Why Nobody “Likes” You Yet, and How You Can Change That

It’s almost like the age old question of “which came first, the chicken or the eggs”. Getting people to like your Facebook page, or follow you on Twitter, is especially challenging when… nobody likes you yet.

The problem is really that simple. Potential fans lack confidence in liking any page that doesn’t already have a sufficient number of fans or followers. The number of fans you have is almost like the four star rating… where 4 stars means you are doing quite well but 0 or 1 stars means you must be doing something wrong. Really wrong.

This is a real struggle for new businesses, or new social accounts for existing businesses. Getting over that initial hump is the biggest challenge of all and you should not buy fake followers or spam/solicit anybody into liking your page. (Both strategies can hurt you more than they’ll help.)

What you can do:

1 - Post anyways

Even though you aren’t technically getting any real exposure, maintain your social profile the same way you intend to when you do have followers. You’ll be that much more likely to gain trust based on your updates… especially the absence of self-serving posts. Prove that you have something interesting to share because that is what gets people to Like you.

2 - Have something interesting to say

While you’re not waiting for the followers to come, you can fine tune your social management into sharing what you feel is most interesting. Whether it’s engaging with another influencer in your industry or sharing slightly related blogs (not your own!), practice will make perfect.

3 - Promote your Social Media like you would your website.

Think of all the effort and energy usually put into marketing your website. The same tactics can be used to drive traffic to your social accounts, and “Like” is a much easier conversion goal to fulfill than “Buy” or “Contact”. For example, be sure to include your Facebook page in your brochure or rack cards, business card, and in your bio when content marketing. Even as a page, social media is all about connecting with your audience on a personal level, so it should be easy to achieve those connections if you’re doing it right.

4 - For personal brands, a profile might work better than a page.

For some reason, personal brands tend to have more luck on social media when they take a more personal approach and use a profile instead of a page. This might help you remember how to use social media personally, rather than trying too hard to “be professional” and market your business all the time. As a profile, you can also send friend requests to connect with people who already know and actively engage with and advocate for your brand… just be sure not to spam or solicit anybody as this will backfire.