At the encouragement of my husband, I set up a Facebook Fan Page near the end of last year. Little did I have any idea what an effective marketing tool this would be for my blog. In about six months, my Facebook Fan Page has grown from 0 to 30,000 fans and is one of my biggest sources of blog traffic!
People often ask me, “How do you get so many fans for your Facebook page?”
Instead of asking, “How can I get more fans?” I suggest you instead step back and consider, “What value am I offering to my Facebook fans?”
If you find a great resource, you’re likely not going to keep it to yourself, are you? No, you’re going to want to share it with others.
In the same way, the more value you add for your fans, the more likely they are going to recommend it to their friends who will recommend it to their friends and so on and so forth. That’s the power of viral marketing coupled with a valuable resource.
So, how do you add value to your Facebook Fan Page? Here are some things which have worked well for me:
1) Post All Your Blog Updates
One of the biggest draws for your Facebook Fan Page should be that people can be notified as soon as you put up a new post. Surprisingly, many people check Facebook a lot more than they check their email, RSS reader or their favorite blogs, so they love being able to be notified on Facebook as soon as your blog is updated.
2) Post Extras
You will add a great deal more value to your Fan Page if you post extra links to interesting articles or blog posts which are related to the subject matter of your blog. As I have a fast-paced, often-updated-blog, I try to post at least 1-5 links per day which I don’t post on my blog. These are often time-sensitive deals or freebies which there are a limited amount of. My fans love this because they get to be on the “cutting edge” of some of the best freebies and coupons available.
3) Be Real
Don’t try to be all professional and uppity; your fans want to know that you’re a real person. You don’t need to air all your dirty laundry or tell every little detail, but do post short tidbits here and there from your life.
I often share what I’m baking, if I got a great freebie in the mail or if I had a great shopping trip. It gives my readers a tiny peek into my day-to-day life and they seem to love it!
4) Create Community
The best way to grow your Facebook Fan Page is to encourage interaction among your fans. Not only does this greatly increase the value and interest in your Fan Page, but it also is one of the best ways to leverage social media. Every time someone comments on your Fan Page, it shows up on their Facebook Page Activity and many others see it and will find you just from their simple act of commenting on your page.
Engage your readers, ask questions, request their input, and interact with them. Most of all, enjoy yourself! The community will naturally flow from that.
How have you successfully grown your Facebook Fan Page? Tell us in the comments.
Crystal Paine (aka Money Saving Mom) is a child of God, wife, and homeschooling mother of three littles who is learning about social media by trial and error. (Mostly error, because failure is always the best way to learn anything since you don’t forget the lesson as easily the next time!)
photo credit: Balakov
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
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Tonya Reply:
September 8th, 2010 at 1:36 am
1. Go to your Page and click “Edit Page” beneath the Page profile picture.
2. Find Notes among the list of applications and select “Edit.”
3. Click “Import a blog” from the Notes Settings box on the right side of the page.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to import an external blog to your Page
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http://mommysnacks.net/2009/11/begin-to-blog-create-a-networked-blog-facebook-fan-page/
It should walk you through all the steps you will need!
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Andrea Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Also here are some tips on how to grow and create an engaging fan page
http://www.growmyfanpage.com/GrowMyFanPage/FP_Tips.html
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On a side note – the picture of the stormtrooper on facebook about made me wet my pants. That’s a HOOT!
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Thanks! This is a great article, I think I am doing well with my page, I’m happy with it. I do everything you mentioned except for the extra posts. I think you have a good point, sometimes there are deals that go fast and Boy, do I hear about it when they don’t get in on the deal. I also like the idea of posting articles and such. So far, all I have posted is all my posts from my site. This will add a new dimension to the page.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Dian
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I am already doing all of these things. Post every new blog entry, share links, share giveaway info I find on other sites (but I could do this more) and share things like what I am cooking for dinner, etc. I have started asking things like: looking for a great _____ recipe- got one? But I am not getting lots of interaction, but I do have a decent following for just rolling it out.
Here are three more things I do:
For my giveaways- joining my FB Fan Page gets you another entry for the giveaway.
Sending your friends a suggestion to join my FB Fan Page also gets you another entry into my giveaways. It is so easy for people to do- literally just a few clicks and the invite is sent. (This can bring you tons of new followers, which in turn is more exposure, more readership, it snowballs.)
Posting a specific link on their facebook about my giveaway also gets them another entry.
It’s working for me….
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Heather @ Spectacular Savings Reply:
April 13th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
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I check it every now and then, but no one ever posts on it. They all ask me questions, etc. on my personal fb page.
I love the tips about sharing time-sensitive things (i.e., like the Swagbucks codes, etc.), pictures, etc.
I’m going to have to get busy now!!! (Thanks for adding ONE MORE thing to my plate sister!)
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We don’t do them anymore..
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I host a meme every Wednesday called Facebook Fan You Back and it is an excellent way to promote your fan page:
http://stacievaughansblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Facebook
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Mommy Snacks Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
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Keli Reply:
April 28th, 2010 at 9:57 am
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Keli Reply:
April 28th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
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-Alec
http://www.influenceddesign.com
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http://www.ianjmacdonald.com/blog/2011/top-tips-for-growing-your-fan-base/
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