So, you've got a ‘Fan Page’ on Facebook. You've put in a bit of effort and managed to collect a few likes. You may even have been doing it for a while and may have over 100 or even more ‘likes’ on your page.
So, have you done anything with those people that have liked your page?
If you have, you need read no further. However, if you've just been watching the like count go up, celebrated each milestone and posted something every now and again, then please read on – and leave your feedback as a comment at the end of this article to let me know if you have learned anything new!
I know that a lot of ‘Social Media Guru’s’ and the like are advertising that they can help you get more likes, show you how to turn those likes into leads for your business etc. I've seen them, I've learned a little from some of them which I am happy to pay forward, but most of all, I've put into action a few simple tactics that really work.
The biggest thing I've learned from taking action though, is that for action to bring great rewards, you do need to be consistent. Yep! Consistency is the key.
As well as learning from some of the top social media industry names however, I've found ways to do things myself that have really worked as well and by combining the two, You may well have a winning formula – or at least the start of one that you can start putting into consistent action yourself!
Facebook is here to stay – so it seems. There is a huge magnetism about the whole Facebook community that has more and more users being added every day.
Last count, there are over 96 million Facebook users – at least the ones that have liked the Facebook Fanpage at any rate! Get the picture?
Just 1% of those users liking YOUR page, would give you 960,000 fans. How cool would that be? And it is absolutely possible over time.
Reflect for a moment, how you got your “Likes” on your page. Did you send requests to people already on your friends list? Did you ask those friends to share your page with their friends and ask them to like it too? Did you run any Facebook ads – either paid or with credit from your Hosting Provider?
However you got them, you have them and regardless of how often you've been posting on that page, they are still hanging around right? So you must have something either on your page, in your “About Me” or how you acquired these people on your “Fan List”that keeps them stuck there and not “Unliking” your page.
This is super cool! You now have a captive audience to start entertaining and have them get to know you, like YOU and not just your page AND TRUST you as well.
The tricky thing with fan page likers however, is that if they are not already your ‘friend’ then it is extremely hard to communicate with them one on one without ending up in their ‘Other Box’. And because your page likers only know your ‘Business Name’ from the page that they liked, when your personal profile name pops into their ‘Other Box’, they immediately get suss on who you are and think you are just another spamming scammer! This is not the case if you have at least one friend in common, Facebook allows us to at least have our message arrive in the recipients regular inbox.
I would strongly suggest that you comment and like statuses that you post on your fanpage as YOURSELF so that other fans of the page get used to seeing your name. This is so that when you come to try to connect with some of these fans, they would have seen your name around so you won’t seem like a complete stranger. If you’re not sure how to do this step, please feel free to contact me for a one on one session to get this sorted.
So, you’ll spend a couple of weeks or so posting interesting things on your business page – be sure to mix business with pleasure and don’t continuously bombard your fans with sales pitches or other product related stuff – show your personality on this page too by posting funny videos or images that you may see around. Share some personal stuff that’s going on in your life etc.
Once you are confident that people have been seeing YOU and that your content has been engaging, informative and of value to your fans, It’s time to start some real connecting.
Now, I actually keep a notebook of all of the people that have liked my page and I have columns drawn up like so :
Locality | Name | Friends? | Friend Request | Date msg sent |
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I also didn't think of doing this until I had almost 300 likes so it took me a while to write up – but if you’re reading this when just starting out, I’d strongly suggest that you keep a table like this or something similar right from the start. It will save you a lot of time in the long run.
The reason I have a column for locality is so that I have a quick reference as to where the person is in case my offers or products are not really suitable to that person. I will still go through these same steps with each and every person regardless of where in the world they are – each and every one is practice and the more often you do this, the easier it becomes!
Go through your list from the very first “liker” and check off if they are already a friend – and you yourself know if they are a ‘real life’ friend or a ‘Facebook’ friend that you made by playing games or some other socially interactive activity.
Send a private message to each one of the people that have liked your page. Make the message simple and duplicable but with a little personal touch. Here’s an example:
Hi Kim!
I'm just catching up on thanking everyone that has liked my page 'Cafe Freer Gourmet Coffee'.
Thank you very much for liking my page!
I see you share the same birthday as my oldest daughter - she's an '87 model though
If you'd like a free sample of my Organo Gold Coffee, please inbox me your address and how you like your coffee and I'll send some on its way
Have an awesome week!
Soni
This person got back to me but not for a few days as I’d landed in her ‘other box’.
Kim responded that she would love a free sample and gave me her mailing address.
This is just one example and when you spend half an hour a day, touching base with each of your fans on a personal basis, this will build relationships that provided you never abuse their trust, will last forever.
Now my next step, once I have established trust by delivering on my promise of a free sample, is to contact Kim, the day that I send it to let her know and then ask for her email address to keep in touch and keep her updated of new products she may want to try as they become available.
Once the persons email is on your list (you do have Aweber don’t you?) then, send your first email asking permission to send a regular newsletter with value packed information once a month.
Another lesson I have learned along the way that I must pay forward.
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE about writing your first follow up email in Aweber, OR your first newsletter.
I did not do either of these things (well I drafted but didn't tighten up) as I was of the mindset ‘I don’t have a list! I’ll wait until I have a list’.
Ever heard the old saying “Build it and They Will Come”? Yeah! This is a powerful statement indeed!
If you need help setting up an Aweber autoresponder for yourself, then simply sign up HERE if you haven’t already, then send me an email to moderndaymentor1@gmail.com
And simply write ‘Aweber set up help’ in the subject line. I will get back to you within 48 hours.
And there you have it! You’ve just set yourself up your very own FREE lead generator. Now, just keep adding fans by being proactive in associated and relevant groups, share your page often on your personal profile, invite friends that still haven’t liked your page yet (or delete them as friends!) Rinse and Repeat.
If you found this article useful, please share with your friends and I look forward to having you visit here again real soon!
- Yours In Learning!
Soni
Comments
Thanks for sharing this great advice with us about Facebook. Very informative and enlightening. Liked and Shared.
Excellent advice Sonia and great to see how you have grown since I first knew you. Will share this for you,
Some really great tips! thanks for sharing. Liked and will be sharing it further!
Very impressive and informative post Sonia on generating lead from your Facebook fan page. Happy to share this with all around for you. Have a great day and glad to have you in the community. Keep up the great writing. Make it a great day.