To be honest, I still can’t get around the fact of how ingrained Facebook has become in our lives, both professionally and personally; as individuals and consumers. You’ll indubitably be frowned upon if your business lacks a viable website. However, fail to set up a Facebook business page, and it’s downright dumbfounding! After all, like most social media profiles, Facebook pages are easy to use and setup, and absolutely free of cost. Not to mention, they level the competitive playing field for businesses. So why wouldn’t you create one?

According to the latest statistics, there are more than two billion monthly active users on Facebook and 50% of them log in daily. Facebook offers a lucrative platform for businesses to capitalize on. Businesses have also responded very well as there are more than 60 million active Facebook business pages. This makes it even more indispensable for you to create, manage, and run your own business page like a boss!

Unfortunately, setting up a business page on Facebook doesn’t cut the bill alone. In the wake of cutthroat competition from other brands on Facebook, social signals make you stand out, whether they are likes, shares, comments or more. This brings us to an important question,

“How to get more likes on Facebook?”

You can easily find tons of tips and advice online to help you glean a viable answer to this question, but the problem is that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for all brands. To help businesses in their quest to boost engagement on Facebook, here are 10 effective ways to get likes on your Facebook page.

1. Develop a Facebook Marketing Strategy

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”– Benjamin Franklin

Not having a well thought-out social media strategy is a recipe for disaster. Your social media marketing efforts won’t be effective without a properly implemented strategy at their backbone. Set SMART goals, define your target audience, and focus on catching up on the latest trends and cashing in on the upcoming events when creating a Facebook marketing strategy. Don’t forget to conduct a competitive analysis of your competitors.

2. Fill out All The Details

As simple as it may seem, many businesses overlook the necessity of filling their Facebook pages with all the pertinent information about their business. By skimping on small details, you are losing valuable Facebook real estate. Did you know that you can even add your Twitter handle or Instagram link to your Facebook page? Yes, most businesses are oblivious to the fact and lose a plethora of networking opportunities this way. Make the most of the “About”section on your Facebook business page to let your customers know what your business is all about, and how it can help them find solutions. Be sure to include all ways through which prospective leads can contact you, and the best times when you are available to respond to them.

3. Go Live

Live Facebook Video is riding the waves of popularity since its ultra-hip onset. More and more businesses are jumping on the live video bandwagon. The feature was launched a couple of years back and has made tremendous strides since then. Businesses are streaming 6 times more live videos on their Facebook pages. People love live videos since they let them feel like they are one with your brand. Facebook also found that live videos are watched three times longer during actual stream than in reply. All these stats point towards one thing; the inevitable rise of live videos in the eons to come. If you want to get more likes, shares, and comments, there is no better way than live videos.

4. Optimize Your Facebook Page

Just like your website, you cannot expect people to find your business page on Facebook on their own.You will have to make it easier for your audience to find your Facebook page just like you optimize your websites for the benefit of search engines. Choose a name for your page that is easy to discover and remember, and stay consistent with it across all social media channels. This will help you build credibility and trust with your audience. Additionally, it will make it easier for followers on other social networks to follow your business page on Facebook.

5. Post Relevant and Interesting Content At The Right Time

Posting relevant, high quality, and compelling content is the best answer to the question of “How to increase likes on Facebook?” If your business gives your followers and fans what they want, they will surely like your page and keep coming back for more. Keep your Facebook posts and content succinct, focused and eye-catching.

Come up with catchy and zesty headlines, invest in visual content,stay abreast of what’s hip and what’s guaranteed to steer a few egg shells and rotten tomatoes your way, and incorporate viral images and other pertinent media contents in your posts. Nothing can parallel the importance of generating stellar content, than determining the best time to post it.  No matter how good your social media posts are, if there is no one to see them, all your efforts will be in vain. Therefore, timing plays a crucial role on social media. What is the best time to post on social media, you may ask? The best time to post on Facebook is 1pm-4pm late in the week or on weekends.

6. Cross Promote Your Facebook Page

Have you ever thought about promoting your Facebook business page on other social networking websites? I am sure most of you might have answered in negative. Don’t waste the fan following you have built on other social channels, and cross-promote your Facebook page to them. Another effective tip to increase your Facebook likes is to add a like button on your website and blog. You can even embed your Facebook posts on your website or official blog.

7. Host a Facebook Contest

According to a report, 35% of Facebook fans like a page because they want to participate in contests. Content Marketing Institute conducted a poll in which 81% marketers said that interactive content, such as contests, performs much better when it comes to grabbing the attention of your target audience as compared to static content. Launching frequent Facebook contests are a great way to keep your target audience riveted to your page. You can easily get more likes just by hosting a Facebook contest or competition. As a bonus, you can offer up free services or your products as prizes to create awareness of your business.

8. Grow Your Reach With Facebook Ads

Facebook is slowly but surely shifting towards a monetization model, which means that paid posts and Facebook ads will solicit preference over organic posts. If you want your Facebook likes to thrive, you must invest in Facebook advertising. But how to advertise on Facebook to grow your reach? You can promote your best posts or get your products and services out in front of your target audience with the help of Facebook ads. When your target audience views your posts, they have a much better chance of capturing more likes than organic Facebook marketing.

9. Offer Exclusive Discounts For Facebook Fans

According to a research by Socially Stacked, 42% of fans like a page to get a coupon or avail an ongoing discount for fans. This means that offering exclusive discounts and coupons along with irresistible offers from time to time can grow your Facebook likes quicker than jack’s beanstalks. Make sure that the offer you are giving is also valuable to your target audience, otherwise, all your efforts will go down the drain. Nothing can motivate and persuade your target audience to engage, like, share or comment on your Facebook page than an irresistible discount offer.

10. Keep An Eye On Analytics

Tracking your Facebook page performance is a critical part of your social media success. That is where Facebook’s built-in Insight tool comes into play. You can also use other social media analytics tools to monitor the progress of your business page. Analyzing your Facebook page statistics can help you gauge what is working and what is not, and makes it easier for you to make future improvements to your Facebook campaigns and achieve better results.

Which tips do you use to increase your Facebook likes? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.