How To Build a Facebook Following for your Organization

At Cruise Media Group we often get asked by organizations how they can build more "likes" on their company page. When Facebook first introduced the ability to “like” things people were in hysterics.  Everyone was scrambling to “like” as many pages, brands, companies as they could.  The more ridiculous sounding (ex. – Greg just liked “To Move It, Move It”), the better.  But now you have to work to be “liked”.  “Liking” someone is essentially the equivalent of subscribing to a page’s news-feed and endorsing that product/company.

There are many different variables that will determine how easily your page can grow “likes”.  To grow your “likes” organically, having a “likeable” product/service definitely helps (ex. consumer based businesses like restaurants, spa’s etc. are typically very “likeable” businesses). 

But wait – if you’re a company that distributes a business to business product/service, such as manufactured steel beams, there is still hope for you.  While the average person has little interest in a company that manufactures steel beams, your company will still have something that interests the average person –people.

If you don’t have a product/service that is naturally likeable – make your company likeable.  People by nature are curious creatures, we like to see what other people do in their daily life (hence the popularity of Reality TV).  People do business with people not businesses.  No one wants to buy something from an automated telephone system or a mass email, we are more apt to buy something from a real, live person that we can talk to, ask questions and trust. Many companies proclaim that their most valuable resource is their people.  As it pertains to Social Media this couldn't ring more true. 

Typical Day @ Cruise Media Group

Use your Social Media sites to introduce and showcase your company’s people.  Take photos, videos and have them interact on your company page.  Show pictures of staff pizza parties, theme days, office pranks etc.  As ridiculous as it might sound – it works.  Posting content that portrays a fun, happy staff will bolster your company’s image to that of a fun, happy organization.  At the end of the day everyone would prefer to work with, or buy products from a company like that.

Keep in mind that the people that will care most about your company will be your clients, your staff and their friends and families.  The clients obviously care about you because they’ve chosen to do business with you. Staff will care about you because they are committed to their company.  Friends and family of staff will care about you because they care about your staff.    

Let your clients know that you’re doing Social Media.  Send them an announcement about your new Facebook page.  This is an excellent way to develop and foster long term relationships with your clients.  Whether or not you communicate directly with them on a daily basis, they will feel like you do when they subscribe to your page and receive your consistent updates.

A simple way to build a strong base following is to ask each of your staff to find 5-10 people that they can ask to “like” your Facebook page.  Everyone knows 5-10 people that care about them.  If you have 20 employee’s and everyone asks for 10 “likes” your page has an instant following of 200.  It’s important to remember that Facebook success is not determined solely by “likes” but by interactions.  Naturally the people that care about your staff are going to interact the most on content that involves their loved ones.  When posting you have to think about your following, but also your following’s, following!  When people comment or like your posts their entire networks can see their interactions.  78% of people trust a peer endorsement, while only 14% trust an advertisement.  Interactions on your page = perceived peer endorsements.

At the end of the day it’s important to remember to make Social Media a team project.  Social Media is fun and creative by nature, you can create a sense of community within your staff when you work together on content.  Brainstorm about ideas for content that will show your company/staff in a positive light, and inform people about the products/services you offer.  If you’re not currently doing things like staff lunches, team building days etc. now is a great time to start.

In Summary:

•  If you don’t offer a naturally “likeable” product/service be a naturally “likeable” company
• Post content that shows the people at your company having a good time and enjoying their job
• Let your clients know you’re doing     Social Media, this will help  to develop your relationships with them.
• It's not about the having the most “Likes”, it’s about having people follow you that actually care about your company, or the people in it.  Interaction is key.
• Ask your staff to help you  build your Social Media following and make it a team project.

By Jenna, Marketing Manager @Cruise Media Group

Source 1: “What’s Mine is Yours: The rise of collaborative consumption” by Rachel Botsman /Roo Rogers