Before we buy something on Amazon, we tend to look at the reviews first, don’t we?
Before we book a hotel, many will go to TripAdvisor.
We are scared to make a decision without being sure that others, who made the decision before us, are happy with the decision. We are even scared to sign up to something free, unless we know that someone else has done it, and that they are pleased they did. People won’t even go into an empty restaurant, even if the food is sensational…
We need SOCIAL PROOF before we choose to part with money or join a community. This social proof can come from friends, or from complete strangers, as long as we believe that others don’t regret their decision.
This is exactly how Facebook works and why it is so good for business…
When a Fan Page pops up in your newsfeed, you get to see which of your friends have ‘liked’ it. You are more likely to ‘like’ the Page if your friend has. When a friend comments on something or shares a post, you see that in your newsfeed too. This is so powerful for a Fan Page because you get to see what Page they have commented on. And you might even join in the conversation, increasing engagement on that Fan Page. Increased engagement means Facebook will push that post out to more people. No engagement on a post and 0% of those who have ‘liked’ the Page will even see the post.
You are also more likely to ‘like’ a Page that has 1,000 ‘likes’, than a Page that has only 7. It’s all SOCIAL PROOF.
Social Proof is vital for your community on Facebook and offline in the ‘real’ world.
My Udemy Courses
When someone arrives at my course landing page on Udemy, and sees over 200 people have signed up, they are more likely to sign up. They also look at the course reviews, which helps them make their decision.
So, my strategy was to get over100 sign ups – TICK! Yay!
Reviews or Recommendations
Reviews on any platform (especially where people have said how much they learnt and how to apply what they have learnt, web traffic will show increased page engagement.
The next stage, for me, is to support my students to navigate through the courses (even though they got them free or reduced) to get as much from them as possible. For those who started with me over 18 months ago, the course was designed using your questions, and what it was that you were struggling with. I know all those who have finished it, have seen a difference on their Facebook Fan Page or their walking tour guiding. It is not what I THINK you all want to know, because that doesn’t work at all.
Applying this to Facebook
How do you apply this to your own Fan Page?
- You have to get your ‘likes’ up. It is not just in the setting up of your Fan Page, where you will start getting the ‘likes’. The real magic starts when you start putting your Fan Page in front of others – inviting people to ‘like’ it, sharing it etc.
- You need to start getting reviews / recommendations. The best way to do this, is to ask people who you know have benefitted from your product or service or have really enjoyed being a part of your community. Send them an email (with the link) and ask if they would please support you by posting a review on your Fan Page.
- Then start focusing on the content you are sharing – the value you are giving your community. If your community find what you are sharing with them, of value, they will engage with your Fan Page, and this will mean their friends on Facebook will see the engagement – thus you start reaching a much wider audience.
Social media is about strategy – it is not just about throwing something out there and hoping millions will find it and spend money with you or join your community. It’s a lot more, than that, but you can start with SOCIAL PROOF.
Yes, there is method in my madness, and it is all part of the plan (she says stroking a white fluffy cat).
