Facebook is the largest social network in the world, so almost any internet marketing strategy should incorporate it in some way. But you can’t necessarily accomplish this just by attaching a “like” button to your website and calling it good. Here’s how to build a following on Facebook and launch your popularity through the roof.
Facebook Definitive Guide to Traffic Generation
Set Up a Facebook Fan Page
If you didn’t know, you shouldn’t be doing business on a standard Facebook account. Instead, you need to set up a fan page. Most of the activity that takes place on Facebook is between friends who know each other. It is only on fan pages that people have topically oriented conversations with people other than their immediate social circle.
Unless you are an anomaly on the web, your blog’s audience consists of a wide variety of people from many different places. They are only all in the same place because they share a common interest. A fan page is where you build this kind of community, so set one up before you do anything else.
Give People a Reason to Come Back to your Facebook page
Your fan page should offer something of value that keeps people interested. Before you even start reaching out, make sure that something of value is there. Why would anybody become a fan of something that offers nothing? It’s also important to realize that your fan page is not a place to advertise or sell anything. It exists to get people excited about you and your blog.
Post links to videos, forum posts, blog posts, and interesting content on the web other than your own.
- Start discussions.
- Ask questions.
- Run polls.
- Include useful apps.
Your primary goal with each update should be to get people talking. This is true even if you are putting content up on a fan page that doesn’t have any followers yet. Starting a conversation is what it’s all about. The more people talk about you page, the more visible it will become to your facebook followers and their friends. It’s a good idea to ask a question every time you post something.
Spend Half Your Time Elsewhere
You should spend about half of your time on your own fan page, and half of your time on other fan pages.
Don’t leave comments just asking people to visit your fan page. That’s spam, and people hate it. Just become a part of the community, share interesting facts, join the discussions, and become an important part of the conversation. Eventually people will start to recognize you and will want to find out more about you. This will bring them to your fan page.
That said, remember to be logged in as your fan page, not as yourself, while you are doing this. You aren’t trying to make personal friends; you’re trying to create an audience. While it’s true that the lines between these two things are blurring, it’s still an important distinction. When you post comments as your fan page, people can click on your name and it will take them to your page, not your profile.
Understand Facebook Edge Rank
Facebook Edge rank is the algorithm that is used to determine what shows up in a user’s stream when they visit Facebook. A high edge rank means that your latest posts show up closer to the top of their stream, and they’re more likely to see you.
The gist of the algorithm is that recent information, information from people you have interacted with the most, and information that has been liked and shared often is most likely to show up at the top of the stream. This is why it’s so important to provide content that people want to share, want to talk about, and want to talk about often.
If you can master these three skills, you will always be on the front of your audience’s pages, where they will be reminded of what you have to offer.
