Social Media Marketing for Business

“Baby, if you were words on a page, you’d be what they call fine print.”

We’ve all struck out with cheesy pickup lines – breaking the ice can be tough. Especially on Facebook.

But you can breathe easy, because it’s actually a little easier than you might think.

Let’s start with some ways to attract Likes to your page, then wrap up with some strategies on keeping users engaged…

Ever heard of a Like Gate on Facebook?

Like Gates are windows that appear on top of a Facebook tab, which require the viewer to Like your page before viewing the tab’s content.

WARNING: if you use a Like Gate – do it right! Otherwise, you run the risk of turning off potential fans to your brand. And we don’t want that. There is a strategy that goes along with using Like Gates.

When someone Likes your Facebook page, they are essentially giving your brand a very visible recommendation to their entire social network – which on average is about 245 Friends.

Don’t make this a one-way deal. Make sure that you are offering something in exchange for their Like. For example:

•  Access to contests and promotions
• Professional tips and advice
• Instructional videos
• Recipes
• Case Studies and e-books
• Anything else your fans would find valuable!

Bottom line – whatever you offer, it should be of mutual benefit.

Get Likes directly to your page from ANY mobile phone

(yes, even “dumb” phones can do this too.)

The Text-to-Like strategy is a great way to engage customers away from their desktops and News Feed:

• If you’re a retail store, offer the customer a discount or BOGO for Liking your Facebook page from their mobile.
• Restaurant owner? Exchange a Like for a free entree or coupon. This also passively encourages the customer to share their experience with your restaurant via social media.
• Realtors can offer access to their top listings or area resources.
• Straight from the stage, bands and musicians can offer free merch at a concert or show in exchange for a Like.

See how easy it is by testing it out for yourself!

Keep Fans Engaged After the Like

Once you’ve grown the number of Likes/Fans on your Facebook page, it’s crucial that you keep them engaged. Otherwise, what’s the point, right?

Use these sticky newsfeed strategies

YES or NO questions are easy ways to encourage comments on a post since the interaction is so simple. You can post things like:

•  Are you looking forward to the weekend? Yes or No
• Are we sharing the right kind of content with you? Yes or No
• YES or NO – the Ravens deserved to win the Super Bowl this year

Who doesn’t like showing off their knowledge? So play trivia with your fans! For max effectiveness, combine with current events, like big movie releases and sports games:

• What is “wifi” short for? (answer: absolutely nothing)
• Who is the first character to utter any kind of speech in the original Star Wars?
• Who is the only MLB player to hit a home run in his first two World Series at-bats?

Want some more? Fill-in-the-blank and value-added content are also extremely effective at increasing engagement.

Ask for the Like/Comment/Share

Just like every good ad has a clearly defined call to action (CTA), so do some of the top-performing Facebook posts.

It’s much easier for the viewer to click Like, Comment on the post, or Share it after they have been prompted to.

• Click Like if you wish you were on the beach right now
• Click Like if you remember your sweet 16 like it was yesterday.
• Comment below if you have read a book in the past month. If so, what book?
• Don’t forget to take a second to sit back and enjoy life today. Share if you enjoyed this video.
• Do you have a friend that would benefit from knowing this too? Share this with them and help keep them from making this same mistake!

Give this a try right now, and I promise you will notice a difference in your People Talking About This (PTAT) score.

Use images for more engagement

A picture really is worth a thousand words. Did you know that using photos and images in your Facebook posts dramatically increase your engagement?

A recent study done by HubSpot shows that using photos in Facebook posts generate 53% more Likes AND 104% more comments over text-only posts!

If you’re not regularly including images and graphics in your Facebook posts, now is definitely the time to start.

Not a Photoshop wiz, you say? No sweat – there are tons of useful instructional blog posts and videos out there. It might be worth considering investing some of your (or your employees’) time to learning some Photoshop basics. It will pay off!

Your Turn

Have you used any of these strategies on your Facebook page? How did they work for you?

Meet David A. George

David A. George I'm a UX + Growth Marketer passionate about people, music, intelligent UX, Android, and breathing underwater. I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn, Twitter, and on my website.