Building a fan base…one “like” at a time!

I’ve been using social media in one form or another for over a decade, but really didn’t find my footing until I jumped on the Facebook wagon back in 2008. And shortly after, I started teaching entrepreneurs how to use this type of networking to build trust with their fans, friends and followers.

From the “get go” I always encouraged posting at least once a day. And I would get the typical quizzical looks and the “why should I post that often” response.

Those that followed my advice would see their fan base grow…those who didn’t got even more frustrated that social media didn’t work and was a complete waste of time.

In 2013, after four years of teaching the in’s and out’s of social media marketing, I wrote “Share: 27 Ways To Boost Your Social Media Experience, Build Trust and Attract Followers” and to some it became the “easiest social media book they ever read”. My goal was to give people a resource that spelled out exactly what they needed to ensure they could always come up with ideas to post to their social pages. 

Then changes happened…first on Facebook then on the other networks that really upset people.

Instead of friends, fans and followers seeing all posts, the algorithms (programs designed for certain purposes) decided who got to see what and when. It was like pandemonium in the streets…the world was ending and Chicken Little was right. Ugh, mass panic!

Those algorithms did it.

Now if we are lucky only about 2% of our followers actually see our posts at a given time. Doesn’t seem right does it? All that effort into posting and so few get to see it.

But there’s hope!

Yep, and instead of getting even more frustrated…why not just double up your efforts and post more?

“What? You want me to post more? If I can’t think to come up with one post a day why you would expect me to post more?

Why? Why? Why?

You sir, you must be totally off your rocker if you think for a moment that I’m going to waste my time with that!”

Yeah, I get that! A lot!

Entrepreneurs of all sizes, CEO’s even Big corporations question the logic.

But it works!

And fans love it!

Why?

Simple…they feel they are being part of the experience.

And that right there is how to build trust, and get your fans to want to come back and see what’s going on, comment, like and share to their friends.

It’s not rocket science…nope!

Post in the morning, then again later in the day.

You see your audience (those fans, friends and followers) are not all the same.

They have different habits.

They check social media at different times.

And the old philosophy of posting once a day just doesn’t cut it anymore.

You have to post more often!

If you want to build trust with fans, then you need to educate, entertain and engage with them more frequently.

One of my entrepreneurial heroes and inspiration to millions when it comes to teaching entrepreneurs about the art of entertaining is Walt Disney. He was the master of taking dreams and turning them into reality. He could weave stories and produce content far better than most…and this was before the days of the internet or social media.

Walt created a legacy. And taught so many that magic happens all around us and its worth sharing.

And visiting his parks are just pure magic to me…every time I walk through the gates my inner child just wants to run and play on everything. When I’m at Disneyland or Walt Disney World (yes, I’ve been to both) I’m texting, tweeting and posting about the rides I’m on, the food I’m eating, the crowds, the lights, the parades, the fireworks and even the stores I’m buying stuff at. I want my friends in social land to know all about my adventures.

Yet, they are missing the mark on capturing that excitement through their social media.

Millions of followers and yet…engagement could be better.

Five posts a week on average…UGH!

I’m amazed that Disney Parks & Resorts doesn’t post more often. They are the king of entertainment and yet, in most cases they post less than once a day to their social platforms. Millions of fans are eager to help spread the Disney Magic and yet only a fraction are seeing Disney’s posts.

The answer…they need to post more!

Why don’t they?

I honestly have no idea.

Maybe they just don’t have the staff, maybe they don’t think more posts will help, maybe they just don’t understand the true power of social media? What I do know is that if they tried it, they would be amazed at the results.

Here’s what increasing posts did for a client of mine. Now he’s a surgeon that focuses on helping his clients loss weight. Over the last 18 months we transitioned him from posting 5x a week to everyday then to 2-3x per day. The number of new fans increased from an average of 100 a month to over 500 a month.

Another client (a Christian author and speaker) went from 13,000 fans in June 2013 to 63,000 fans by the end of December 2015. An increase of 50,000 fans in 2-1/2 years. And that was just one post a day. But when we increased their posts to 2-3 a day…he gained another 25,000 fans in just 8 months.

Yep, that’s the power of posting more!

Imagine, if Disney would sprinkle their social media with more posting magic…what do you think would happen? I can tell you one thing the shareholders would be thrilled. The parks would be jammed. Sales of merchandise would explode. Fans would be sharing the content over and over again. And the mouse will roar!

Hey, if my clients whom some would believe don’t have that much information to share can indeed post more often and generate awesome results…just imagine what Big Corporations do.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day…and it does take time. There are right ways and wrongs ways to post.

I invite you to visit my website ( www.AnspachMedia.com ) and subscribe to our newsletter and when you do you’ll receive our “Top 20 Do’s and Don’ts of Posting to Social Media“. These “rules” as I like to call them will keep you out of hot water when posting. And believe me, it’s easy to post the wrong thing nowadays…so, use these “Do’s and Don’ts” as a guide to keep you on the right path so you can use social media to effectively grow your business.