Facebook 101: Getting Those Likes
Date: June 18, 2013Category: Author: Danielle Azar
Thank you for continuing to read my Facebook 101 series. If you’ve been following so far, I have gone through how to claim a page you didn’t create, optimizing your about section, customization, and what to post. Now is the hard part: getting those pesky Facebook likes. In a day and age where absolutely everybody is asking you to “like” them on Facebook, it can be pretty tough to cut through the chatter and get them to like your company. It takes time, strategy, and finesse to build an interactive and faithful Facebook community. Here are some ideas on how to get started. If you have any to add, please do so in the comments.
Start with your inner circle
Have your staff, family, and friends like your page first and ask them to share a couple of your posts on their own timelines. If your family and friends don’t find your content interesting enough to share, nobody else probably will either. This is also a good way to test if your content strategy is falling flat.
Put up signage
As a dentist, you have a very specific advantage that should not be wasted; a captive waiting room audience. When you look out into your waiting room, what are the majority of your patients already doing: playing on their phones. Half of them are probably checking Facebook already! Let them know that you’re there too with some banners or posters. If you show an informational video in your waiting room, add a bit about your Facebook presence. Hand out toothbrushes at the end of the visit with your Facebook url on them. Be creative.
Add incentive
Unless your patients really love your practice, they are going to need some incentive to like your page. The intricacies of configuring legal Facebook contests require a whole separate blog post but there are other ways to encourage likes. An idea that I like is announcing to all your patients that once your page gets 500 likes, everyone who liked gets a free whitening. This is a tangible and worthwhile incentive that will really get the word around to your patients and help build a sense of community.
Showcase your fans
Dedicate a day or two every week to “Smile Appreciation” day where you take a picture with select happy patients after their visit. Ask them if they would like to be featured on your Facebook page first and have them sign a release. Most of them will be flattered and want to see where their picture is posted and will like your page for that reason. You can always take more pictures than you post and tell them to look for their picture in the future.
Get your staff involved
Your staff is your most valuable asset in this endeavor. Make sure they understand the value of the Facebook like. You don’t want to be pushy, but there is a big difference in a “Please Take One” sign above a stack of flyers and having somebody actively hand you a flyer and inquire whether they know you’re on Facebook. One idea is to create a little competition among your front office staff to see who can get the most Facebook likes each month. It may be a little involved and requires tracking and monitoring but the added incentive of a prize could be just the motivation your staff needs to get the job done. We actually have one office who does this and they average about 40-50 new likes per month.
Of course, we all know that contests are a great way to get likes and I plan to address them in a later post. However, I suggest trying these first and seeing how far you can get without the time and expense of managing a Facebook contest.
Did I miss anything obvious? How did you get your patients or clients to like your Facebook page?
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