How to Get Facebook Followers and Greatly Increase Your Social Presence
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Author:
Michael Wicker
Published
May 7, 2018
Figuring out how to get Facebook followers can vastly improve your social presence. The more followers you have, the more people you reach organically with every post you publish.
However, you also have plentfay of competition. You don’t want to miss out on the chance to market your products or services to Facebook users, but you can lose them to competitors who work harder, faster, and smarter.
You’re not going to let that happen, though. Using our guide, you’ll learn how to get Facebook followers fast without any underhanded tactics. We’ll also share with you some secret hacks and formulas to not only get more followers, but to retain the ones you have.
Why Should You Try to Get Facebook Followers?
There are lots of reasons to stay active on Facebook. For one thing, more than one billion people actively use Facebook.
That’s a ton of potential followers (and customers). Even more importantly, the vast majority of active Facebook users access the site via mobile devices.
We already know that mobile has become one of the most popular ways for consumers to access online assets, whether it’s your website or your Facebook profile. You just have to give them something to find.
There’s no doubt, of course, that Facebook has come a long way. It’s harder to connect with people — even followers — organically because of how Facebook parcels out information.
Additionally, many businesses fail to use their existing web traffic to get Facebook followers. That’s a problem when growth hacking can easily 10X your marketing campaign.
So let’s explore how you can get Facebook followers and turn those followers into loyal, paying customers.
What Are the Two Facebooks?
Did you know that there are actually two versions of Facebook? There are two ways to use the platform and two ways to engage others in conversation.
The first Facebook is the one you might have signed up for back in college or joined to keep track of your family members in other parts of the world. It’s the Facebook that thrives on puppy pictures, viral videos, and ordinary observations.
The second Facebook serves a much different purpose. It’s the Facebook that revolves around commerce.
It all starts with a Facebook Fan Page. This is different from a traditional Facebook profile because it’s designed to connect consumers with brands.
You can use it to promote your products or services, engage your customers in lively conversations, respond to customer service requests, and build brand loyalty. It’s also great for demonstrating your company culture on a daily basis through words, photographs, and videos.
Can I Buy Facebook Followers?
There will always be people — and businesses — who want to cheat the system. Buying Facebook followers might seem like a shortcut to overnight success, but as much as I hate to burst your bubble, it typically backfires.
Technology is smarter than we think. Facebook’s and Google’s algorithms are designed to detect deceitful activity and to punish users who try to game the system.
More importantly, a huge follower growth count doesn’t automatically correlate with engagement or sales.
When you buy Facebook followers, you typically buy follows from dummy or disused accounts. In other words, there’s not a flesh-and-blood person behind the profile.
A dummy account can’t like your latest post, leave a comment on one of your videos, or click through to a product page. It won’t spend any money on your business, either.
Scam artists will claim to sell “real” Facebook followers, but it’s typically a sham. And even if it isn’t, you won’t get followers in your target audience and demographic, so what’s the point?
Getting more Facebook followers isn’t about achieving a status symbol. It’s about growing your business organically.
Be an Informer and Offer Value to Get Followers on Facebook Fast
In business, as in life, selfishness won’t get you far. In fact, it can hamper your company’s path to success.
My business partner and fellow Hello Bar co-founder Neil Patel publishes thousands of words of content on his blog every week. He posts a new informational video on YouTube every single day and responds to everyone’s questions on his blog as well as on social channels.
Neil doesn’t get paid for that generosity. He does it because he’s a good person and because it makes good business sense.
If you’re willing to offer up valuable information for free, you’ll trigger reciprocity among your target audience. Others will want to pay it forward by checking out your products or services.
This is what people mean when they call someone an informer or a meformer.
An informer gives away lots of valuable content, helps promote other people, and uses his or her social channels to amplify important projects or causes. Informers focus on delivering what the target audience wants.
A meformer, on the other hand, focuses on the business. Every post on Facebook, for instance, will be an advertisement for a product, a coupon, or a post touting the business’s amazingness.
Don’t be a meformer. Become an informer.
Create Shareable Content to Get Facebook Followers
Sharing really is caring in the social media universe. When someone shares your content, he or she amplifies its reach and helps you connect with more prospective customers.
People don’t just share content because it’s a nice thing to do, though. They share because they truly believe their friends, family members, and colleagues will benefit from the content.
If you want people to share your Facebook posts, make them as valuable as possible. Give people an incentive to share it with their own followers so your brand gets more exposure.
Shareable content typically features a few common qualities:
- Engaging imagery
- A compelling CTA
- A solid headline
- Eye-grabbing fonts and graphics
You don’t want it to look gaudy, but focus on attracting attention. Facebook streams can become monotonous, so if you stand out, your followers might share.
Additionally, the post should hint at a significant benefit of clicking through to read more or sharing it with others. For instance, do you provide valuable insight? Are you helping people solve a problem? Can your content assist people with reaching their goals?
