When it comes to gaining new Facebook followers there are plenty of methods out there. You can buy them, you can run contests, you can ask for referrals, you can hope for the best, and a lot of other means as well. One of the great ways I've gained valuable followers on my Facebook page has been through participating in Facebook Fan Page Friday Parties.
There are a number of pages on Facebook that host these parties every Friday or one Friday a month. They advertise them early in the day and they are a great way to network.
The basic concept is that you write a simple welcome intro statement with a link to your Facebook page in the comments. Then you go through the list and like other people's pages. I recommend coming back at the end of the day and going through the lists again since many people may add their pages after you put up yours.
When you choose to like someone's page, I recommend that you send them a message through their page. Introduce yourself, compliment them on their page, tell them why you like their page (or their product or industry), and tell them how you found them. Try to make it a little personal and not just an obvious copy and paste message. Then invite them (politely) to come visit and "like" your page in return.
Throughout the day you may receive messages or notifications from new followers who have found your page. If someone has liked your page and sent you a message, please respond and thank them with a message in response! Let them know that you will check out their page and return the favor by liking their page (if you didn't initiate the conversation and page like in the first place).
Most of the time people will like your page back if you've liked theirs. This is the premise of the parties and the majority of people actually adhere to the process.
The great thing about doing these parties is that you do gain valuable new fans. A lot of the people I have connected with through these parties have become loyal brand advocates for me. And the nice thing is that most of these people are active on Facebook and their pages so you can actually get good engagement on your page from their interactions!
So, if this networking party process sounds like fun to you, here are some of the pages that I like to follow. They have some of the best Friday Fan Page Parties that I've found.
- Classic Marketing Strategy
- Boom! Social with Kim Garst
- Addicted to Networking
- C4 Compete
- 15 Minute Social
- League Computer Solutions
- Virtual Assistance 4U
- Modern Marketing World
OK, so it's Friday today... go visit these pages, like them, and go participate in the parties!
I'd love to hear if you find success from this process. Feel free to leave a comment here later or leave a comment on my Facebook page letting me know if you gained any valuable new followers from this.
Also, if you know of any other great pages for Friday Fan Page Parties, please leave them in the comments so that we can all come join in.
This a great idea Jenn, I use parties occasionally and it does bring new followers in, usually engaged followers too. I’ve started putting up a similar kinda thing on my own page, but so far no one’s bitten. Time will tell.
Thanks Liza! I’m glad you’ve seen some success with gaining new followers through these parties. It is hard to get one started sometimes, especially if people don’t know how they work. Keep at it and it will pay off in the long run!