It’s no secret by now that social media can be a key weapon in your business’s marketing arsenal. Whether through paid social media advertising or organic posting, social media can be an incredibly effective way to raise brand awareness and create desired perceptions of your business and brand.
A common question we receive from clients is ‘how can I increase my Facebook page following?’ Continue reading to learn about the benefits (and risks) of having a large Facebook following, and our recommended strategy to grow your following.
The benefits of having a large Facebook audience
You may assume that ‘bigger is always better’ in terms of your audience size, thinking more people that like your page = more people that see your content = more customers for you… right?
While there certainly is a positive correlation between your audience size and how much visibility your posts receive short-term, the Facebook algorithm does pay attention to how much your audience seems to enjoy your content. This is typically done by measuring Facebook’s user engagement metrics. Common Facebook user engagement metrics number:
- Likes
- Comments
- Shares
- Clicks on your post
Facebook uses the above actions to determine whether people are interested in the content you are posting. If your posts typically receive high levels of engagement, Facebook will use this as an indication that your posts are high-quality, and people are seeing them. And because it’s in Facebook’s best interest to show people content they enjoy; they will begin showing a higher percentage of people your posts.
The risks of having a large Facebook audience
Unfortunately, the opposite to the above is also true. If over a substantial period, your posts receive very low engagement, Facebook will begin showing your to fewer eligible users (i.e., those who have liked your page).
Therein lies the risk of desiring a large Facebook following simply for the sake of seeing a big number. Just because you see a large number, it doesn’t necessarily mean your posts are visible to that same number of users.
So, should I be aiming to grow my Facebook audience?
In short… yes.
Overall, a large Facebook audience and presence is effective for communicating your message to prospective customers. SMBs who focus on having a close and personal relationship with their customers are often very good at communicating their personal values and tone of voice which resonates strongly repeat business.
Again, the key to achieving good results beyond the ‘page likes’ figure, is to always be looking to grow an engaged audience.
How do I increase the size of my Facebook audience?
There are hundreds if not thousands of articles and reports out there answering this very question. In our view, the best way to grow your Facebook page is one of methods…
- The ‘Get Rich Quick’ Method
Facebook (and Instagram) ads are typically managed through the Facebook Ads Manager interface (read why you should use this rather than the ‘boost’ button). Within Facebook Ads Manager there are a wide range of ad objectives, one of which is ‘Page Likes’. An ad using the Page Likes objective replaces a typical call to action (i.e., ‘Contact Us’, ‘Learn More’ or ‘Shop Now’ button) with the option for users’ to like the Facebook page in question at the click of a button.
he recipient of the ad can like the page with a single tap/click. They do not have to click a link, reload the page or do anything else that could potentially prevent them from liking the page. Typically, this is the single-most effective way to increase your page likes. BUT, this is not necessarily the best outcome if the audience is disengaged for any of the aforementioned reasons.
- The ‘Invite to like’ Method
An alternative strategy to paying for Page Likes (as described in Method 1.) is by monitoring users who have liked one of your posts but do not actively like your page, and inviting them to do so. This is most effective when done long-term and is more of a ‘slow-burner’ compared to the above strategy.
Also notable is that this strategy works the same whether you are running ads or posting organically. This is a great way to get added value out of posts that you are already creating.
How does the ‘Invite to like’ method work?
If you are an admin of a page, you can see which users have commented on or liked one of your ads or posts. Here, we are only interested in the latter group of users.
Click on your post to see a list of people who have liked or reacted to it. Note that next most of the users pictured below there is an option to ‘invite’ that is not greyed out. This means that they have liked your post but do not currently like your Facebook page.
By clicking the ‘invite’ button, users that have reacted to your post will receive a Facebook notification, inviting them to ‘like’ your page. In our experience, anywhere from 10-30% of people will act upon the invite and like your Facebook page. It’s a longer draw but over time, this can be a very effective way to build your audience!
In the image above, you will note that there are two greyed out options; one saying ‘Invited’ and one saying ‘Liked’. If you see the former, it means that you have already invited that user to like your page, and unfortunately, there is nothing more you can do. If you see the latter, it means that user already likes your page.
So… Why is the ‘Invite to like’ method better?
Typically, someone who has liked one of your posts in the past is more likely to find your content appealing and engage with it in the future. In our experience, continued engagement is more likely from this user set than that of users who may have liked a page because of a ‘Page Like’ ad or competition.
It’s worth noting that in order to attract those initial post reactions this method works best in conjunction with consistent organic posting or some form of paid advertising (that is not using Facebook’s ‘Page Likes’ campaign objective mentioned above).
Growing a sustainable, engaged Facebook following
It’s well worth monitoring your business page’s notifications and posts and looking to see if you can invite people to like your Facebook page. Long-term, it’s one of the best ways to sustainably grow an engaged audience and extract additional value from the Facebook posts you should already be making.
I’ll leave you with a visual cue showcasing how one of our clients is successfully growing their Facebook page sustainably using the ‘Invite to like’ method. If you like what you see, get in touch to learn more about our Facebook marketing service
