In the first part of this article we looked at the first 3 simple steps you can take to keep your Facebook fan base entertained and engaged: we talked about being helpful, talking to your fans and tracking what’s happening with your account. In this final part, we’ll have a look at the some other measures you can take to keep your Facebook fans happy and inspired: being prepared to change, keeping your content fresh and relevant and sharing the ‘love’ with your fellow Facebookers.
Don’t be afraid to change if things aren’t going to plan
I know that probably sounds so obvious that it shouldn’t really need mentioning. You’d be surprised though by the behaviour of some businesses. Some are guilty of leaving well alone and not checking what’s going on: this sort of hands off, or ‘what you can’t see, won’t hurt’, approach isn’t clever at all. You’ll loose fans like there’s no tomorrow. What’s even worse though, almost unforgivable in fact, is when businesses check and realise something’s not working, then still fail to do anything about it. Burying your head in the sand can be disastrous.
So, how long before you change tack if thing’s don’t look all that clever? Well, I’m sorry to say that’s up to you. Obviously, you’d be foolish to only give a new approach a few days to work before abandoning the idea, but equally you can also give an idea too long to run. By the time you then get round to change, the damage may already have been done. Set yourself a target or a benchmark if you’d prefer, and give yourself a fixed date. If things aren’t panning out as expected by this date, then change what you’re doing. If you want an example, think of things like asking your fans questions. If you’ve been doing this for the 20days or so and had little, if any response, then it obviously isn’t working. Maybe the questions are too complicated, maybe they don’t make sense, or maybe fans prefer to stick to answering questions that just require a simple yes or no response. The moral is, change what you’re doing.
Always keep your content fresh and relevant
I won’t trot out the old cliché about content being you-know-what, the boss or the regal equivalent: that much is plainly obvious. Without content, a Facebook page is worthless. Your content needs to entertain, inform and some to some extent sustain your fans. Therefore it’s incumbent on you to give them the sort of stuff they want. Content that’s worthy enough for them to want to share it with others.
Don’t just be content with that though: be prepared to share it yourself. If the content is good enough, get it out on the other social networks to. Spread it across Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, or stick it on your blog. Preferably do both. Also if you come across content that you feel is valuable to your own fan base, republish it, with the necessary credit of course, and share it with others. You may well find that you’ll make lots of new friends that way.
Give, don’t just receive
There’s a lot to be said for sharing the love. We all like to receive, but sometimes you also have to give. Share the valuable things your fans give to you with others, and you’ll reap the benefits, not just in terms of fostering loyalty with your own trusted fans, but by encouraging new people to join your merry band. Don’t just stick with your own either, establish who the top dogs in your niche are and work on building a relationship with them too. After all, you have nothing to lose if you do this, but definitely everything to gain.
