Social media stats from companies like StatCounter and Shareaholic have shown that Facebook generates more traffic to websites than any other social media network. With such concrete evidence of the effects of Facebook on traffic, it would be foolish for a company that is starting out in business not to invest some time, money, and resources towards improving its Facebook presence. Facebook has worked for many startups and it is obviously challenging to really generate some buzz around your new business. It’s for that same reason that we have come up with 10 ways to help you do that for your startup. The following strategies will help you drive some attention towards your Facebook profile:
1) Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups is a very integral part of Facebook because it has millions of users. According to Facebook, there are now 700 million people using Facebook Groups. That is more than half of the social media network’s 1.15 billion users. In fact, groups on the platform are so integral to the extent that Facebook created a separate app just for that. Facebook Groups is an app created to enable people to interact with their groups and members as well as find new ones to join.
For startups, this presents a very good opportunity to be relevant on Facebook. It’s also a good place to discover and join groups from your niche or even groups related to your niche. To begin, you should join these groups and introduce yourself and your company, share the page with the groups and go as far as providing quality posts in the groups over time. The more you participate sensibly in these groups, the more followers you will earn for your startup.
2) Invite Friends to like and share your page
Some of us have more Facebook friends and followers than anything else. At the time of launching your startup, it is pretty obvious that you have more followers on your personal profile than on your page. Share your page with your friends, ask them to like the page, and provide an incentive for joining your bandwagon. If you really are willing to go the extra mile, send your friends a short and precise inbox message to ask them to like your page.
3) Paid Advertising
When Facebook first started out, the organic aspect worked well. Years later, the organic aspect is almost dead and there is no way possible to actually gain followers or generate conversations on your Facebook page without paying for it. Facebook’s rise into a huge company now worth $967.94 billion can be attributed to the funds they generate from advertising. In other words, if you are really serious about getting some attention on your page, you will have to spend some money.
4) Sharing buttons
Add sharing buttons to your website so that if somebody visits and likes your startup, it’s easier to share your website with their friends on Facebook. This can help you go viral or just get some attention overall, which is good for business.
5) Facebook Like box
Facebook has made it possible for you to have a Like Box on your page. You could copy the code and place it on your blog sidebar or even on the footer on your home page. The Like box shows photos of people who like your page (optional) and the number of Likes that your page has got. The Like box also displays a like button so that by clicking on that button you automatically like the page. This is an incredible feature if you want to convert your website visitors into Facebook fans and generate some interest from their friends as well.
6) Link Facebook your Profile to your Facebook Page
We have seen entrepreneurs who are known better than their companies are. We have also seen entrepreneurs who go out to personally generate some attention for their startups – Mark Cuban is a good example. People like this have built a well-known personal brand, so they get more visits to their personal Facebook profiles than they do on their business page. If you’ve built a well-known personal brand, then linking your Facebook profile to your company’s page will go a long way towards getting some attention for your company.
Simply go to your Facebook profile and click on ‘Update info’, on the ‘About’ section under ‘Work and Education’, update your info to show where you ‘work’. Once you begin typing the name of your company, the page will pop up and you can link to it. That way, when people visit your profile they can just go directly to your page to check out where you work.
7) Page Branding
Branding is not just about color. If you have a Facebook page for your business it is important for me to understand what you do within minutes of visiting your page. Your description in the about section should be as short and as precise as possible. Good branding involves driving the point home by Keeping It Simple Stupid [KISS]. Additionally, make sure that your cover photo represents what your company does. Having a nice logo for your profile picture is not optional. Once this is done, when people like your page they will feel that there is some professionalism and credibility to it. This will also make your brand more recognizable, making it easier for people to share your content when it appears on their timeline.
8) Consistent posting schedule
If you post consistently and on a certain schedule, Facebook will work well for you. It doesn’t have to be every minute of the day, maybe twice a day at particular times. Your fans will love it if they constantly see you on their timeline with quality information. Posting something new every day keeps your brand top of mind. If you build a memorable brand image, then your followers are more likely to recommend your solution to their friends when the need arises.
9) Quality time off Facebook
Sometimes the best way to create buzz around your startup on Facebook is to spend less time posting on Facebook and more time creating quality connections out of Facebook. Attending webinars, startup events, and interviews outside Facebook will lead to more personal conversations with the people you meet there. While you talk to all these people, tell them about your company and where you are heading. Once you’ve talked to them, it will be easier to throw in a request to “please check out my company’s Facebook page and like it for updates.” These people will go ahead and like your page because you have already created a personal connection with them.
10) Blog, blog, and blog some more
When people visit your company’s page, they probably will want to find something to share. Moreover, unless your idea is really rock-solid, they won’t just share the homepage. Creating a blog for your company’s website is a good way to drive traffic to your site, and get Facebook shares for your content. The more Facebook shares you get, the more you gain traction on the platform and the more traffic comes to your site. Additionally, with a Facebook Like box already installed on your site, you can also generate more Facebook Likes for your company. While this is a self-sustaining strategy, you have to work smart by creating quality pieces of content on your blog two or three times a week to remain visible.
Creating an active presence on Facebook shouldn’t be complicated. With the above tips, you’ll be capturing audiences and generating engagement in no time!
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