You know your business should leverage social networks, but its daunting when you have zero followers, zero fans, zero members, zero connections. The good news about social networks is we all start at zero, so even those businesses with thousands of followers now, sat and stared at those big zeros too. The key to getting fans is to get your business “out there.” Where ever you are, you just have to start and here is a list of 30 strategies that get impressive results when you need to create fans from scratch.
Attract
- Craft a contagious profile. In 160 characters, people decide if they want to follow you or not. Make it wow!
- Post pictures, tag them and ask for comments or captions. Pictures highly like-able and share-able.
- Post videos and ask for comments and shares. Videos are compelling!
Integrate
- Create a twitter background that gets opt ins. Add your web address and blog url in the left panel so people know other places to find you.
- Include a link to your website in you Facebook About box.
- Add hot links to your website and blog in your Twitter profile.
- Use links on email blasts that take readers to your social networks.
- Incorporate your Twitter handle and Facebook page in your email signature
Give
- Guest post on bigger blogs. Use twitter to help build buzz. Tag the blog in your original post so their followers see it. The day that it goes live, be sure to search it on twitter and respond to every person who replied or retweeted it.
- Guest post on teleseminars and webinars.
- Comment on blogs where your customers are spending their time.
- Reply to every comment you receive.
- Reply to @mentions.
- Write a testimonial for someone else.
- Do a vendor case study.
- Say yes to every interview or writing request.
- Profile other people on your site and make them look fab. They’ll be sharing that link for sure!
Partner/Collaborate
- Look for ways to partner with competitors and pitch it. What else does your target customer want? What do you offer that your competitor doesn’t?
- Look for ways to partner with big shots and pitch it. What can you add to their offerings?
Promote
- Have a pay-what-you-can-day. Post it everywhere and ask that people share your link.
- Hold a contest. Offer your product or service in exchange for testimonials. Tell people they get bonus points for sharing your contest on their social networks.
Engage
- Start commenting on other blogs.
- Build relationships instead of self promoting.
- Ask questions with simple answers. What’s one word to describe (your industry)?
Encourage
- Tell people you’re up to something new and encourage them to tell others. Give links and make it easy.
- Call in favors. Ask your friends to share what you are working on. Again, give links and make it easy.
- Do live speaking engagements. Ask people to tweet and post in real time about the event and include your twitter handle or tag your business..
- Put calls to action on everything.
- Ask for testimonials.
- Keep posting. You’ll simply remind people you are there.
Facebook and Twitter give incredible opportunity to get your business “out-there.” Incorporate a few of these strategies when and where you can.
Tweet this to your biz savvy friends.
Creating Fans from Scratch from @katrinapadron will get you equipped for 2013.
Going to put these ideas from @katrinapadron in action and get some fans this year!