What’s The Secret To Getting More Facebook Fans?
Have you ever wondered how you can get more Facebook fans on your page?
Do you think that the equation below is accurate?
A Facebook page + LOTS of Facebook fans = LOTS of money
This is a question that I hear all the time from my clients, whether they own a dance studio, have a dance company, a non-profit, or another type of small business.The truth is, having thousands of fans on your Facebook fan page does not automatically translate into more money, more clients, more people at your events, or more students at your dance studio. It also doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have a Facebook page where your fans are engaging and interacting with you online every day.
Your goal should be to focus on quality vs. quantity.
All Facebook fans are not created equal. You may have a large number of fans on your page that will never become your customers or clients, or who may never like, share, or comment on your posts. High fan page numbers alone do not guarantee anything. It comes down to how you use your page on a daily basis, and how you build trust, and develop relationships with your fans.
Instead of asking, “How do we get more parents and students to like our dance studio’s Facebook page?”, ask yourself,
“How can we help improve our fans’ lives every day through our Facebook page? How can we offer more value, provide more useful content, and generate more genuine and engaging conversations with our fans through our Facebook page?”
Contests are a great way to get more fans on your page, and so are Facebook ads. However, if you don’t have a clear and effective strategy for your daily content that encourages engagement and interaction, and offers value to your fans on a daily basis, then you’re really missing the mark. Your Facebook strategy should also tie in to your overall social media marketing strategy, which should include a clear process for getting your Facebook fans onto your e-mail subscriber list, and to your website. That’s how you turn your fans into loyal customers.
It’s really important that dance studio owners, choreographers, and non-profit organizations understand that a Facebook contest is not some magic pill that will get you thousands of fans overnight. If the main focus for your Facebook strategy is strictly to “get more fans”, then you’re missing out on the relationship aspect of social media marketing, which is the most important part.
The tips below are important for you to consider in addition to basic things like: including your social media links in your e-mail signature, on your business cards, on your website/blog, and on any hard copy promo materials you use.
Here Are 5 Important Facebook Marketing Tips You Need To Know:
1) Ask yourself, “What would motivate our parents/students/clients to like our page? What’s in it for them?”
While you’re focused on your fan page numbers, and getting more of your dance studio’s parents and students to like your page for your benefit, they’re focused on living their lives, and the millions of other things that they have to do every day. As a result, you have to shift your focus onto what would be of interest and valuable to them on a daily basis vs. “what kind of contest can I put together to get our fan page numbers up really fast”?
2) Facebook is not meant to be an online bulletin board for your dance studio/dance company/small business.
I know it’s so tempting to just post updates about your studio’s costumes, registration, classes, rehearsals, performances, events, etc. on your page, but you will never grow your fan page numbers, nor increase your fan page engagement if that’s all you do. You must DIVERSIFY your content! Not every post on your page should be directly related to, or about your dance studio. It should tie in to your studio’s core values and mission, but every update should not be about your dance studio. That will get old very quickly, and when you’re competing for a place in the Facebook news feed with other fan pages, and hoping to encourage engagement and interaction on your page, you have to do more than this.
3) Tie your Facebook strategy into your overall marketing strategy, which should connect directly to your business goals.
For example, if your goal is to get more students in your recreational, once-a-week hip-hop classes, then your Facebook strategy should include updates that will cater to that specific audience.
4) Daily Engagement and Value beats a Facebook Contest or Giveaway every time!
Think of a Facebook contest like playing the lottery. You may or may not win some money (more fans), so it’s worth a try, as you have nothing to lose. However, you’d get better results by working harder and smarter on a daily basis to earn more money (gain more fans), and then have an intelligent strategy for how you will budget and invest that money (engage/interact with your fans, and get them on your e-mail list) for the long term. Consistent engagement and interaction on your Facebook page is what helps to increase your fan page numbers.
5) Get Personal! Don’t be too promotional, or too professional all the time.
You’re a real person connecting with real people, act like it! Take your real-life personality, and that fun, warm, family-like culture that you have at your dance studio, or within your dance company, and translate that online onto your Facebook page. Maintain your uniqueness as a brand, and your individualism as a dance studio owner, choreographer, or teacher, and connect with your students and parents on a personal level on your Facebook page. That’s what people will connect with, and what leads them to like, comment, and share your content, and that’s how you get more fans.
There’s one more thing that you should keep in mind.
Facebook is simply one communication tool as part of your larger marketing strategy. Don’t be too focused on Facebook alone.
Grow your e-mail subscriber list (very important), provide useful content on your blog/website, use Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, etc. as well.
Do you have a question or comment about how to grow your Facebook fan page? What has worked for you?
Post your comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
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