Become an Authority to Get More Followers on your Facebook Profile
There’s nothing more important in social media than establishing your credibility. If people don’t think that your insights, information, products, or services can deliver true value, they won’t bother following your page.
This doesn’t mean that you should add bogus credentials to your name or boast about your experience in every post. Instead, quietly exude authority through language.
For instance, let’s say that you sell kitchen gadgets.
Your brand relies on your ability to communicate how useful and effective your products are. You could mention that your gadgets have received a recommendation from a famous chef or major authority in your industry. You might mention that a huge restaurant or hotel chain uses your gadgets in their kitchens.
Alternatively, you can site authoritative sources. Share statistics with your audience that lend credibility to your claims as you discuss cooking, cleaning, sourcing ingredients, and anything else.
Ask Website Visitors to Follow Your Facebook Page to Get More Followers
Earlier, I mentioned that you should take advantage of existing traffic to drive more people to your Facebook page. A tool like Hello Bar can make this process easier and more effective than simply sticking a widget in your website’s sidebar.
Simply choose “Get Facebook Likes” as your goal when you sign into Hello Bar. Once you’re there, fill in the information for the CTA and the URL, then choose any special styling options.
The bar at the top of your site will automatically encourage users to check out your Facebook page and like your content.
Consider checking the option to animate entry and exit. Animation improves visibility and attracts visitors’ attention more reliably than a static line of text or icon.
You can also link to your Facebook page in blog posts, in your site’s footer, and on your About page. Focus on driving existing traffic to Facebook so they become more enmeshed in your brand culture.
Encourage Your Followers to Like and Share Your Posts to Get Free Facebook Followers
Optin-style Hello Bars aren’t your only option when it comes to diverting your traffic to Facebook. Consider getting more Facebook followers by employing an exit-intent popup.
This type of popup appears when a user attempts to leave your site. It’s a last-ditch effort to convince the visitor to further engage with your brand.
Instead of promoting a piece of content or a product, consider using exit popups to promote social media. Invite your visitors to like and share your posts, join your Facebook group, and get access to cool content.
Similarly, reach out to your existing followers on Facebook. Ask them specifically to like or share their favorite posts on your page so their own audiences see the content. It’s a great way to fast-track Facebook growth and make new sales.
Don’t forget to A/B test different offers. If you’re using an exit popup to send visitors to your Facebook Fan Page, consider testing two versions by changing a single element, such as the CTA, so you’ll know which works best.
Use Promotional Tools to Get Facebook Followers
You don’t have to do everything alone. In fact, I don’t recommend it. Tools and promotional opportunities exist for a reason. If you use them wisely, you can build a respectable Facebook following.
How to use Facebook Ads to get Facebook followers
Ads might seem like an extreme solution to your need for Facebook followers. However, you don’t have to run them in perpetuity.
Test several Facebook Ads and measure their success rates. Promote specific posts, pieces of content, products, or services. Consider deploying the ads on Instagram, as well, if you want to maximize your following on both platforms.
Facebook Ads allow you to reach people who might not find your content organically (see Facebook Ads Library). Social media has become a “pay to play” atmosphere, which means that brands who are willing to spend money typically enjoy the best results.
Once you reach your desired goal, you can discontinue your Facebook Ads or create new ads—perhaps Facebook video ads—that serve other purposes. Whatever you choose, don’t forget to A/B test your ads’ content to make sure you’re using the best combination of assets. Considering the limitations of the analytics provided within the Facebook Ads platform, it is advisable to explore the integration of Facebook Ads to Looker Studio to gain a more complete picture of your campaigns.
How to use influencers to increase followers on your Facebook page
Influencers, as their name suggests, have huge sway over their followers. They’ve built loyal brands based on their social media activity, and they get paid to promote products, services, and companies.
Not all influencers charge hundreds of thousands of dollars. Consider targeting micro influencers if you want to promote your Facebook page without breaking the bank.
These influencers have smaller followings than those in the big leagues, but they’re also more in tune with their audience. They respond to comments, visit their followers’ pages, and interact more with their communities.
You could start an influencer campaign specifically to promote your Facebook page. Run a contest or giveaway to increase engagement even further. Alternatively, pin a coupon code or other incentive to the top of your Facebook feed for new followers who are interested in your brand.
How to use a giveaway lead magnet to increase followers on your Facebook account
Giveaways and contests are extremely popular on social media. Everyone likes the opportunity to win something for free (lead magnet), and people who don’t win might wind up buying your product or service after you announce the winners.
A Facebook giveaway or contest should involve something highly desirable and related to your brand. Ideally, you’ll give away one of your products. You don’t want to use a random product from some other company just because you think people might like it.
Promote your contest or giveaway far and wide. Make sure to include the incentive in your CTA so consumers know exactly what they stand to gain by participating. You can even promote it offline for more reach, like inviting people to scan a QR code.
