“Help us get 500 Followers!” We’ve all seen it. Heck, we’ve tried it ourselves from time to time. But why do we strive for those milestone numbers of Fans, Friends, and Followers? As marketers, we put a lot emphasis on growing those numbers, but how often do we stop to ask ourselves… what does it mean for my business?
A steadily growing number of Fans, Friends, and Followers basically means that your brand awareness is growing. By providing great content and value to your growing number of Fans, you increase your chances that one of them might find you clever and share that content, therefore spreading the awareness even further.
To put it in simple terms:
You post something of value > a fan likes or shares your post >
one of their friends sees it and finds it interesting > that friend becomes a Fan
Ok, we’ll admit, it’s not usually that simple. As you know, just because you like a brand and what they’re saying doesn’t mean you’ll buy what they’re selling. Case in point: Lots of people love the funny Geico commercials. Many of those people shared Geico’s Hump-day Camel meme with their friends (“What day is it?!”). But did all of the people who shared, liked, or just simply laughed at the camel switch their insurance to Geico because of it? Probably not.
Need a few simple ways to appeal to your Fans, Friends, and Followers?
Fans = Anyone who likes your business page on Facebook
Friends = If you mutually accept each other’s connection, you are Friends (for personal Facebook profiles; similar to LinkedIn connections)
Followers = Anyone who follows your activity on a social network; you can follow brands on Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterst, Instagram, etc.
Your fans will follow you for various purposes: information, curiosity, humor, inspiration… Some may follow you because they like you personally, others because they like you business. Remember these unique Fans when you post, and don’t get too pigeon-holed by using the same types of content.
2. Realize that they have a different levels of familiarity with your brand.
Some Fans may know your brand like they know their favorite latte – they love it and aren’t afraid to recommend it to everyone they know. Others may have just stumbled onto your page and are looking for more information. When you post, make sure that you provide content that appeals to different people in different stages of familiarity with your business.
3. Don’t forget that social media is supposed to be social.
As a business, it’s natural to want to promote yourself on social media. But as individuals, your audience doesn’t want to hear how great you are all the time. Don’t talk AT people, talk WITH them. Stick to the 20% rule – only 1 in 5 posts should be self-serving. The rest should strive to engage with your audience and appeal to the many reasons they are your Fans, Friends, and Followers.
It can be difficult to measure the true value of your Fans, Friends, and Followers. However, by posting content that provides value to your audience while also appealing to their unique reasons for following your brand, you’re on the right track. Throw in some meaningful conversation and you might just convert that casual Follower into a paying customer.
Over and out,
Erika Stanley
Lead Social Media Chemist
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Image by Paula M Wolter via Wikimedia Commons
