How to Organically Grow Your Social Media Followers Series: Facebook

Let’s face it... growing your social media following has drastically changed. All of the social channels have made it a lot more challenging to achieve this task, pretty much to the point where it seems nearly impossible to grow your following organically. Not to mention the various news feed algorithms have killed engagement for both smaller and big time users.

Businesses are desperate to find ways to continue to grow their following organically, as this gives you real, engaged users. Building your followers through ads does have some benefits, but there are times you may wonder if these are people who will be engaging with your page. If you are committed to growing your Facebook following organically, fear not! There are still ways that you can make this happen.

Facebook isn’t a channel that allows you to follow users other than business pages, so you are going to have to put in some extra effort to build your following organically. Be prepared to put in the hours. Here are some steps you can take to grow your Facebook followers organically:

Putting Your Name Out There

There are over a billion people on Facebook in the world. It’s safe to assume that pretty much the majority of people frequenting your business are on the channel. Let them know that your business is on the channel as well. It might seem like overkill to try all of these at the same time, however, keep in mind that many times people may not notice you the first time.

Here are some ways to get your name out there:

• Add a link to your business’ Facebook page on all company emails. This includes all employee’s emails as well.
• Include a link to your business’ Facebook page on business cards.
• Invite current contacts from your personal Facebook to like your page. Employees can also invite personal contacts.
• Find ways of including your Facebook page throughout your business. For example, if you own a restaurant, you could add a link to the menu, receipts, or table tents.

Offer an Incentive

Give people an extra little push to give your Facebook page a follow. Offer a little something special for people to check-in or even like your Facebook page. This isn’t a brand new idea as many people are already familiar with receiving check-in offers on platforms like Yelp. Post your check-in offer on your Facebook channel to let your audience know that you have a special. It’s also a good idea to create a visible sign that can be seen at the actual business so people who walk in can become aware of what is being offered.

Encourage User-Generated Content

If you are encouraging users to post about your business on Facebook, chances are they’ll give you a follow as well. The thing is, you need to give them a reason to want to post about your business in the first place. Think about what your target audience likes to post on social media and start getting creative. Is there a particular spot at your business where people love to take photos? If so, maybe spruce up the area a bit and even add a sign encouraging users to follow and tag your business on Facebook.

Contest

Contests are hugely popular on social media. This is because people love the chance to win something free. Make sure what you are giving away is something that appeals to your target market, even if it’s something small. You also want to ensure that entering the contest is as easy as possible and doesn’t require too many steps, especially if your fanbase is already kind of small. The easier it is to enter the contest, the more likely you’ll have a higher number of people enter it. Make sure to review Facebook’s official rules to ensure that you aren’t violating anything.

Follow Other Businesses

While businesses aren’t allowed to follow personal accounts, they are still allowed to support other business pages. If you haven’t already, make a list of potential business pages that you can follow and interact with. For example, if your business is a hotel, make a list of nearby attractions, popular yearly events, restaurants, and other local businesses that are relevant. Give these pages a follow and engage with their posts.

Content

Even though organic reach has diminished significantly, you still need to make sure your content is stellar. It will create the first impression for people visiting your page for the first time, primarily if you have led them to your page from one of the suggestions above. Don’t let your hard work go to waste by posting infrequently or by not spending time to craft some great posts.

Good luck!