If you want your social media manager to go coo-coo bananas on you, go ahead, buy the likes. Sure. No big deal.
No… please don’t, I’m begging you.
This is possibly one of the most self-sabotaging actions you can commit! It should truly be a crime because it’s so discrediting. Not to mention that you’ll be advertising to thousands of people who will most likely never buy your product/service, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
For starters, when you buy likes, you don’t know what you’re getting. Yes it’s tempting to snag a deal where you get 1,000 likes for $50. It seems like it would build your page and give you the numbers you want, but where are these likes coming from? That’s the kicker; most of these likes are from bogus accounts in numerous different countries. Oh and P.S. if Facebook catches you, they can shut down your account indefinitely.
So you bought the likes, go you, your business page has a stout total of 2,000 likes. You begin pushing out content like it’s nobody’s business and…. crickets. Nearly every fan on your page is quiet, no engagement, no feedback, nothing! Want to know why? Because you’re marketing to thousands of people who either:
- Are bogus accounts
- Are irrelevant to the type of service or product you’re offering or…
- (Here’s a funny one) Don’t even speak the same language as you and are too lazy to click the ‘see translation’ button.
This is the point where you usually call me. My head spins for a moment, we bring you back down to planet Earth and we get a game plan to fix the sabotage you’ve committed. I sort of serve as the mom with the magic eraser when her toddler colors on her bright white walls with a fat red crayola, it involves me really putting my back into it and giving it all I’ve got to get that wall nice and shiny again. No worries mom to the rescue.
Let’s heed this lesson the easy way. Here are a few ways you can get your ‘likes’ up; just remember that engagement is equally, and in my experience, if not more valuable than likes.
- Pay to promote. If you are serious about Facebook marketing, start budgeting for promotions. This helps your audience see what you post, which drives them to your website and can eventually boosts sales.
- Run an ad. A real bang for your buck! Why? Because you’re guaranteed visibility of your brand to a highly targeted audience.
- Run a contest. Contests are the easiest way to get people excited and draw in new fans. The lure of a big prize (one relevant to your specific target market) makes it a no-brainer for your target audience to “Like” your Page and become a fan.
- Add a “Like” Button to your blog. A great strategy for capturing visitors on your blog in a fairly non-invasive way is to get them to Like your Facebook Page directly from the blog they’re reading.
