Have you built your Facebook Page, and are still wondering why more people haven’t liked your Page? Fans don’t automatically appear, ready to like you, follow you, and do business with you. People must be lured to your Page in hopes to attract enough people that will ultimately turn into a regular stream of business.
However, the greatest myth out there is that if you build a Page, advertise it to your entire list of friends and acquaintances, and you’ll quickly build up a respectable following. Unfortunately this strategy may actually backfire. If you’ve been on Facebook for a while, you probably have a variety of family and friends outside of your photography business. While they may love you and appreciate you own your own business, they probably don’t want to be marketed to again and again. You may suggest they like your page, and the suggestions are overlooked again and again because they simple aren’t THAT interested in the marketing side. Also, even if they do choose to like your Page, they probably won’t take an active part in discussions and commenting, and won’t help you grow your Page. Your Page is all about building relationships with prospects and customers, and use those relationships to build your business over time.
Instead of relying on your family and friends, lets look at 12 creative ways you can get more fans to your Facebook Page.
Tip 1: Embed Facebook Widgets on your Site and Blog
Facebook makes it easy for people to share your content and information in a variety of ways. Select from a variety of Social Plugins to place throughout your website and blog.
Use the Live Stream plugin to share activity and comments in real time as they interact.
Use Facepile to showcase the Facebook profile photos of users who have liked your page.
Or use the Activity Feed plugin to show users what their friends are doing on your site through likes and comments.
All are an excellent way of building your fans by allowing them to interact with people they already know through Facebook.
Tip 2: Invite Your Current Email, Snail Mail and Ezine Subscribers
While you shouldn’t invite family and friends you are connected to on Facebook, by all means promote to your current client lists. If you send regular emails or ezines out to your prospects and clients, make sure you include a link to your Facebook Page on all of your outgoing correspondence. And if you send postcards out to entice your clients, why not send a special one and invite them to your Facebook Page? Instead of telling them about it, give them a reason to join. Maybe a coupon or discount when they join, or even the enticement of being able to see their photos on Facebook when they come in for a portrait.
Tip 3: Make a Compelling Welcome Page
Pages can be developed with a variety of tabs, and you can direct which tab shows when someone visits for the first time. Create a special graphic that provides something of value to a potential visitor when they like your Page, or even a video that explains what your Page is all about and why they should become a member. Facebook Setup Info
Tip 4: Get Fans To Tag Photos
As a photographer, you may want to consider bringing your camera everywhere. If you’re a wedding photographer, bring it to your local bridal consultant association meetings. If you’re a portrait photographer, bring it to meetups. And if you’re a commercial photographer, bring it with you to your events and marketing groups. Take photographs all event long, and load them onto Facebook. Then let your group know their photos are up, and to invite them to tag themselves. This pushes your information out onto their walls, and into their friends’ newsfeeds, giving you a ton of free exposure.
Tip 5: Use Facebook Ads
One of the largest areas of growth on Facebook is their sponsored ads section. Even with a small weekly budget, you can be up and running with an ad in minutes. Facebook has demographics like no other, and you can advertise to a select amount of people in any geographical location you choose. You can create very specialized ads to a select group, and change it based on what your people like and what they would be interested in.
Tip 6: Start Up a Contest
While there are a number of stipulations to running a contest on Facebook, it is a great way of getting people over to your page, and motivating them to sign up. From contests, to sweepstakes to competitions, there are a number of ways you can use this great idea to build relationships with your followers.
Dig Deeper: The Guide To Growing Your Facebook Page With A Contest
Tip 7: Have People Join Facebook With SMS
Like texting rather than email or RSS? Why not promote your Facebook Page to people that can like you via a simple text message? In Facebook, head over to your account settings, and configure your mobile settings. Once you have your customized URL in place for your Page, you are ready to go. Start telling people to text “your Page URL” to 32665, and they will like your Page instantly. For example, you can send “VirualPhotographyStudio” to 32665, and you’ll instantly Like our Facebook Page.
Tip 8: Use the @ Tag
As long as you are a fan of your own Page, you can use the @ tag it on your own profile wall, and use it when commenting around on other profiles and Pages. To use it, simply start typing the “@” symbol and the first few letters of your Page name and it will appear in a drop down menu format to select from This creates a subtle link that makes it easy for people to click over to you any time you comment on other posts and ideas.
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Good tips here – will make sure I’m applying them to my own Facebook page, thanks! Enjoy reading the blog, keep up the good work
Really appreciate you sharing this post. Much obliged.
Great tip as always!