There is no doubt about it, Facebook is becoming one of the key trends in the internet marketing and blogging communities. However, how many of us really know how to use it effectively?
First of all, let me say that I am in no way a Facebook expert. In fact, the social network itself is still relatively new and is growing and changing so fast that I doubt anyone can really be considered a true authority on the subject.
That said, I’d like to share with you 4 Facebook strategies that an increasing number of high profile bloggers are using to great effect…
1. Like/Share Button On All Posts
This first strategy is really a no-brainer and can be accomplished in a matter of minutes with one of the various free plugins that are available from the WordPress library. Personally, I use Digg Digg (by Yong Mook Kim) on my blog which allows various social media icons to be added in strategic places in your posts. Enough said…
2. Add Facebook Share To Your Thank You Page
Firstly, I hope that you have an email opt-in form and that you are actively building an email list on your blog? If not then it is highly advisable that you do this. Even if you’re unfortunate enough to experience a “Google Slap” in the future, with an email list you can still reach your audience.
Ok, lecture over!
After visitors sign up for your free gift or newsletter they get sent to what is known as a “thank you” page which asks them to confirm their email address. Usually, this simply contains a link back to your main site, but with Facebook you have the opportunity to send your subscriber list viral!
This can be achieved by offering a free gift, for example an ebook or video, on your thank you page in return for the visitor pressing a Facebook Share button. Each time the button is clicked the person’s Facebook friends are alerted and consequently more people are likely to visit your blog.
Clearly, if you’re free gifts are enticing enough then it is possible for your opt-ins (and blog traffic) to go viral here as more and more people go through this process! There are a number of pieces of software that you can install to do this, one of which is Cloud Flood which was created by Glen Allsopp of ViperChill.
3. Encourage Readers To Like/Share
One thing I’ve been guilty of in the past is not actually engaging with my audience enough. This is especially important when it comes to making that all important call to action at the end of your post.
Just as it is a great idea to encourage your readers to leave comments on your posts, it is also vital that you promote your Like and Share buttons with statements such as “If you enjoyed this post then click the Like/Share button to let me know!”.
4. Add Like Enticement To Your Facebook Landing Page
This is a similar concept to the thank you page strategy above. However, this time the action all takes place on Facebook itself. It is a simple task to set up a Facebook landing page – the place where people arrive at when they visit your Facebook page – which offers a free gift (possibly the same one that is offered on your thank you page!) in return for clicking Like.
Conclusion
The great thing about all these strategies is that once they are in place on your blog the positive effects that occur are only likely to increase going forward as Facebook grows towards 1 billion users (perhaps in 2011?) and the network of friends between users becomes more developed.
Good luck with your Facebook strategies and if you enjoyed this article please leave a comment and click the social media button of your choice below!
