So you decided to jump in feet first in to the sea of the social networking on the internet with your business and you are proud of the profile business pages that you have set-up, but where are the fans and followers? Sure, we all saw the movie with the famous line, “…if you build it, they will come!”, but will they? Most likely unless you are a company that already has a loyal following or you are a famous person like Martha Stewart, you just won’t get the numbers you were expecting right away. So, how do you get fans or followers?
Offering a special to every fan or follower is one way. If you are a restaurant you could have a free appetizer or a percent off your meal for new members of your fans page or Twitter account. Or, you could have a drawing for all your members after you reach a certain number of fans or followers like a new laptop or netbook or really great gift basket. If you are a large travel agency you might be able to offer a drawing for a trip and that would be ideal because you would definitely reach the people who are wanting to travel. Once you decide what you are offering you then share the information EVERYWHERE. You tell people you meet at business groups. You post it on your website and all marketing material and on your profile pages. You can choose to use the sites you are on to promote your page with an ad with a paid advertisement about the drawing…just spread the word and allow for a long enough period of time for the message to get out, but not so long that people will lose interest. Be sure while you are running this special deal or drawing that the content on your profile page is fresh and that you keep the fans you are gaining with new info posted to your page or tweets out to followers.
Beyond running a special or having a drawing to give a person an enhanced reason to follow you or be your fan, you can utilize the relationships you have made and your staff have made both in business and in your family life. Connect…connect…connect!!! Reach out to as many people as possible and ask them to follow you and then offer great content to keep them interested. Use the chamber connections you have made over the years you have been in business and encourage customers to be on your pages on-line. If you already have a email marketing list and are sending newsletters be sure to mention about your sites and becoming a fan and have your administrator to your website add the buttons to your site so anyone on your website will find an easy access to your Facebook and Linkedin and Twitter accounts with one click.
Building a following takes time unless you choose to spend some money to advertise a drawing or special give away. It is similar to a business on a remote street opening their doors without ever advertising the grand opening. You will get friends and family, but it does take more to build a steady traffic to the door. Just don’t give up!
All my best to your success
~Charlene
