identify and Produce Relevant Content
Posting valuable, engaging content tailored to your audience is the key driver behind follower growth.
Brainstorm ideas based on your offerings like:
- New product announcements/releases
- Share the latest goods or services you started providing.
- Q&As with your founder or employees
- Give followers fun facts and behind-the-scenes access.
- Expert guest articles
- Build partnerships and highlight key industry players.
Recent studies show Pages that post daily see up to 55% more followers than those posting just a few times a week. Find a sustainable frequency allowing you to be consistent.
3. Run Targeted Paid Ads
While organic content will steadily accumulate followers, paid Facebook ads can accelerate growth through targeted outreach.
Leverage Facebook‘s unique ability to hyper-target users by location, demographics, interests and behaviors. Highly relevant ads inspire engagement.
From my clients‘ paid advertising efforts, promoting giveaways garnered significant reach. Offer free products in exchange for Following, which directly converts impressions into followers.
Monitor your metrics after launching campaigns – optimize towards lower Cost Per Follow (CPF) while scaling budgets incrementally.
4. Encourage Engagement
The most successful Pages build relationships with followers through consistent interaction. Here are impactful engagement strategies:
- Reply to all comments, questions and feedback. Directly addressing followers fosters community.
- Share user-generated content like customer testimonials or photos featuring your product. This shows you truly value supporters.
- Send exclusive content and offers to most engaged followers via Messenger. Identify your VIP group through Facebook Analytics to target.
Message new followers directly with a warm welcome. People appreciate personal outreach, making them more inclined to continue engaging.
The more you sincerely interact, the faster your community will grow.
Focus on these tips for getting more Facebook followers, continue tracking your performance in Page Insights, learn what your audience responds to – then double down on it. You‘ve got this! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
