How to get real facebook followers

Alright, I’m putting my foot down: People need to stop saying “Facebook is dead.”

We’ve seen marketers say the same thing about SEO over and over again.

In the face of newer platforms, some people jumped to the conclusion that platforms like Facebook are on their way out.

But SEO is far from dead. And one look at the number of active monthly users on Facebook shows that they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

Since Facebook is here to stay, you might as well learn how to make the most out of that giant active user base.

In fact, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

Social media marketing on Facebook is one of the most undervalued marketing platforms of 2017.

To be fair, there’s nothing wrong with experimenting with brand new social media platforms.

But when an online advertising platform can get you in front of 4,000 people for every $1 spent, you’d better be using it.

The truth about business is that no matter how great your products are, you won’t be able to sell anything if no one knows you exist.

Your business relies on marketing to guide consumers to your products.

And that’s why today, I’m going to show you what makes Facebook such a powerful tool for targeting on social media.

If you’re new to the world of social media marketing, don’t worry. I’m going to show you the step-by-step process to building and managing a Facebook Business page that will convert.

Seriously.

I’m going to start with the basics at first, but feel free to skip ahead to the section that’s giving you trouble.

• Welcome to the ‘other’ Facebook
• The State of Facebook Today
• Brand Loyalty and Targeting
• Step 1: Create Goals for your Facebook Business Page
• Step 2: Create a Consistent Posting Schedule
• Step 3: Figure out the Right Content Strategy
• Step 4: Become an Engaged Member of Facebook Communities

Welcome to the ‘other’ Facebook

That’s right. There are two versions of Facebook.

The first Facebook is the one that the average person uses. For most people, Facebook is a place where you can share funny cat videos and keep track of old friends from high school.

But the second version of Facebook works a little differently.

With a Facebook Business Page, businesses can:

• Build their Presence

• Drive Discovery

• Generate Targeted Leads

• Develop Brand Loyalty

Marketing on Facebook isn’t just cheaper than traditional advertising channels — it’s more engaging too.

Facebook basically gave business owners everywhere a megaphone to promote their business.

The version of Facebook that marketers and business owners use is all about becoming an online authority.

Of course, it’s not exactly easy to become an online authority when 30 million businesses are trying to market to consumers on this platform.

So, how the heck do you cut through all that noise?!

The secret to reaching people on Facebook is understanding what the social media experience looks like in 2017.

The State of Facebook Today

Before we start looking at the state of Facebook today, we need to look to the past.

When it first came out, Facebook just looked like a cleaner, more polished version of Myspace.

Businesses were already advertising online, but most marketing strategies just focused on email newsletters and banner ads at this point.

Year after year, Facebook tweaked their site and slowly became the social media powerhouse we know and love today.

So, what’s changed since those MySpace days?

Plenty. But the biggest change was the shift in the consumer mindset.

Think about it. Compare the average consumer from the early 2000s to the modern consumer of today.

Television and radio were the most effective advertising channels back then for the same reason social media is today — it’s where the attention was.

Keep in mind that those forms of media are more passive in nature. People consume random commercials, with little control over the process.

The average consumer may not have liked sitting through all those commercials, but what choice did they have? It’s not like they could watch “Lost” anywhere else.

Things have changed now. If you don’t like commercials, you record your show and skip them.

Want to hear all your favorite music with no commercials? I’ve heard there’s a streaming service that provides low-cost access to millions of songs, completely ad-free. What’s it called again? Oh yeah:

The modern consumer doesn’t want to hear catchy jingles anymore. And with the shift in consumer culture, they don’t have to.

But honestly, it’s bigger than that.

Imagine for a second that advertisements and commercials as we know them no longer existed.

How would you approach outreach, then?

How would you get the word out about your business?

Easy — you’d use social media.

With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you don’t need to completely rely on advertisements to spread your message.

Instead, you can build a community, connect with consumers, and establish yourself as an online authority.

Thanks to the internet, the modern consumer lives in an interactive media world.

And how do you promote your business in an interactive world?

