Using Facebook for Business: 3 Ways to Gain More Followers

For a lot of B2B businesses, Facebook remains a challenging platform.

A lot of businesses ask themselves how they can get more followers on Facebook. 

I frequently analyze the modern marketing components for entrepreneurs, and I notice that Facebook is often missing from their social follow icons. Instead, I increasingly see icons for YouTube or Instagram (which is great!), but Facebook is noticeably absent. The reason for this is not always clear to me. Has the company lost interest in Facebook and taken down its page? Or did it never exist in the first place? Companies that use Facebook for business purposes are indeed in a minority. In my opinion, businesses need to have a company page on all marketing channels. However, you can only reach the timeline of interesting individuals if you have a good amount of followers. So, the question remains: how do you build a solid follower base that appreciates your publications?

Is a Facebook page useful?

If your target audience uses Facebook - privately or for business purposes - you should be present in their timeline. Even though the platform does not directly bring you customers, consider it a part of your branding efforts. It is an extra space to promote your content. On Facebook, titles, images, and videos are prominently displayed, making your publications stand out among others. However, your posts need to appear in someone's news feed. Without followers, your company will not receive the attention you are looking for.

How do I get (more) followers on Facebook?

Facebook offers three ways to gain followers. Organic, paid or invited. Depending on your patience, effort and budget, you can choose a fitting method. A mix of three strategies is also possible. The choice is yours! 

Method 1: gain followers organically

As an inbound marketer, I believe in letting marketing "happen." The idea is that if you have something interesting to say and make this information easily accessible to your target audience, they will find your page naturally. Therefore attracting followers organically is a matter of patience: you publish relevant, interesting, and innovative content on your company page and wait for it to be picked up by your audience. Once someone finds your update worthy of a like, responds to it, or even shares it via private messages or on their timeline, your page will gradually gain more attention. With time and dedication, your followers will grow organically.

Method 2: pay to reach your target audience

If you have a little less patience but are willing to open your wallet to gain more traffic to your page, opt for advertising. Facebook offers various options. Currently, you can choose from ten objectives and create an accompanying advertisement. Under the "Engagement" objective, you will find the "Page Likes" button, which is a paid way to generate more followers. Select your target audience, determine your budget, and start your advertisement. Meanwhile, remember to continue publishing regularly, because nobody follows a company page that is inactive. 

Method 3: invite people manually

This third method is my personal preference. After all, what works better than inviting people to follow your page when they have already shown interest in one of your updates? It adds a personalized touch to your inbound strategy. This method does require some effort, but once you start, there is no stopping. Find a publication, view the list of people who liked it, and personally invite everyone who has not already liked your page to follow it. But be careful, because receiving notifications of new followers who you recently invited can become quite addictive.

Create a snowball effect

All three methods should ultimately create a snowball effect. The more followers on your page, and the more they like, share, or comment on your posts, the larger the audience you will reach with your updates. This allows you to continuously reach new people, who you can invite to like your page. Additionally, ensure that your page is easily discoverable through your other marketing channels. For example, include social media icons with links to your respective pages on every page of your website. This way, your target audience can easily follow your business on social media.

Do you know additional ways to generate more followers for your business page? Share them in a comment and help other marketers effectively use Facebook for business.