You’ve got your brand streamlined and looking beautiful and your product is amazing. You’re onto a winner and it’s time to start leveraging the kingpins of social media to drive engagement and convert social followers into dollars.

How do you get people to like your page when you’ve only just started?

Starting a new page to compete with established brands in your industry is not a negative. You have the opportunity to take advantage of Facebook’s new features that well-known competitors might be overlooking.

Here’s our four-step guide to help you get well on your way to your first 500 likes through your personal Facebook profile, without spending a cent on ads.

(With a million micro-steps…great free marketing can be simple; but never easy)

Step 1: Optimise your Facebook Page

Take the time to develop your Facebook page before making it public. Thoughtfully complete your ‘about’ sections and ensure your profile pic and cover image are recognisable and perfectly aligned to your brand.

If you’re not sure about your pitch, perhaps a Copywriter could lend some advice. Utilise the Facebook apps and tabs to your advantage. If your goal is to boost subscribers, have a sign up tab. If you already have commerce on your website, investigate whether it will link directly to your Facebook page.

Explore and adapt the many options that will be most beneficial to you.

Your page needs to stand out amongst your peers and give you a competitive edge.

Step 2: Deliver great content before you launch

As potential followers are introduced, they’ll visit your page to see if your posts are something they would enjoy seeing in their newsfeed. We suggest at least half a dozen posts that are indicative of what the future postings will be.

Carefully choose engaging items and not be too sales orientated, it’s social media, not sales media. Follow at least ten of your closest competitors who are targeting the same people, observe what works for them, and then adapt a similar formula.

Here are some Engaging post formulas that are proven winners. Not necessarily for every business but certainly for inspiration.

1.Caption this: (insert image of writer staring blankly at screen)

2.Quotes: “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs

3.Nostalgia: Remember when?....

4.Questions: Fill in the blank. “If I won the lotto I would ____________?

5.Repost: Popular content within your industry; but ideally from your own items that have been popular: YouTube video’s, website blog posts etc.

Step 3: Start with those who you know

·The average Facebook user has 200 friends. Add your business page as your workplace on your profile for your friends to see. Invite your personal profile friends to like your page. You can invite them all, or individually choose who to invite. 

·Add a link to your email signature – personal and business. Apparently the average person sends a whopping 4,500 emails per year! That’s prime real estate.

·Send an email to all your contacts, just a simple note with a link to your page, “Hi here is my new page for blah, hope you’re doing well, please like and let me know what you’re up to.” no great sales pitch. You’ll be surprised how many contacts you have if you explore your Gmail account (contacts>more>export) and your LinkedIn contacts (my network > see all > manage imported contacts > export contacts).

·Join five relevant GROUPS with your personal profile rather than pages. Like and comment on relevant discussions within the groups and share links to your page, posts and business that may be of interest.

·Add a Facebook like box and/or live feed to your website.

·Tell your staff members they’re all sacked if they don’t suggest your page to their friends. If you don’t have staff, threaten your family.

NO DON’T DO THIS! We just love a laugh during a blog.

·But seriously, asking your staff to list your page as their place of work will present you to their friends. If they suggest your page to their friends, even better.

Step 4: Utilise Facebook Insights

Measure your success through the Likes, Reach, Visits, Posts and People insights Facebook provides. They will give you valuable insight on the best times to post, which posts are working for you and the demographic you are appealing to. This will confirm or deny whether you’re on the right track.

Looking back over your more popular posts, you’ll find there may be several people who have commented or ‘liked’ that don’t follow your page, a simple click allows you to invite them to like your page and can boost organic likes considerably.

We’ve only just scratched the surface of some of the great tactics to boost business page likes, the Facebook algorithms dictate that once you start engagement you must keep it moving forward to ensure your organic posts are reaching your customers.

If your Facebook content doesn’t start or add to a conversation, you’re wasting your time. Engage! Don’t broadcast all the time; your message will be lost. People want to hear new and exciting things and be entertained. Give them what they want.

Anchor digital is specialised in SEO, social media marketing, web design and development. Get in touch with us today 1300 134 390.