When you first start a Facebook page it can be pretty lonely because no one has liked it yet. Your first thought is usually “Should I invite my Facebook friends to like my page?” The answer is a little more complicated than just a simple yes or no.
Here are three things to consider.
Not all of your Facebook friends are your target audience.
Think about it. On my Facebook account, I have friends, family, friends of friends, people that I went to school with that I don’t even talk to, a mix of guys and girls. The majority of these people aren’t interested in what I discuss on my blogs. The majority of these people aren’t even my ideal reader. So why waste the time inviting people that have no interest? They may like your page, but that really doesn’t do you any good.
[bctt tweet=”You want engaged fans, not someone just liking your page because they feel obligated too.” username=”lindseyaleson”]
Invite your Facebook friends that you truly believe would be interested.
While the majority of your Facebook friends probably have no interest, there will be some that do. Invite the people you truly believe would read your blog. You have a higher chance of them actually responding to the like request.
I have just under 400 friends on Facebook, I have probably invited around 15 people to like my page.
I invited people I know are either blogging themselves, have their own websites, starting their own companies, etc. These are the people that I believe could benefit from the tips I share on this blog. They are less likely to see the request as SPAM.
Having a high like count is great, but it is not the most important metric.
Don’t invite your Facebook friends to like your page just because you want a higher like count. You want a higher engagement rate. While some companies still look at the number of followers when deciding a bloggers value, the engagement rate is more important. Would you rather advertise your blog on a site that has millions of followers but does not have an engaged audience or a site that has a smaller, extremely engaged audience?
Work on making your page engaging to your fans and likes will begin to follow.
What is your opinion on inviting Facebook friends to like your page? Let me know in the comments below.
I definitely agree with you! I usually pick and choose who to invite–family and close friends I invite, as well as anyone else I know who has a blog. But besides that, I steer clear of them.
When I started, I focused on sharing my content on my personal page, so that I didn’t force friends into liking my page or feeling like they had to!