Facebook likes are very important for a business and is one of the main ways to connect with customers on Facebook. Users typically follow brands on Facebook by clicking on the “Like” button.

In order to increase your reach on Facebook, you must encourage people to visit your Facebook fan page and ultimately join your network by clicking on the ‘Like’ button.

This article discusses 73 effective ways to build your following by getting more likes on your Facebook page. Here are the first 35 tips. The remaining will be covered in the next part of this post.

1. Create Custom Branded Page

A visually appealing, custom branded Facebook page will stand out and get noticed easily, improving the chances of obtaining likes from other users.

2. Post Quality Content

Posting quality content aimed at your targeted audience will build your reputation and make your page valuable for users, resulting in more likes for your page.

3. Run Social Media Campaigns

Whether the goal of the campaign is to generate likes or to promote another aspect of your business, social media marketing campaigns can result in tons of new likes for your Facebook page, particularly if the campaign goes viral.

4. Ask “Please”

Studies have shown that explicitly asking users to like your page can improve your chances manifold. A simple “Please Like our page on Facebook” in your posts is 4 times more likely to achieve the desired result.

5. Use Like Box Widget on Website

Facebook Like box widget is a social media website plugin that displays your latest activity stream along with other data, member thumbnails, and a like button. Most of the likes for businesses are generated this way.

6. Use Well Designed Buttons

Custom button design can help to grab the attention of visitors, resulting in more likes. This is one of the simplest ways to increase your following.

See example below.

7. Placement Above the Fold

Placement of your Facebook Like box, Share and Like buttons can have a big impact on results. Displaying the buttons above the fold on your website is known to improve conversions.

8. Include Share Buttons on all Pages

It is a good practice to include Facebook share button on all web pages, not just your homepage.

9. Include Like Button in Your RSS feed

If you have a blog, include a like button in your RSS feed will allow you to attract new followers and obtain new likes for your Facebook page..

10. Multiple Button Placements

You can also improve sharing by including your like/share buttons in more than one place on your website content e.g. in the side-bar of your website, next to your page title, as well as at end of the page content.

Take a look at Huffington Post’s example below where like button appears in 3 places on the page.

11. Display Special Offers to Users who Like Your Page

Many Facebook users “like” a page to obtain a discount. This method has proved popular among businesses to increase engagement and  number of Likes.

See example below.

12   Run a Sweepstakes or Give Away

Everyone likes a free gift. Sweepstakes and prize give-aways are very popular on Facebook. Most give-aways require users to like the page in order to participate, making it a very effective way to get likes.

See example below.

13. Offer an Exclusive Video

Offering an exclusive video, that requires users to like your page before they can view it, is a very effective technique used by many users to get more ‘likes’ on Facebook. It is very easy to set this up on Facebook.

See example below.

14. Offer Free eBook

Offer a free eBook to users in return for a “Like”. Facebook can be easily set-up so users are forwarded to the eBook download page only after they “Like” your page.

See example below.

15. Provide Niche Content to Followers

The ability to offer one type of content to fans and another to others, offers many opportunities. You can use this to display breaking news (See image below), tutorials, tips or anything else of value to your targeted audience only after they like your page.

See example below.

16. Leverage Existing Customers & Colleagues

One of the easiest things you can do is to get your existing customers, colleagues and associates to like your page on Facebook. Consider sending an email request with clear instructions.

17. Use Your Email Signature

Don’t forget to include a link to your Facebook page in your email signature. This is one of the best ways to get more publicity for your Facebook page and get more followers with minimal effort. A well designed button can improve your chances further.

18. Connect Your Blog With Your Facebook Page

If you have a blog, you can use free Facebook apps like Involver or external tools such as HootSuite to share new posts from your blog automatically on your Facebook timeline. It is an easy way to keep your timeline fresh and generate likes.

19. Connect To Twitter

You can connect your Facebook page with your Twitter account by updating your settings. This lets you post content from your Facebook page automatically to your Twitter account or vice versa. This will keep your content fresh and attract more likes.

20. Post Frequently

Studies show a direct relation between posting frequency and user engagement. This is one of the most effective posting tips. Those who update or post daily have a better chance of getting likes than those who post less frequently.

21. Post in the Mornings

Research shows that your posts have the highest chance of engagement within the first 3 hours or postings. It thus makes sense to post at times when your targeted audience is most active on Facebook. Monitor your insights to see what works best for you and adjust your posting frequency accordingly.

22. Post on the Right Days

Posting on certain days of the week generates more engagement than others. Take a look at the Study below. However, please note that results can vary from site to site. On this blog for examples, weekdays always produces better engagement than weekends

23. Be Consistent

Spread your posts throughout the week for best results. E.g. the chances of obtaining likes are higher if you post once daily as opposed to all 7 posts over the weekend.

24.   Offer Other Incentives to Like Your Page

Offering an incentive to like your page is very effective for driving likes on your page. In addition to special offers or eBooks which we have already covered before, there are endless opportunities to offer an incentive.

25. Use Custom Landing Pages

When users click on follow or like button, send them to a custom landing page on your website or Facebook page instead of your timeline. Custom landing page gives you the opportunity to highlight the benefits of liking your page. Brands that use this strategy have reported increase in conversions and number of likes.

See example of a custom landing page used by HauteLook below.

25. Include Like Option in External Content

Do not limit the use of Like button on content on your website only. Incorporate a custom like button in all external digital content produced as part of your content marketing effort e.g. articles, documents, eBooks, slides, apps, etc. Link it to a custom landing page for best results.

27. Use Tools Like Buffer or HootSuite

The right social media tools can help you to manage your postings more efficiently, improve productivity and achieve better results.  E.g. tools like HootSuite or Buffer can automatically schedule your posts at a time that produces best results.

28. Cross Promote on Other Social Profiles

Businesses use multiple social networks to increase reach and stay ahead of competition. Cross promoting your Facebook page on your other social profiles will provide extra exposure and increase the potential for obtaining likes.

29. Share Images & Videos

Images and videos are very popular on Facebook and get more shares and likes. Sharing media is a good way to increase your likes.

30. Use Compelling Post Titles

Use compelling titles in your posts to make it more appealing for users and attract more likes. E.g. lists such as “Top 10 Ways to or instructional headlines such as “How to…” are very popular and tend to attract more views and likes.

31.  Share Links

Links are among the more popular content on Facebook. Links to other interesting web pages or content including your blog posts can attract more views and like than standard conversational status updates.

32.  Send a Mailshot to Your List

Your opt-in email list can be a useful asset for obtaining more Facebook likes. Send a mailshot avdertising your page and convey the benefits of following you by liking your page.

33. Include Like Button in Your Email Template

Include a Facebook like button within the HTML design of your email template. This will ensure a like button is included with all your email marketing campaigns by default without any extra effort on your part.

34. Create a Promotional Video

Consider creating a promotional video to market your Facebook page will allow you to leverage the benefits of video marketing to attract new likes. Focus on the benefits and include information about what your fan page offers. Publish the video on your website, blog as well as on other sites such as You Tube.

35. Use “Suggest To Friends” Feature

You personal profile on Facebook is different to your Facebook fan page. You can use the “Suggest To Friends” feature on your personal Facebook profile to recommend your fan page to your friends and ask them to Like your page.

Conclusion:

The remain tips will be covered in the second part of this post, “73 Killer Tactics to Get More Facebook Likes – Part 2” on this blog tomorrow.