Tell me more ×
Answers OnStartups is a question and answer site for entrepreneurs looking to start or run a new business. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 3 down vote favorite
1

I just set up a Facebook page for a totally new business along with a teaser page. The Facebook page is looking a little lost. I still have some work to do to spruce it up and give it a little more credibility such as having a logo designed (via a wonderful site I found on here as a recommendation - 99designs.com). In the meantime I've invested in a couple of ads to try to generate some traffic for both the Facebook page and the teaser site. I'm keeping it very low budget to do some A/B testing on ads and on the landing page on my site. I'm thinking I'm stuck in a chicken and egg situation. I figure people are more likely to sign up to a Facebook page/application if there are already a fair number of users.

So in my research I came across a few sites that offered to sell fans. Reading the testimonials I approach with a little caution. I'm just wondering if 'purchasing' some fans might help get the ball rolling. I did the math on what I'm trying to spend on ads - and what I spent with another business - and it seems to weigh up as worth giving a shot. That said I don't want to get ripped off. Has anyone used such services and how do you rate the experience?

share|improve this question

3 Answers

up vote 6 down vote

Stay away from those services.

In most cases these are not legitimate businesses. These services usually acquire lots of Facebook fans by scamming people. I blogged about this once and can provide a link if it'll be helpful for you. (Edit: added link below.)

In addition to shady tactics, another downside is that you'll end up with a bunch of unengaged, uninterested fans. Having a lot of fans doesn't do you any good if they are not engaging with you. Building an active Facebook page takes time and work.

My advice is to either slowly do it yourself over time, or hire a reputable marketing or social media person to do it for you.

Edit: Per your comment, here is the post.

share|improve this answer
Would love to read that blog post if you can find the link, thanks. – Lloyd Nov 7 '11 at 0:59
@Lloyd: I added the link per your request. – Zuly Gonzalez♦ Nov 7 '11 at 1:11
up vote 3 down vote

Another reason to avoid services like these is because of Facebook's EdgeRank. For every update you post, Facebook determines if it appears in each of your fans feeds based on factors like:

  • how old the post is (newer is better)
  • what type of update it is (photos are usually weighted the most, links seem to be weighted more than plain-text)
  • how many people like it, and who's liking it

Facebook hasn't been specific about the exact algorithm, but I would not be surprised (having provided marketing services on Facebook for a number of clients) if percentage of your fans who like the update (as opposed to raw number that like the update) plays a role. This alone is good reason to avoid unengaged fans.

Facebook has been making a lot of changes to what businesses can and can't do. Every use case is different, but generally the best use of Facebook for businesses will be customer engagment and customer retention, not customer acquisition. I'd focus your money and time on acquiring customers through other channels, and getting those customers to Like the page to keep them updated on news, answer questions, provide helpful how-tos, etc.

share|improve this answer
Hi Jay. I just posted a comment on the question above. Your answer and the one above got me thinking, specifically your last comments in bold. So I raised another question just to find out what other channels other people had found best to acquire new customers. – Lloyd Nov 7 '11 at 3:05
up vote 0 down vote

I doubt the reason people aren't liking your page is because a lot of other people haven't liked your page. Get some good content on your page that makes it compelling for people to want to like your page, they are not going to do it just because you want them to.

Also use your network and get everyone you know to become a fan, this will help to start to spread it virally.

share|improve this answer
Thanks Joel. I often find myself not liking pages that don't have many users even if I'm a little interested. It's a good idea about utilising my network and friends to add just to start getting the word out there. – Lloyd Nov 7 '11 at 1:01
There are some facebook ads you can do that have the "like" embedded in the ad. I don't think they even see how many fans you have at that point, so maybe that's an option. – Joel Friedlaender Nov 7 '11 at 2:48
More good advice. Your original answer (and that from @Jay Neely below) made me think about other ways to get the ball rolling and rather than ask here or raise the topic/go off topic I posted another question. I just started to wonder what were the best (cost effective) methods others found for driving traffic to a new site. It'll be interesting to see what people say. – Lloyd Nov 7 '11 at 3:00
If you're interested, send me an email and I will share some specifics about my recent experience, it's probably relevant to you. You can find my email through my profile. – Joel Friedlaender Nov 7 '11 at 3:10
can't find your email through your profile but would the info address at redguava get to you? Thanks for the offer of some personal advice. – Lloyd Nov 7 '11 at 6:00
show 1 more comment

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.