Consider asking entrants to submit different types of user-generated content. Maybe you’ll ask everyone to take a photo of themselves wearing your business t-shirts and use your branded hashtag or post a review of one of your products.
How to Get Facebook Followers Hack: Start a Dialogue With Your Audience
Social media should always revolve around conversations. The more you interact with your audience, the better. However, it can’t be superficial.
The most successful brands respond to Facebook comments, ask their audiences questions, and visit other people’s pages to interact with them. Yes, it takes time, but that time investment can pay off big time in terms of leads and sales.
Think of Facebook as an extension of your brand. You don’t “own” your profile in the strictest sense — Facebook serves as the final arbiter of what appears and what doesn’t — but that doesn’t mean you lack control.
As long as your activity on Facebook mimics your brand identity on other platforms, such as your website, you’ll get Facebook followers and keep them engaged.
Learn essential steps to create brand loyalty and get Facebook followers
Brand loyalty usually starts with generosity. If you’re generous to your audience, they’ll reward you by following your content and interacting with your posts.
A contest or giveaway can jumpstart the process, but you have to constantly feed your followers things they desire. In many cases, the desirable content comes in the form of information.
Share what you know as an expert in your industry. Provide your audience with statistics, insights, and other information they can use in their daily lives.
Furthermore, customize your Facebook content for the people you want to consume it. If you’re marketing to a B2B audience, for instance, you’ll want to create content that appeals to professionals and decision-makers. You can even use an AI writing generator to create compelling content that resonates with them.
Make sure you keep your promises, too. Don’t advertise an upcoming sale that never comes to pass or tease a coupon code you never share. Trust is an important form of currency on social media.
Lastly, make sure your Facebook Fan Page reflects your brand. Fill out the entire profile, use a clear profile and header image, and direct people to your website. Traffic can flow in all directions, so linking your various web presences can improve your overall clout on the Internet.
Create realistic goals for your Facebook page to get more followers
You need a goal if you want to get Facebook followers, but make sure it’s achievable. Deciding that you want to get 10,000 Facebook followers in 24 hours sounds like a great idea, but can you actually do it?
You’re better off looking at the trends. How many followers have you accrued per day over the last six months on average? Use that figure to set an ambitious but realistic goal for the future.
Since you’re using the strategies in this guide, you can expect to get followers faster than you have in the past, but you can’t expect miracles. Keep your expectations under control so you don’t get frustrated and give up.
Figure out the right content strategy to increase Facebook followers on your page
Different types of content appeal to different people. You have to figure out the best way to endear yourself to your audience.
A/B testing different types of posts can help. Focus on metrics that actually matter, such as the size of the audience reached or the level of engagement achieved.
Comments are extremely important on social media. You want people to not only consume your content, but also engage with it. Likes and other forms of engagement are worthy of tracking, too, as you work to increase your follower count.
Create a consistent posting schedule to maximize your Facebook profile growth
Consistency matters more than quantity. If you can only post on Facebook once per day, stick to that schedule. Let your followers know they can count on you to meet their expectations.
You should also keep your post times and types of content consistent. For instance, you might publish a teaser for your latest blog post every morning, share an insight in the afternoon, and schedule a promotional post for the evening. If this seems a lot of work you can take help from various Facebook publishing tools.
When you’re consistent, people will want to actively check your Facebook page to see what you’ve posted recently. That’s the best way to boost your follower count and to discourage people from disengaging with your brand.
Participate and engage with people and other brands on Facebook communities to get more followers
People often forget the social aspect of social media. They’re so busy promoting their own brands that they forget other people matter, too.
If you’re active on brands’ and consumers’ pages on Facebook, you’ll get recognized more often. People will see you as a valuable contributor to the community as well as an authority in your niche.
Don’t make it all about you. Post helpful comments that don’t include brand mentions or links to your own content. Help people solve problems and achieve goals. Trust me — the generosity will come back to you.
Conclusion
Learning how to get Facebook followers doesn’t take much time. You can amass a huge following in just a few weeks by following the guide above.
Focus on sharing high-quality content. Use your existing website traffic to drive more visits to your Facebook profile, and don’t forget to try cross-promotion efforts.
Remember that your Facebook profile can help with lead generation. Give people something valuable to endear them to your brand, then ask them for what you want.
The more active you become on Facebook, the more engagement you’ll get and the more sales you’ll encourage.
Facebook Ads, giveaways, and other hacks can help you get Facebook followers faster. Remember to respond to comments as they come in so your visitors and followers feel appreciated.
You must also post consistently. Set realistic goals, create a solid strategy, and tweak your approach as you collect data. Use Hello Bar to send more people to your Facebook profile so you don’t “waste’ any traffic.
What’s your favorite way to get Facebook followers?