There’s no question that the more Facebook fans you can get for your Facebook business page, the more exposure you’ll have for your business or service. Those who follow Facebook Fan pages may be referred to as "followers", "fans" or "likes". I prefer "Facebook fans" as I relate "followers" to Twitter, even though Facebook now refers to Fan pages as "Official pages".
NOTE: This article talks about increasing the number of fans to your Facebook page (see Types of Facebook Pages for Business and Creating Facebook Fan Pages, if you haven't already). There is no direct correlation between the number of "Friends" you have on Facebook and the number of "fans" you have for your Facebook business of Fan page, and this article doesn't talk about how to get more friends on Facebook.
Why Facebook Fans are Important
Having a Facebook Fan page allows you to send updates to everyone who chooses to "like" your Facebook page. Once they’ve liked your page, your Fan page updates will automatically appear on their wall. Of course, the more Facebook fans your page has, the larger the number of people who will see your message.
Once you have 25 or more Facebook fans, you’ll be able to create a custom URL for your fan page, like Facebook.com/MyBusiness, or in the case of the About Home Business page, www.facebook.com/About.HomeBusiness.
How to Get More Facebook Fans
There are several ways to get fans for your Facebook Fan page. Here are just a few ideas:
- Create a custom Welcome landing page in Facebook so when people visit they are strongly encourage to click the Like button. See http://facebook.com/MariSmith for a great example of this.
- Invite your existing Facebook friends to like your page (become fans), and hopefully they, in turn, will get others to also like your page and become fans.
- Include a Facebook badge or link to your Facebook Fan page on your website/blog and in any email newsletters you send out.
- Include a link to "Like" your Facebook Fan page in your email signature.
- While you can only have one link in your Twitter profile, by creating a custom background image for your Twitter profile, you can display the URL for your Facebook fan page. See an example on this Twitter profile in the left column. Best if you've already created a custom URL for your Facebook Fan page (have at least 25 fans).
- You can advertise with Facebook ads encouraging people to “Like” your Fan page. In line with that, you can consider offering incentives for people to become your Facebook fans, such as coupons, free downloads, etc.
- You can send a link to your Facebook fan page to your new followers in Twitter and can occasionally Tweet out a link to your page inviting people from Twitter to connect with you on Facebook.
- Include your Facebook Fan page URL on your business cards, brochures and stationery. Again, best if you've already created a custom URL for your Facebook Fan page (have at least 25 fans).
Growing Facebook Fans Takes Time
Don’t expect overnight results with a sudden influx of Facebook fans. Over time, you’ll start growing your following and your business Fan page will start showing up in Google searches. Your fans may also recommend your page to other Facebook members.