5 Ways to Get More Facebook Likes

You have to be everywhere your customers are, including Facebook. Here are some easy ways to rack up those "likes."

Flickr/GOIABA (Goiabarea)

If you don't already know by now, I'm a big believer that social media can help grow a business. But I often still get some pushback from people and customers who are hesitant to jump in.

Here are two of my favorite excuses.

"I'm afraid I'm going to overexpose my business to my customers. Won't that happen?"

Here's how I answer that:

If you communicate with your customers through email marketing, 20% to 30% of your email recipients will open your message--if you're lucky.
Probably only a few percent of your customers have liked your Facebook page.
If your "likers" have a lot of friends or are following a lot of Facebook pages, your message in their news feed may have passed them by.

My point? It's not overexposure. You have to be everywhere your customers are as much as you can!

"Getting people to 'like' me sounds pathetic."

In reality, it's not that much different from asking people to give you their email address or asking for their business card. And the more people that you've got exposed to your message where they want to see it, the better.

Why do you want more Facebook likes?

When someone likes your business, that action will show up in his or her news feed.
When you post something, it could show up in your liker's news feed (depending on how engaging your content is and how they have their feed set up).
It could show up in the ad to your liker's friends when you use Facebook ads.

How do you get more Facebook likes? Here are a few ideas:

1. Facebook Ads

It's pretty simple to walk through and doesn't cost much at all. Even better, you control how much you want to spend.

2. "Like-gate" With a Coupon

Send an email campaign offering a link to a killer coupon with a "like-gate." What's a like-gate? It's when the customers click on the link to the coupon and they're brought to a screen on Facebook that simply asks them to "like us" to get the coupon. (I recommend using VerticalResponse Social or Sprout Social for this.)

3. Like-gate With a Contest

Do the same as above, but with a contest for customers to win something they'll really value. (I recommend using North Social or Wildfire by Google for this.)

4. Email

Send an email message to your email list asking them to like your page.

5. Message Your Personal Facebook Friends

Send a Facebook message to your Facebook friends (within Facebook) asking them to like your page (be strategic, because you can only send one request).

Getting more likes for your Facebook page should just be a part of your overall social media marketing mix!

For more tips and ideas, download this free marketing guide, "Why Facebook Is Important for Small Business."

Janine Popick is the CEO and founder of VerticalResponse, a leading provider of self-service email and event marketing, online surveys, social media, and direct mail solutions. The company was ranked No. 2,802 on the 2012 Inc. 5000. @janinepopick