5 Ingenious Ways to Boost Your Facebook Followers

Here’s the strange thing about Facebook:

It’s still one of the most popular social networks, despite reports about an incremental decline from groups of users, like those aged 35-44.

After all, it still has at least 1.86 billion active users monthly. Plus, it’s expected to grow by tens of millions of new users in the next four years.

That’s not the strange part, though. Here’s what’s really strange:

Despite these facts, Facebook’s organic reach, or its ability to get you visibility without paying a cent, is pathetically poor.

This means the followers you do have aren’t likely to see the content you post there. This has led lots of marketers to wonder if they should shut down their business page and delete their account.

It’s not all over for this old standby of social media yet, though. You can definitely get noticed.

So, how do you get seen and heard on Facebook?

image1

Well, you need more followers. And, if you have no idea how to get them, you’re in the right place.

5 Creative Strategies to Bump Up Your Number of Facebook Followers

Just like with any other goal, if you want more Facebook followers, you have to do the work. Here are some creative strategies that may help you get ahead.

1. Post Proven Content

To get more Facebook followers, you need lots of engagement on your posts. This drives your posts to the top of people’s feeds and makes it even more likely a bigger audience will see them.

To get more engagement, post proven content that is a feedback magnet. Think likes, comments, and shares out the wazoo.

What does proven Facebook content look like?

One word: Videos.

People love visual content, and people really love videos. Even better? Facebook is the most impactful social media outlet for video. To give you an idea, a video posted on Facebook gets an average of 135 percent more organic reach than a photo. That’s an impressive difference.

Take advantage of video to get more engagement on your posts, boost your visibility, and get more followers.

2. Post at the Least Busiest Times

So, we know you have to get noticed to get more followers.

But, in order to get noticed, you have to stand out from the horde. This is easier to do if you post during off-hours – times when the least number of people are posting.

Fewer posts = less competition = a better chance that you’ll stay at the top of someone’s feed longer. This gives you an edge when you need to stand out.

To find the time that works best for you, post at various slow times (think 3 p.m. or other in-between hours) and discover what time equals the most engagement.

Repeat.

image2

Infographic via CoSchedule

3. Create Content Specifically for Facebook

Now that we know Facebook is ideal for posting videos, what should you do about it? Should you simply share lots of videos from other accounts? Can you post the how-to video you already published on your blog/YouTube?

No, and yes. Of course, you can still share videos you find interesting or relevant – that’s how you build relationships and trust. You should absolutely promote posts you created for other channels, too. But, you should also create your own videos just for Facebook.

According to HootSuite, this strategy is in line with what users like. They like to stay on one platform versus being directed off-site. Plus, when you release content just for your Facebook followers, it becomes exclusive and unique.

To get in on your Facebook action, which is different from your Twitter or your Instagram action, people will have to follow you. Winner!

4. Use Facebook Live

For Facebook-specific content, why not combine strategies? Post exclusive content with high engagement potential to see major returns.

Videos for Facebook don’t have to be fancy – they just have to say something meaningful and useful. Facebook Live is by far the easiest way to post videos without having to worry about production value.

If you’re not good with video editing software, go live and have a Q&A with your followers. Similarly, go live and give your followers a behind-the-scenes tour of your headquarters.

There are even more ways to use the live feature. It can boost your credibility and trustworthiness along with your number of followers.

Be creative. Be spontaneous. Go live to capture a funny moment as it’s happening, or use it to crowd-source decisions (i.e. “Help us choose our newest flavor/color/product!”).

Users are more likely to watch live videos than standard video posts, so take full advantage.

image3

5. Join Facebook Groups

Joining Facebook groups is a great way to get more visibility. You get to be in one virtual spot with like-minded people, all of whom are interested in the same, niche topic.

The key for this technique to work, though, is to engage consistently with the group.

You can’t just sign up and call it a day. You have to leave comments, add to discussions, and post in the group.

Not only will you make new friends and network, you’ll also get people interested in what you have to say. This makes it 10 times more likely that they’ll follow you as a result.

Use Facebook the Right Way for Organic Reach

Organic reach on Facebook is dying out, but that doesn’t have to be true for you.

You can build your followers and fan base, which will help get you noticed on people’s feeds. These two scenarios actually feed each other, so it’s a win-win.

Just remember that Facebook is a different animal from other social sites. It needs to be treated as such if you want to get the highest returns for your efforts.


Julia dropped out of college to follow her passion in tech and writing, and hasn’t looked back since. Today, she’s been named among the top 30 content marketers, is the founder and CEO of leading content agency Express Writers, hosts the Write Podcast and #ContentWritingChat, and is a published, best-selling author. She’s also the creator of a brand new, leading industry course, The Practical Content Strategist Certification Course.