Facebook is a great place to position your brand – be it to sell products or to catapult your personal brand to new heights. Facebook Shopping makes it easy to buy products directly through the platform, while the rise in social media usage means that an increasing number of consumers use social apps for discovery and brand engagement every year.
The diverse range of users, the broad demographic, and the versatile yet incredibly accessible features mean that using Facebook to build your online marketing strategy and image is a no-brainer.
But in order to get started and to use Facebook effectively, you need some followers to help expand your reach. In this article, we’re letting you know how best to appeal to followers and position your page or professional account as a must-follow.
Create a Page or Choose a Professional Account
Our first tip on how to get followers is the most important.
Why?
Because you cannot gain followers on a personal Facebook profile – it isn’t possible.
Follows are reserved for Facebook pages and professional accounts, while personal profiles offer an ‘Add Friend’ option.
So, if you want to boost brand awareness and visibility, and want to do so by attracting followers, you first need to create a page that you can build or switch to a professional profile.
Have a Plan
The best way to boost your following and position your page or professional profile as a reputable and high value source of information / advice / entertainment is with a plan.
Know what you want to achieve, who you want to attract, and what action you want them to take when they follow you and visit your page.
If you want to drive Facebook users to become customers, connect your page with Facebook Shopping and share lots of content spotlighting your products or services. If you want to build a reputation as a good source of authority in your chosen industry, share advice and explore the benefit of Lives.
Optimise Your Profile
Optimising your profile means positioning yourself as a source of authority in your chosen sector.
It means having a profile or page name, profile image, and bio that reflects the values and vision of your target audience.
It means showing your page as reputable and trustworthy, and it means connecting information including your website and location.
Engage With Followers
Modern consumers don’t just want to read information – they want to engage with experts.
Use the comments under your posts to start conversations, and don’t be afraid to share polls and Q&A boxes to learn more about the people who follow you. This also expands into direct messages which should be responded to as efficiently as possible.
Post Consistently
You don’t need to post every day – after all, there is a balance to be had between quality and quantity.
However, posting consistently is important for letting followers know that you are active on Facebook.
Explore the Benefits of Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads are designed to put your content in the eyeline of users who fit your core and target demographic.
These ads are constructed from content that you create and that you bid on, relying on Facebook to push it out to users who fall into your ideal audience category. You can then control the action that those who see the ads are encouraged to take – whether it be following your page or something else.
Dive Into Engaging Content
Reels are among the most popular form of content on Facebook – with those keen to boost their following advised to explore reels to ignite interest and engagement.
Not only that, but the higher the engagement your posts get, the higher Facebook will rank your page or profile – and the more people will see your content as a result. This creates a cycle whereby the more engagement you get, the more followers you will receive through Facebook continuing to push your content out.
Find Your Facebook Community
One of the best things about Facebook specifically is the formation and growth of a community – that is, the way that pages and users can interact in comments, in groups, and in direct messages and chats.
If you want to build a following of likeminded people, or consumers who you feel will be interested in your product and/or what you have to offer, then one of the best things to do is join relevant groups and become a part of the conversation.
Groups aren’t just good for conversing – they are also a great place to engage in a little social listening, to help inform future strategies and content plans.