You start a dialogue between you and your audience.

Businesses aren’t just marketing on Facebook because that’s where the attention is.

Smart business owners use social media because they know that talking to consumers is better than talking at them.

In a world where interactivity is the name of the game, Facebook created an environment where businesses can actively engage with consumers.

Forget the megaphone — Facebook just gave me a direct line to my demographic.

Brand Loyalty and Targeting

Anyone can teach you how to get more Facebook followers. What I want to teach you is how you can build a cult following.

If you just wanted more followers, you could probably make that happen using some other site’s advice.

But this article is about ‘targeted’ followers for a reason. Having 5,000 mildly engaged followers isn’t the same as having 5,000 die-hard fanatics.

Just ask these people who waited in line for two weeks for the iPhone 6 release:

Ads can help, but if they’re the only marketing tool in your arsenal, you’re in big trouble.

You can’t spam your way to brand loyalty — you have to earn it.

The strange thing about brand loyalty is that people think it’s all about getting lucky.

Let’s get one thing straight: Brand loyalty is the predictable result of top-notch outreach that you can replicate with any business on the planet.

You might not be as big as Apple or Starbucks, but you can still end up with a community that firmly supports your business.

So, how do you build brand loyalty?

The process is pretty simple, actually:

• Have a great product

• Develop a social media presence

• Connect with your followers

…that’s it. No, I’m serious.

If you have a product that people love, a consistent social media presence, and you’re engaging with your followers regularly, you’re already on the right path.

What’s really going to determine the quality of your social media community is whether or not you can attract targeted followers.

Step 1: Create Goals for your Facebook Business Page

This is massive.

If you’re serious about successfully building a business page, you’re going to have to figure out exactly what ‘success’ means.

Let me be clear: Setting marketing goals is not a formality.

Creating goals accomplishes a few things:

• It kickstarts the process of collecting data and tracking metrics. Trust me, this might seem minor right now, but six months from now, you’ll be thanking me.

• It guarantees that your future content and marketing efforts are data-driven. With those goals in mind, your marketing strategy should always be on the right path.

Having goals matters. You can’t hit a target without knowing what it is first, right?

Your goals should be as trackable and specific as possible.

What do I mean? Well, wanting to ‘increase your outreach’ isn’t going to cut it.

Here are a few examples of better goals:

• Gain 200 followers daily within 6 months

• Increase user engagement by 10% within 3 months

• Produce 5 pieces of unique content a week for 5 months

You get the idea. The more detailed your goal is, the easier it’ll be in a few months to see if you achieved your goal.

If you achieved your goal, nice work!

If you didn’t, you’ll be able to see how much you were off by, and you’ll be able to use that data to figure out where things went wrong.

The simple three-step formula for creating goals is:

1. Choose a specific area to focus on
2. Determine how long you have to achieve the goal
3. Regroup either once the goal is achieved or once your time is up

Step 2: Figure out the Right Content Strategy

With your goals clearly defined, you’re ready to start thinking about the content you’re going to create.

No matter what kind of business you’re running, there’s one rule that’s non-negotiable when it comes to social media marketing: Content is king.

Not only are people spending 50% more of their time online reading content, but over 60% of people are more likely to trust a company that delivers custom content.

Just to be clear: You need to be sharing your content on your Facebook business page.

But what kind of content should you be making?

The short answer is: whatever works.

The long answer is a bit more complex. Honestly, you should start by creating whatever content you’re most comfortable with.

First, determine what kind of content you’re best suited for.

Yes, images and videos are going to typically perform the best. But what really matters is that you’re creating content that’s engaging.

The easiest way to do that? Create content in a format you’re familiar with.

If you’ve been a writer your whole life, start a blog. If you’re a photographer by trade, go with visual content.

The fewer hurdles you give yourself, the easier it’ll be for those creative juices to start flowing.

But notice how I said ‘start with’.

After you’ve found your rhythm, the next step is to start exploring other forms of content.

Take a look at Nike’s Facebook Business page, for example:

They’ve opted for equal parts photos and videos.

