If your company has a Facebook page, it’s likely you’ve felt the heat from Facebook’s recent implementation of the “LIKE purge.” Facebook recently removed a large handful of “spam” and inactive Facebook accounts that caused a majority of pages to experience an overnight loss in their fan base. Though you may be fretting over this loss in progress, Facebook will tell you that deleting inactive accounts is beneficial for a business looking to gain meaningful insights on their current, qualified and future audiences. They’re right: with inactive accounts out of the picture, your reach will improve and you will have the opportunity to foster more engagement with accurate insights into who is following your page.
Even so, you may be wishing you could get those fans back, especially if you’ve set goals for increasing your number of “LIKES” each month or by the end of the year. We want you to know that you’re not alone, as many of the fresh produce brand pages we manage lost a chunk of Facebook fans between March and May 2015 due to the purge, and we also have been eager to reclaim these numbers. Here are a few best practices to follow if you want to increase your “LIKES” and regain ground lost.
Share Awesome Content
More than 1.3 billion people are on Facebook and 64% of those people visit Facebook daily. Using Facebook Insights to identify and share engaging content that’s in sync with existing fans’ interests will only reinforce a brand-to-consumer relationship. Facebook is also focusing on decreasing the reach of “spam” posts, so stay ahead of Facebook’s algorithm by sharing relatable photos and videos that align with your audiences’ interests.
Engagement over “LIKES”
Alright, I know we are talking about building back “LIKES” here, but “LIKES” are not the true hero in the quest for building brand awareness. Engagement (liking, sharing and commenting on any given page/post) is a true measure of your brand’s social media efforts. Engagement is the equivalent to a party host who leaves a lasting impression on all party goers by talking to and thanking all guests. With Facebook users, the lasting impression motivates them to continue engaging with your brand and sharing your content with their friends.
Pay to Play
The time has come to pay to play on Facebook if you are serious about using this social network as a vehicle to connect with consumers. We recommend becoming well-versed in Facebook’s advertising platform, creating ads that target consumers by age, gender, education, lifestyle, shopping behaviors, eating preferences, etc. This approach will allow you to create “LIKE” ads that pull in the consumers who already are interested in what your brand has to share.
Looking to stay ahead of future social media changes? This helpful guide offered by the fresh produce marketing team at DMA Solutions can help. Your Social Media Toolkit awaits!
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