Over half a billion people belong to Facebook, and many of them are, or could be, your customers. So how do you connect with them and encourage them to connect with you? Once you've captured their attention you can make them loyal brand ambassadors and reach them on a deeper, more trusting level.
If you've already set up your fan page, make one quick check: did you set it up, or did one of your staff? If a staff member set it up, it's likely it's tied to their personal Facebook profile which means they will have full control, even after they leave! If you want to avoid this you can create a fake profile on an alternative email account. While this is technically against Facebook's regulations, it gives you more flexibility. Facebook will never find out if you use a generic name.
It's not easy to market to a user base on Facebook because the dreaded 'unlike' button is too easy to click. You must offer your fans something useful in return for their loyalty.
But that's another article and you need to get fans first.
Invite relatives and friends to become a fan. Use emotional pressure if you want to - this will give you a head start and makes sure your page doesn't look like you have no fans at all
There's a 'black hat' method you can use to kick start your 'fan base': start multiple Facebook accounts under different email addresses. This contravenes Facebook's regulations, so be sensible with it. You should be able to make 10 profiles with realistic names. Bear in mind, though, that those profiles will have no friends, so your company won't be shown to anyone else. Also, Facebook might have algorithms to detect this and may delist your page
Use Facebook's own advertising to show people that their friends are a fan of your page. This costs every time someone clicks on an ad, so set yourself a realistic daily budget
Post discount deals that are only for your Facebook fans to reward them. You can post coupons if you have an ecommerce store that supports them
If you do print advertising in magazines, newspapers or printed newsletters, include 'Become a Facebook Fan'. Give potential fans instructions how to search for you within Facebook, e.g. search 'David's Excellent Cakes' in Facebook to become a fan, and receive special deals and discounts
The easiest marketing is often overlooked - use your email signature, and that of your staff
The fact you've set up a fan page might be newsworthy to your customers, so if you have an email newsletter you send out regularly put a story in there, and make sure there's a link in all future ones
If you run an existing loyalty scheme with cards you can tell these customers about your Facebook deals. If they already have a loyalty card, they're probably the type of person who would be appreciative of and receptive to discounts
Treat your Facebook page like you would your website with a search engine optimization plan. Backlinking and social bookmarking can build the pagerank of your fan page, making it more likely to be found in Google's natural search results
Become socially visible. Make yourself a fan of other products or businesses which are complementary to yours, and comment on their walls. Never use this to market your products - only ever use it to disseminate useful, unbiased information as it's your integrity that's visible here. For example, if you supply motorbike equipment, look for fan clubs for each bike marque, motorbike clubs, race tracks, and so on. It's imperative when using this strategy to never post offers and advertising material on another business's fan page without their permission.
Once you reach around 800-1000 fans, your fan numbers will grow organically. The value of each of your fans has been estimated at around $4 per year, so it can be well worth starting your Facebook fan page and considering it a potential future revenue stream.
Darren Cottingham is an online marketing expert. He writes for blogs such as Apartments in New Zealand [http://apartmentsinnewzealand.com], and runs many Facebook fan pages, including for NZ Performance Car.
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