Not only does this give their users plenty of options to choose from, but it also ensures that they’ll always know what type of content is converting most effectively at any given time.

If you’ve only created blog posts, start taking pictures and making short videos. If you’ve only ever posted pictures, experiment with written content.

Until you have the data in front of you, you’ll never know whether or not a certain type of content resonates with your audience.

Here’s the simple one-two punch of content creation:

1. Figure out what type of content you or your business is suited for
2. Experiment, track, and tweak your way to victory

Step 3: Create a Consistent Posting Schedule

Now that we’ve discussed the ‘what’, let’s talk about the ‘when’.

Right now, we’re going to focus on the importance of consistency when it comes to building brand loyalty and becoming an online authority.

When it comes to social media, users expect you to be available 24/7. This is especially true if you have an international audience that spans across multiple time zones.

When it comes to social media, you can’t afford to ‘take time off.’ Not if you want to develop a strong social media presence in 2017.

If you’re looking for ideal posting times and frequencies, SocialBakers did a study that found that posting 5 to 10 times a week was ideal.

But remember, that’s just a guideline to get you started.

Make sure you track the data, experiment with other posting frequencies, and compare the results.

What really matters to your audience is that there aren’t any major gaps in your posting schedule. Bonus points if you can post around the same time every day.

Step 4: Become an Engaged Member of Facebook Communities

This is the final piece of the puzzle.

Creating valuable content, focusing on growth…all of that’s great.

But this step is where good Facebook marketing strategies become great ones.

By definition, a targeted follower is someone who has an interest in your business/product. These are the kinds of people that fit your buyer personas almost perfectly.

You resonate with these people because you know them. You understand what they need.

Heck, you’ve been catering to their needs since the moment you created the business.

If you want to have a community of loyal Facebook followers, you’re going to need to reach out to them and give them a reason to hop on the bandwagon.

To find these communities, go into your Facebook search bar and type in whatever industry your business operates in.

Seriously. If your demographic is entrepreneurs, just type in ‘entrepreneur’:

Once you search your term, you’ll be presented with a page listing all the relevant information in your industry.

From here, you’re going to click on the ‘Groups’ tab in the top-right corner. Or you can just keep scrolling down, your call.

Each of these groups will have anywhere from a couple hundred to several thousand members.

Once you’ve reviewed the rules, you can click on the ‘join’ button and become a part of the group.

Once you’re a member of the group, the rules are actually pretty straightforward:

1. Avoid shameless self-promotion. At best, it’s annoying, and at worst, it’ll get you kicked out of the group.
2. Offer value wherever you can, for free. This is where you build your online authority.
3. Speak directly to people and with as little ‘corporate talk’ as humanly possible. This is not the time or place to sell people something.

It’s important to keep in mind that your presence in the group is not as a salesman.

You’re here to share ideas with other industry fans. Let your passion over these topics show.

The more active and involved you become in the group, the more likely you are to be seen as an authority on the matter.

Combine that with your unique industry know-how, and it’s only a matter of time before people check out your Facebook Business page to see what you’re up to.

Once they do, they’ll come across that content that you’ve been consistently producing day after day.

They already care about the industry. As long as your content is actually valuable, there’s a good chance they’ll be following you before they leave your page.

Conclusion

The process really is that easy.

Getting targeted Facebook followers isn’t something insanely complex.

The truth about developing brand loyalty is that it comes down to two things — patience and charity.

No one becomes an authority overnight. You’re going to have to spend hours creating content and establishing yourself.

You’ll also need to be more giving than most marketing campaigns expect you to be.

Offering value is the only consistent way to get people’s attention on social media.

If you’re not making me laugh, you’d better be teaching me something.

You know the steps:

• Create goals to ensure short-term and long-term growth
• Create content to provide value to followers
• Engage with other users in groups to ensure you’re getting targeted followers

Now it’s time to execute.

What tactics do you use to get more targeted followers on Facebook? Have you found success within Facebook Groups?