By Deborah Wroe
Write great content – THE END
This blog could end there, as the best way to get more likes on Facebook and more followers on Twitter really is that simple. There are lots of blogs and articles online such as ‘TOP 10 ways to get more likes’, ‘Guaranteed fans in 10 easy steps’, ‘How to get more Retweets’ and infographics galore on the structure of a good post, where to put your hashtag, the best time of day to tweet, etc. And some do contain nuggets of wisdom. That said, it is genuinely down to content.
Last night (5 August) Channel 4’s Dispatches programmes Celebs, Brands and Fake Fans #fakefans aired. The first bit of the programme ‘exposed’ click farms and paid likes from tech companies in Bangladesh and showed how easy it is to get a large fan base for a brand for very little money (1,000 for $15). Wow, is it really that easy to be popular? Well yes, but as the quote from Facebook in response to Dispatches said “A like that comes from someone who isn’t truly interested in connecting with the brand benefits no-one”. Aside from instant popularity what is the point in buying fans? Absolutely diddly squat as they aren’t going to be the ones that buy from you.
Buying fans is nothing new, as some agency bods pointed out in tweets on the subject last night, though interestingly the hashtag was also being used by One Direction and Justin Bieber fans – aren’t they always? BUT, despite the vast numbers using social media, it will, for some time yet remain a new medium for some, so those of us who have been doing this for a while, ethically, can be smug in the knowledge that we are building communities the right way, but we also have a responsibility to educate and keep doing what we are doing.
So, social media, what NOT to do……..
Don’t use fake profiles
Trudy Lovely checking into your restaurant, loving your cheesecake and sharing the pictures is not going to get Trudy’s friends visiting your restaurant as Trudy doesn’t exist.
Family and friends
We all need a kick start when setting up a new Facebook Page but if all the likes, comments and shares have the same surname it’s a bit obvious that it’s your mum, dad and brother all extolling the virtues of your new product.
Like ladders (where you swap a like for a like on Facebook)
You show me yours and I’ll show you mine does boost numbers IF people reciprocate but are they your products or services buyers? Are they liking you for the right reasons? Will they ever buy from you? And the words “new like from xxx” show it’s all about exposure for the liker.
Share and like competitions
Everyone loves a freebie but quite often these are misunderstood by the brand and the consumer, as the comments will highlight “no, please don’t like my status, like my page”, “I can’t see your like to enter you in the competition as your privacy settings are blocking it”. Is it worth it?
Tagging friends on Facebook
…from your business page. No, just no.
Twitter shout outs
There are a few of these, some more high profile than others, none worth it in our opinion. Way back when @LizLancs called one out, and asked what the prize was in a Twitter competition. “The prize is a retweet”, was the reply. We’d argue it’s more profile raising for them than you, and not worth the time and effort, plus it’s spammy and clogging up timelines with nonsense. Don’t aim to win a ‘competition’ for a tweet, spend time building content people want to read and share instead.
If you want to see more examples of how not to do it check out Condescending Corporate Brand Facebook Page, and aim to never appear on it!