LEARN - Table of Contents > Path 5: Media Mavens > Course 1: Facebook Game Plan > Lesson 3: How Do I Get Followers
Now that you’ve got your social media pages and VIP group all set up and have some good ideas about what to post, let’s turn to finding followers. How do you get more people to follow your page and join your VIP group? And better yet, how do you get them to share your pages with their networks as well?
In this document, we’ll share several ways for you to start advertising your pages. The most important thing you can do to get followers, however, is to post. Post consistently on your business page and in your VIP group—even if nobody’s watching. You’ll never have followers if there’s no information to follow! And bear in mind that building a following on social media is a “long game” marketing strategy. Your efforts may not result in tons of followers today—but continued, consistent effort will grow your following over time.
To start getting followers and more friends in your VIP group, try a few of these simple strategies like the ones noted below.
- Invite People to Like Your Pages
• Post on your personal page. Say something like, “You guys know how much I love Chalk Couture, and I’m excited to announce that I’ve started an official chalk business page and VIP group. If you’d like to follow me as I give live product demonstrations and share my projects and passions, please like my business page. In my VIP group I’ll offer occasional sales and discounts so make sure to request to join that, too. Thanks for supporting me and my small business. I can’t thank you enough.”
• Invite friends directly from your business page. Start from your page, and click “Community” in the left column. In the right column, you'll see a field for inviting friends to like your page. Enter a friend's name in the search box, and then click “Invite” next to their name. Alternatively, you can click through the list.
• If you’d rather send a general message to all your friends, use the “Share” function from your business page. You can announce your new page to all of your friends by clicking the “Share” button under the “Page” tab at the top, or under the “Notifications” tab.
• You don’t want to overwhelm your friends with invites, so don’t use all these strategies. Pick your favorite and start from there. As a follow-up, and on occasion—not all the time—you can share a post from your business page on your personal page to increase exposure and likes. - Encourage Your Friends and Page Followers To Share
A great way to increase page likes is to ask for referrals! Just like in your person-to-person business, make sure you ask everyone you know to refer your business page to five people they know. Your friends and followers want to support your success, and most likely they know way more than five people who would love Chalk Couture. All you need to do is ask!
You might say something like, “Thanks to all of you for supporting me and Chalk Couture. I’m committed to growing my presence on social media, and I would love your help. If you love me, and love what I’m doing here on Facebook, please reach out to five friends and invite them to follow my business page and join my VIP group. You could also share a favorite post or live demonstration in your personal feed as well.” - Try Out Facebook Live
You’ve heard this 100 times already, but really, Facebook Live is one of the most powerful tools you have to build your following. If you have inventory at home, do a Facebook live about the products you currently have on hand. If you’ve just received a new order, create a couple of projects live or do an “unboxing” video to showcase the newest inventory on hand. Go live often, and try to advertise at least one day and time each week when your followers can expect to find you. - Create More Video Content
Video content on Facebook typically gets higher levels of engagement than pictures or text-based posts. As a result, if you opt to post a video rather than just a photo, more people will view your content. The more viewers and Facebook likes you get, the higher the chance that your content will get found by potential new Facebook followers. The secret to getting new followers isn’t always about building an audience but also about building your brand. Creating interesting content regularly in a popular format can help you build a stronger following. Be consistent and use the format people watch most. - Engage with Your Community
Remember, your followers aren’t following Chalk Couture—they’re following you! Engaging with your community and building real relationships with your followers is vital. Respond to comments and questions. Ask your followers their opinions. Encourage them to share their photos and projects in comments, and always provide great customer service. And whenever possible, be fun and playful when you respond to followers’ questions and comments. Build friendships and work to make genuine connections with people.
Another great way to build your own following is to follow other business pages and join groups with similar interests. Look for groups in the DIY space or that have to do with crafting or home décor. Participate in those groups and pages by liking posts, leaving comments, and asking questions. As the other group members and page followers get to know you, they’ll become interested in what you say and what you have to offer. (Remember, success on social media is about building relationships, so you never want to join a group and immediately share your business page or start talking about Chalk Couture. Just like with real people in live settings, get to know the other people first. Find a way to connect and then, when the time is right, share what you have to offer.)
Click here to continue to Lesson 4: Setting Up a Business Page