5 Sure-Fire Ways to Promote Your Facebook Fan Page

It seems as though everyone and their great-uncle’s cousin is talking about Facebook fan pages recently. I feel like I’ve ready a gazillion (yes, that’s a real number) blog posts and tweets about “Promoting your Fan Page,” “Fan Pages and the News Feed,” or “Get Fans Now!” Some of those blog posts have been great! Some of them, well not so much. It can be overwhelming if you’re just starting out trying to decide what works and what doesn’t. Oh, and no matter what anyone says, you’re not going to be Michael Jackson and get 10,000,000 fans in 10 days. I love you, but let’s be realistic.

SO, as a follow-up to my Fan Page vs. Group blog post from last week, I decided that I wanted to throw some of my ideas and things I have tried out there for how to promote your Facebook fan page. And since I like lists and simplicity, I figured I’d call this “The 5 sure-fire ways to promoting your FB Fan page.”

[These 5 things can be applied to business pages, artist pages, organization pages, or causes – and so I don’t have to say all those words – I’m going to call it your ROCKSTAR page. Mmmkay?]

1. Suggest to Friends. (This option is located right underneath the fan page profile picture. Also, you can filter your suggestion by region – this is great especially for local businesses). This first step seems so simple and so basic, yet it is the most important. Some would disagree and that’s totally fine. Sure, your friends will love you anyway, and if you want them to be a fan of your ROCKSTAR page, they, for the most part will oblige. However, the fact is, to build a solid network you have to start from the ground up. Lay the foundation before you start on the mansion. Encourage your friends to suggest the page to their friends – and so on and so forth. You know 20 people, your friend knows 20 people, etc. etc…
2. Make It Easy Online. Yes, shocker, promote your page online. There are a few simple and easy ways to do this. (Yes, this one has sub-categories. It’s totes fine. They go together).
   1. Create a Fan box for your website. A few clicks, a copy/paste of the generated code, and you’re done!
   2. Put a link in your e-mail signature – by simply putting a little “Connect with me on Facebook” link in your email signature, you’re able to so simple promotion a couple (for me) hundred times a day. Okay, so you don’t email a couple hundred times a day, but most of us at least send 10-20 emails a day. That’s 10-20 more people who will see your link. And if they forward your email on to people they know, that’s 10-20 MORE people, and so on and so forth.
   3. Custom URL – I am shocked to see how many companies still don’t have a custom URL for their Fan pages. If you have over 25 fans, you need to get yourself a custom URL. DO IT. NOW! Leave this site. Go! DO IT! http://facebook.com/username. Seriously, do it.
   4. Newsletters – despite popular belief, not all newsletters are so 2008. Many companies are using email newsletters as a great way to connect with customers. Include a link to your ROCKSTAR page in your newsletter. You’d be surprised how many people will at least click it.
3. Twitter – okay, not everyone who is on Facebook is on Twitter, and surprisingly, not everyone who is on Twitter is on Facebook. But Twitter still is a great way to connect with a different demographic. If your ROCKSTAR page is super interactive, why not link to it in your Twitter URL/bio? Now, don’t spam your followers with “BE MY FAN, YO!” every 10 minutes. But it is totally okay to send out a message once or twice a week saying, “Hey, we’re on Facebook – be a Fan and get awesome updates, etc. etc. etc.” Let them know you love them. Love your followers. Love your fans. And in the end, they’ll love you.
4. Content. Shocker! If you don’t have content, you won’t have fans. Your content has to be as ROCKSTAR as you are. Be creative! Have fun! Change it up. Don’t do all updates, pictures, videos. Add variety. Encourage discussion and feedback. If a fan comments, reply back to them. Pose a question totally unrelated to your ROCKSTAR self – see what happens. Keep fans wanting more. Also, don’t update vomit. Try to spread your updates out throughout the day or the week. Don’t come to the page once a week and post 20 things at once. That will just be annoying, not engaging.
5. If you REWARD them, they will come. Choose a Fan of the week or Fan of the month. Give out freebies and goodies to those who are engaged. Play hide and go seek on your page – hide something on the page and give the first person who finds the hidden thing a prize. Don’t leave them hanging. People love to have their backs scratched – so scratch them, and they’ll scratch you. (Okay, that’s an awkward analogy, but you know what I mean). Give them FAN SPECIFIC offers and content – it will make them feel special and make others want to join in on the fun. When people come to your fan page, they want to see a party going on. Cause people want to be part of the party. Am I right?!

Okay. So I hope some of those things helped. And of course there are a gazillion (yes, it IS a number) other things you can do, but I’ve found, using these 5 simple things has worked really well for me and those whom I have worked with.

Tell me, what techniques, tips, or tricks have helped you out? Have you done any of the things I suggested here? I love to hear other ideas!

But in the end, be the ROCKSTAR that I know you are.

All for now.