You might have heard that like gating is now banned on Facebook.
It’s a distressing thing to read, I know.
You probably enjoyed the extra fans that came with, say, running a Facebook contest. And if you work for somebody else, getting those fans generally made justifying your job easier.
But hope is not lost. Far from it. Your page is still likeable – we promise! And we’ll prove it to you.
Just do these 5 things to attract more fans.
1. Ask for Them
It’s simple. It’s easy. It works.
One of the first things you should be doing is actually marketing your page. Take every opportunity to remind everyone who’s reading your content to like you. You’ll be surprised how many will.
Whenever you post, consider asking for likes. It may not always be strategic to do so. But often, it will be. You’ll have to make that call yourself, but the opportunity is certainly there, and the more engaging your post is the better chance you’ll have of turning your readers into fans.
Next, think about how you integrate your Facebook marketing with everything else. You probably run email, search, and other kinds of campaigns as well. You may have print collateral – for an event or something else. You could have actual product packaging.
Take a moment and think about fitting your Facebook strategy in. It may be as simple as putting a Facebook icon on a paper conference agenda. Make the public aware that you have a Facebook page. Encourage them to like it.
[Tweet “You don’t get what you don’t ask for, including Facebook likes!”]
Start by simply asking.
2. Make Your Page Visible
Of course, you can’t forget that your prospective fans have to actually locate your page on Facebook first. There are more than a few ways to put yourself out there, but one you should absolutely take advantage of is simply fleshing out your About section.
You should absolutely talk about:
-
- o
- Your company
o
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- Your product
o
- Your website
The point – in terms of visibility – is to get your content indexed by search engines. Naturally, you’ll also make a case for your visitors to like your page once they’ve already found it, so the return is twofold.
[Tweet “Fill in “About” on Facebook to get noticed by search engines for more likes.”]
Don’t forget to fill all this out.
3. Socialize Your Emails
Email marketing still boasts the highest ROI, but it shouldn’t have to do all the work. Particularly when social-email integration works so well.
To start, take a common email you send out. It might be a weekly newsletter. In fact, it probably is. Just add social buttons to the bottom – Facebook, Twitter, and so on. You can take existing icons or create your own to reflect the aesthetic of your creative.
But consider advertising a bit more. Tell your subscribers what they’ll get out of liking your page. You may release product information early there, or hold contests, or even field customer service concerns. It can be short – just communicate one benefit of becoming a fan. It can also vary according to the kinds of posts you’re promoting that week on your page. Your specific campaigns will benefit more that way.
[Tweet “Take advantage of email’s high ROI to drive Facebook traffic and likes.”]
Add a Facebook button – it doesn’t take long.
4. Like Box Your Website
Digital native or not, I’m sure you’ve seen a Facebook like box more than a few times.
You’ll see a “Find us on Facebook” header just above a box advertising your page, showing how many likes you have and which of your friends are among them.
Like boxes are very common. And there’s a good reason for it. They drive Facebook referral traffic, boost revenue, and, of course, get you more likes.
What’s more, they’re not hard to set up
[Tweet “Advertise your Facebook page on your website – for free!”]
Get more likes with a like box.
5. Embed Your Facebook Posts on Your Blog
You can do more than just promote your page on your website. You can promote your individual posts too.
If you’re blogging about something – let’s say it’s how to moderate your Facebook page – and you’ve written a Facebook post on the subject, you should embed it in your blog article. It’s a relevant post, after all. One that your blog readers will be very interested in.
You’ll get all the same benefits of installing a like box, along with higher visibility for that particular Facebook post.
The process is similar, too. You can embed Facebook posts in your blog – or website – in more or less the same it takes to read this post.
[Tweet “Got a relevant Facebook post? Embed it in your blog post!”]
Embed your Facebook posts directly on your website or blog.
The era of the like gate may be over, but likes are still there for the taking. You don’t even have to pay for it. Just return to the usual strategies – the ones that have worked all along – and stay abreast of industry news. It’s never very long until Facebook releases something else.
Tell us about your Facebook page. What’s your like strategy? Where do you get most of them from?
Tell us in a comment below!
