Honestly, this article is not just about Facebook, but it is Facebook and Twitter that make people go nuts trying to increase their followers. As someone that is a proponent of using Social Media in a business, fans and followers are important but only relevant ones that can either lead to business or help build awareness. Seeing the companies out there that promise 20,000 Facebook Fans or Twitter Followers in a week never ceases to amaze me. I am mystified why people spend money on this as, in most cases, they are not liked or followed by relevant or "real" people. You will often find that the fans and likes you get from these companies are not even people, and the rest are people in the Far East getting paid to hit the Like or Follow buttons. I put people on LinkedIn that seem to want to connect to everyone, whether there is synergy or not in the same bucket. You wonder how many of those 5000 people they "connected with" could genuinely reach out to if they wanted to help them - not many, if any.
What Is Social Media About When It Comes To Business?
Social Media, especially in business, is about connecting, having a conversation, and sharing information with a network of people who could refer, buy, partner with, or be an influencer for your business. It is about engagement and increasing leads for your business. In many cases, I have been contacted by a visitor who may or may not have become a fan or follower, which means they are still reading the content being shared.
We had a client that started a B2C business focused on children. When they started, it was apparent that Facebook and Twitter were the right platforms for their business. They are a local business, so we told them they needed to build momentum before opening their business. The client made Social Media pay off for his business. They had over 1000 fans and pent-up demand for their business before the doors opened. They continue to communicate with their fans, clients, and prospects, and they now have over 6000 "relevant" fans. Most of their fans are in our local area, where you want them to be. If they had fans in Calgary, Alberta or Paris, France- who cares, as the chances of that individual visiting their facility are slim to none. They also have done a great job with content, frequency, and engagement. They know how to make Social Media work for their business.
Though I like Social Media, it can be time-consuming to do correctly, but at the end of the day, I want to connect and create more clients and partnerships and build awareness for our business. Though I would love to have Bryan Adams follow me on Twitter and would personally make my day, it really doesn't help my business as I doubt he would be endorsing our services. Having 20,000 irrelevant followers or fans in countries or regions outside your business area and target market will not help your business. You want to build your network organically, and eventually, it takes shape. I use all of the platforms for our business, as it is vital if you tell others they need to use Social Media in their business that you eat your own dog food. Though I use them all, LinkedIn and Twitter are the two that have helped provide me with real value for my business, though I have received one client through my Facebook page. Facebook is not really the platform for those looking for business consulting for their business. Understanding where your target market hangs out is the key to choosing the right platforms.
Since engaging in Social Media has a lot to do with helping increase traffic back to your website through developed content, the same is true when looking at traffic on your website. If you are doing business only in Canada, do you care how many people in Australia or Poland visited your website? The goal is to bring in potential clients.
How to Get Relevant Followers and Fans for Your Business
No single magic pill will reward you with followers and fans. You need to ensure you have a social media strategy that provides useful content and interaction with your target market. You may even have different types of people or personas within your target market. For example, our target market is owner-operated businesses. Still, the platform and content that the home business owner, the high-tech or manufacturing business owner and the retail store owner uses and wants can be very different. All are potential clients, but if one provides the same content on all sites or content is not relevant or engaging, you will not attract the fans and followers you want.
It can sound not very encouraging to hear it takes time when you need more clients today, but this is not something that has a quick return on investment. The only real cost is your time. Focus on sharing and developing relevant content regularly and measuring your results. You have to engage and provide valuable content to your target audiences/personas. If it is important, they will reward you by following or liking you.
Summary
This is a quality versus quantity situation. There is no quick way to increase real engagement; it takes time. It is better to have a few loyal relevant followers who, over time, either become clients, influencers, or potential partners versus getting the 20,000 fake followers on your page.