Recently a client asked what I thought about the businesses on Facebook who seem to be obsessed with boosting the number of “likes” of their business page… and here’s my two-cents:
Boosting your numbers and trying to prove how popular you are is just like old-school “blast and pray” advertising. You blast as much “stuff” into the universe as possible and pray something sticks and someone will buy. And we all know where old-school tactics got us; broke and customer-less, right?
So here’s the thing: like ANY marketing, our goal is to attract the right people – people who are potential clients or can refer them, right? We don’t market to just anybody anymore, we’re way beyond that. We’re smarter and have better tools. Do you want a million ‘anybody’s to “like”, “follow”, “add” or “friend” you? Or fewer people who are genuine prospects who might actually buy from you?
Think about it: If you’re a company that sells Social Media Services to small business owners do you really want grandmas, teenagers, and die-hard 9-5ers as your “fans”? Sure, a few of them may know “someone”… but is that really where you want to spend your time and resources? And do these people really want to read what you have to post? Probably not – and 99% of them will end up blocking or ignoring you. So why in the world would you want to campaign to attract a gazillion of the “wrong” people?
As with most things in life – and especially marketing – I’ll take quality over quantity any day. I want fans, friends, and followers who are actually interested in the content I post, and will engage with me – and maybe even buy something or refer someone to me someday – not block or ignore me.
So instead of measuring your success by the number of “likes” your page has, I’d measure engagement. How often do people comment on your posts? How many different people comment? Are they the types of people you’d like to do business with? If not, then it might be more worthwhile to focus on attracting and recruiting those you want to do business with, rather than just “anybody who.”
Do you have a Facebook story or tip you’d like to share? We’d love to hear them!
Carolyn Higgins is the President and founder of Fortune Marketing Company. Her personal mission is to help small businesses stop wasting money on advertising and promotions that don’t deliver and help business owners implement an effective marketing system that will bring in more customers—consistently. For more information about Fortune Marketing Company visit the Fortune Marketing Company website or blog.
