A Facebook business page can be a great way to attract new people to your products and services, but, first, you need to find followers. Here are six ways you can grow your Facebook audience in 2023.
[Read more: 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Sell on Facebook]
Invite people to like your Facebook page
The easiest way to start building a following on Facebook is by inviting your friends and family to like your business page. Your friends and family will be more likely to show their support for your business by liking and commenting on your Facebook page.
When you log into your account, go to the page where you want to grow your following. Click on the ellipses under your cover photo, and select “Invite Friends.” From there, you can choose the profiles you want to invite to like or follow your page.
Focus on genuine engagement
If you’ve just started your Facebook page and don’t have very many followers, it can be tempting to buy them from a third-party site. After all, it stands to reason that having more followers will create more social proof for your business.
But buying followers is always a mistake because you won’t have any real engagement on your page. Most of your “followers” will be spam accounts that can’t comment on your page or buy your products. Plus, you can end up hurting your business’s credibility if your customers found out you paid for followers.
Instead of buying fake followers, use that money to focus on creating real engagement. Invest in content marketing, Facebook ads, or other marketing tactics that will help you engage with real people.
[Read more: 5 Tips for a Killer Small Business Facebook Strategy]
Post consistently
The Facebook news feed is based on an algorithm, so your followers won’t see your content the minute it’s posted. There isn’t enough space in the news feed to show all the content being published, so Facebook personalizes relevant content based on each person’s interests.
Posting consistently increases the likelihood that your content gets seen by your followers. Facebook rewards pages that post valuable content regularly. It’s also a good idea to track your data to find out when your followers are most active on Facebook so you know when to post.
Instead of buying fake followers, use that money to focus on creating real engagement.
Use Facebook Stories
You’re probably not going to get the engagement you’re hoping for by posting on your Facebook page alone. So in addition to posting on your timeline, you want to start utilizing Facebook Stories.
Facebook Stories are user-generated photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. The feature is located at the top of the news feed, so it’s a great way to beat the algorithm and grab people’s attention.
Facebook Stories is a great place to share a behind-the-scenes view of your business. For example, you can highlight an upcoming sale or show how you’re getting ready for an event.
Participate in Facebook groups
More than 1.8 billion people use Facebook groups every month, so they are a great way to interact with potential customers. Find two to three relevant groups for your industry, and interact in the group under your Facebook page, not your personal page.
However, there is one big caveat to interacting in Facebook groups — you shouldn’t join a group to promote your business. Instead, you should try to provide value to the people in the group, and over time, you’ll start to make a name for yourself.
[Read more: 3 Simple (Yet Effective) Facebook and Instagram Tools That Enhance Customer Relationships]
Take advantage of Facebook Live
Facebook Live is another great way to increase engagement with your audience. When you go live, you’re creating a video in real time for your followers. Going live allows your audience to ask questions, and you can connect with them on a more personal level.
Plus, Facebook will notify your followers every time you go live, and live videos are always prioritized in the news feed. Just make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi connection so you don’t run into technical problems.
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