30 Days of Praise … Day 14 – 10 Facebook Fan Page Tips.

Welcome to “30 Days of Praise!” Every once in a while I go into a month long journey of fasting, praying and praising. It helps me re-commit my life to Christ, keep my priorities in order, slow down from the craziness of everyday life and take time to really listen to what God wants to tell me. I am always amazed and excited where my journey takes me, and this time I will be journaling everyday and sharing my experiences with you.

Day 14~
As most of you know I’ve been working really hard to get the blog and FB fan page up and running. I feel like I still have 1,000 things to accomplish, but I am slowly making progress. And let’s be honest, I’ll probably never be 100% satisfied. There will always be something that needs “tweeking”. I do quite a bit of advertising and sharing on facebook and I recently was asked what are some tips I use for my business facebook page to get me to almost 2500 fans. I actually get asked this question quite a bit so here are 10 tips off the top of my head.

1. Honestly probably 90% of my facebook fans are from giveaways. A while back I did a bunch of giveaways on blogs and facebook that got me over 2500 fans. I am now down several hundred fans because I haven’t done a giveaway since March.   I do have some tips on giveaways that I will share at a later time.

Other then giveaways, it is good to keep your fb page actively working. Here are some tips that I have found helpful.

2. Post atleast 1 item from your shop or blog everyday, after all that’s really where you want people to end up!

3. Try to start conversations and get people interested in your product. Share how you use the product, share testimonies from other people using your product (remember not to use their name or get their permission if you do). Post content that is related to your product. If your products are faith based, I wouldn’t hesitate to share scriptures on your page. If it is about sewing then I would share tips about fabric and tools that make sewing easier. You want to build a relationship with your fans ( I like to think if I owned an actual shop and people came in, what would we talk about)

4. Post several times a day, as different people are on at different times of the day, you want to reach as many people as possible.

5. DON’T post 10 times in a row. People will get annoyed that your taking up all their feed, and they will either hide or most likely, delete you. Unless I am doing a giveaway or something where I am directly interacting with alot of people, I try to only post 2-3 times an hour at the most. Honestly most days I’m lucky to post once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

6. Give FB Fan ONLY discounts. Fans are really big on this. I do something like “3 days only 15% off for FB fans. Use code XXXX” or “Have 5 friends “like” my page and write on my wall that you sent them, and I’ll give you a one time coupon of FREE SHIPPING”. Those are just some idea’s, you can do whatever you want. Even ask your fans what they would like for a discount. I don’t do them often, maybe one every couple of months, but they are really sucessful when I do.

7. People LOVE free shipping. Even if I put my prices higher to make up the difference, I have found I get more sales that way.

8.a. “Like” other similar pages on FB, like Treasures of Faith! Interact with other people that have the same interests and content as you do. We may have a few conversations with each other, become friendly and helpful to each other, we build a friendship. I now want to support you and your business so I am likely to tag you in a post “sending love to some of my favorites @Sarahsewta, @TreasuresofFaith, @ChildByFaith” etc. It is AWESOME to support other pages, they are just like you, working hard to run a business. When I am actively working my shop page I try to “send love” atleast once a week. Usually in return they will do the same. Their fans will see your name on their page and come check you out. It’s sort of like sharing fans. Be curteous, you are not trying to “steal” someone elses fans! Don’t be obnoxious and constantly bombard their page, it is rude!

8.b. This goes along with “liking” someone elses page! DO NOT post your shop/blog on someone elses page, unless the page has offered to advertise for you! It’s OK to say “new fan from @TreasuresofFaith stopping in to say hi”. It is NOT OK to post a link saying ”Check out these cool rice bags that I am making @Sarahsewta! http://www.etsy.com/listing/56512389/sweets-minky-dot-candy-corn-boo-boo-rice” I have worked VERY hard to get to 2500 fans and it’s VERY RUDE to post your shop on my page to try to get my fans over there. I will delete the post and probably not even go check out your page. Also please DO NOT upload a fan picture to my wall with a link back to your page! IT IS RUDE and I WILL delete it! Treat people with curteousy and respect and you will be treated back with curteousy and respect.

9.You are not only representing yourself but your page AT ALL TIMES. Just like being a Christian. People will get to know you, watch you. Keep ALL disputes private. If someone posts a complaint on your page, even if it is a complete lie, comment back as sweet as possible something like “I’m so sorry you are unhappy. Please email me and we can discuss this further. My goal is for all customers to be satisfied”. Then you can have your dispute in private. I have seen SO MANY page owners argue with their fans on their page. It is distasteful and the conversation always gets heated up because other fans, who know nothing about the circumstances, will get involved and it can get really nasty, really fast. Worst case scenario, delete the post thread, and if you really have to, block the person. I have had to block a few people, and my page and business are much happier because of it.

10. This may be one of the most important tips I can give. You should be promoting something you love and are passionate about. Let your own personality and style come out, be unique. Don’t worry about what content someone else is doing or how many fans they have. Infact don’t worry about how many fans you have. If you are passionate then that will come forth through your posts and content you post, and people will be drawn to that. Quality is much more important then quantity. Stay true to yourself and what you represent, and most of all HAVE FUN!!!

I’m sure there’s alot more but I can’t think of any right now!

I have friends that don’t do FB at all and their shops are very sucessful. But I love working my FB page and interacting with people. It’s up to you where you want to spend your time and how much time you want to spend there. As a warning, FB can be really addicting and you can waste hours there without realizing it, so budget your time. You don’t have to comment back within seconds, your fans will understand if it is several hours or even a day before you are back online. That’s real life!

OK so that’s alot to chew on! LOL Obviously you don’t have to do it all, it’s just suggestions of what I have found works. Please post your tips below, I would love to read them! And share your fan page! I will like you back in return!

Thanks!