7 Secrets to Winning Facebook Friends and Influencing the Masses

Notice in the image above, the declining growth of Facebook users despite expansion to new international markets. Yeah, the figure is a little old, but the fact remains that winning Facebook friends and fans start with attracting new users to your pages and profiles.

In social media marketing, we divide the bucket of strategies into those designed to earn new followers/ fans (earned social media), those that a firm owns (owned social media), and advertising (paid social media). Today, we’re focused on owned social media.

Winning Facebook friends and fans

All things being equal, it’s better to have more friends (if you have a Facebook profile) or fans (if you have a business page on Facebook). Not only is it cheaper to attract new friends/ fans, but it also supplies a steady base to spread your message.

You see, social media amplification (organic spread of your message), happens when your friends/ fans interact with that message, causing the message to reach your friends/ fans friends. The process looks a little like this:

Hence, 2 million friends/ fans quickly transform into a reach of 5 billion in just 2 cycles of sharing. That’s a lot of secondary reach. The more friends/ fans you have, the bigger the reach.

If you want to attract Facebook users magnetically to your business or your cause, you must first remember these 7 Secrest to Winning (Facebook) Friends and Influencing the Masses.

How to win Facebook friends

Be Sincere. Joe Vitale, the best selling author and creator of the phrase “Hypnotic Marketing” believes that the “intention” that you hold in your heart each time you pick up a pen dramatically affects the outcome of your message. So if you write from your heart as you would write to a close friend or family member, then your reader will feel and respond to your sincerity.
Be Passionate. Only write about subjects or cause that you believe in strongly. Your reader will sense your passion. If you do not accept this, then read “No More Shacks!” by Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity.
Be Original. Be creative, be spontaneous, be controversial, and be entertaining. Take a tip from the mass media – people today want to be “infotained.” They want vital information, but they also want to have fun in the process.
Be Funny. This is an extension of number 3 above. Use examples, stories, and “parables” to drive home your points in a humorous and, when appropriate, light-hearted manner.
Be Accurate. Authority attracts. If you want users to see you as an authority, you have a responsibility to ensure the information, advice, and answers you deliver to your audience are accurate.
Be Helpful. Listen carefully to the needs, problems, and challenges of your readers and “Friends.” When you offer solutions that benefit your friends, they may repay the debt by promoting you and your expertise. This is the embryo of true “Word of Mouth Marketing.”
Be Nice! The last secret is probably the most overlooked way to attract hordes of people eager to do business with you. We can say this in several ways – it’s been stated Biblically as the “Golden Rule,” Emily Post reinforced it in her “Blue Book of Etiquette” a century ago, Dale Carnegie thought it was so important he wrote “How to Win Friends and Influence People…

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”

Say Thank You and Please. Speak when spoken to. Praise other’s successes. Recommend other “Friends” and authorities for jobs, contracts, and opportunities.

If you still need a better understanding of what I mean when I say simply “be nice,” then perhaps you should find a dog-eared copy of the classic essay by Robert Fulghum – “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”

If you want more tips for winning Facebook friends/ fans, check out this post by Neil Patel.

Now, following my advice – “What is your number one secret to building a successful relationship using Facebook? I’d really like to hear about your Facebook success. Please share your secret with me by entering a comment below.

Last, if you liked this information on winning Facebook friends/ fans, please share using the buttons on the left or below this post.

As always — Thank you!

Need marketing help to support business growth?

We welcome the opportunity to show you how we can make your marketing SIZZLE with our data-driven, results-oriented marketing strategies. Sign up for our FREE newsletter, get our FREE guide to creating an awesome website, or contact us for more information on hiring us.

Hausman and Associates, the publisher of MKT Maven, is a full-service marketing agency operating at the intersection of marketing and digital media. Check out our full range of services.