Thursday, 20 November 2014

How To Get Facebook Likes WITHOUT Ads

Is it possible to get Facebook Page likes without buying ads? Unfortunately, many frustrated business owners don’t think so. Maybe you are one of those business owners.
You share great content day in and day out, employ all the strategies and tactics you can think of to grow your fan base, yet you find your numbers are still growing at a snail’s pace.
You may have found that buying Facebook ads and paying for promoted posts has worked for you, but you also know this isn’t sustainable. You can’t realistically afford to continue doling out money indefinitely.
So, what can you do to increase your Facebook fans without paying for ads? Here are some strategies I recommend and use myself.

#1: Focus on posts that are likely to result in shares.

The absolute best way to get Page likes without spending a penny is to post content that your fans will LOVE (sounds so obvious, but keep reading!).

When your current fans love your posts, they are more likely to share them. And when they share them, your posts reach outside of your current fan base, and you potentially gain new fans.
So what types of posts are most likely to result in shares, and therefore new likes? Here are two of my favorites.

Images: Many business owners find this to be the #1 strategy for getting the most engagement. Funny, inspirational, educational or motivational images are great for increasing likes, comments and shares. And as these images are shared, your exposure increases, leading to new fans liking your Page.
Amazing free offers: While images are by far the best strategy for getting shares, free offers can work well too. This could be a product sample or a free download or webinar. The key here is FREE– and it must be something that is of obvious value.

#2: Post regularly.

Using the strategy above will inevitably result in increased Page likes, however you need to do it on a regular basis to keep your Page growing.

For most businesses, I suggest posting to your Facebook Page at least 6x per day.

By testing out various posting frequencies and then watching your analytics, you should be able to tell what works best for your audience.

#3: Be human.

People want to be able to relate to your brand. Images have a great way of making you and your business relatable, which is why they work so well to increase Page likes. When people believe you are relatable and personable (i.e. a real ‘human’!), they are far more likely to recommend and share your content with others.
Some others ways to become more ‘human’ are:

Telling stories people can relate to
Building trust by regularly sharing these stories
Being transparent with your audience
Building relationships with your fans: It is not enough to post content, you need to respond to questions and engage in conversation

To see how being human helped one Facebook Page get 1.2 million likes on a single post, click here!

#4: Promote your Page outside of Facebook.

If you already have a healthy list of email subscribers and other social media followers, why not encourage them to like your Facebook Page too?
The same goes for your website and blog visitors. Make sure it is easy for them to like your Page by adding Facebook like and share buttons on every page of your site.
You may also want to embed a Facebook Like Box on your page to entice your website visitors to come participate in conversations taking place on your Page (to show current posts and conversations in the Like Box widget, be sure to select ‘Show Posts’ when creating your box.)

#5: Hold Facebook Contests.

Running a contest on Facebook is a great way to increase Page engagement and overall Page likes.

Just be sure to make liking your Page a requirement of the contest!
In order to ensure your new fans are actually interested in your business or products, try to choose a prize that is relevant and valuable only for your target market; for instance, rather than giving away cash or an iPad, give away your products, services or a gift certificate for your store or business.
For tons of inspiration for your next Facebook contest, see my post 13 Killer Facebook Contest Ideas.
And there you have it: 5 ways to increase your Page likes without spending a penny!
If you take one thing from this post, it is this: Remember that when you regularly share amazing content that your audience loves, your Page likes will grow completely organically, without any additional effort on your part. When people find true value in what you post, they will want to like and share your posts, and your Page likes will continue to grow.
Promoting your Facebook Page through other means, such as through buttons on your blog or through contests can be valuable strategies as well, but nothing replaces sharing amazing, relevant content that your audience will love and share!

http://kimgarst.com/how-to-get-facebook-likes-without-ads