Initiating the "Like"

Many business owners are sick of hearing it, but building up the amount of people who “Like” your company or brand on Facebook is becoming an important strategy in developing a marketing plan. With such a competitive market and having thousands of pages similar to yours, how can a business differentiate themselves from their competitors and build a unique following online?

1. QR Codes

By placing QR codes on your advertisements or products, your customers will be curious as to the type of interaction that is available. Having QR codes link to your Facebook page could raise the level of likes you receive. If you are interested in learning more about QR Codes check out our two recent posts about QR Codes: “3 QR Code Campaigns That Are Home Runs” and “Why QR Codes?”

2. Deals (Facebook / Groupon)

Everyone loves coupons, so why not give a pat on the back to your customers if they like you? Once they like you they can come in and get a free product or download a coupon. Mikey’s Milwaukee has done a great job with this via their Twitter. If you follow them on Twitter you can go in for a free Angus burger. I’m not a food expert, but it was extremely deliciou

3. Facebook Ads

Mark Zuckerberg isn’t the world’s youngest billionaire because he has a lot of “friends”. Facebook’s ads allow you to specifically target the profile of certain individuals based on geographic information, interests, and what their friends have “liked”. Creating an aesthetic ad is an efficient way to build up your like count.

4. Current Followers Influence (Sharing / Retweets)

Nothing gets me more excited than when someone with 400,000 likes comments back or likes something that I posted. Maybe it is the 11 year old girl in all of us that gets a little star struck, but social media really is a two way conversation between your business and your customers. Not only does it offer the opportunity to create a better relationship with your followers, but it is a free survey of what people think of your company. From testimonials to creating better business practices, there is a wealth of information in what people are saying about your company on social media.

5. In-Store Promotion of Social Media (Menus / Displays / Checkout)

The comical situation of Grandma asking why you are taking pictures of the menu at the restaurant is always entertaining for those involved. Whether it is a QR Code on the menu, or simply a reminder to “Like” the business on social media, it is beneficial. The first step in getting your customers to interact with you through social media, is letting them know that you have made the initial effort to create a profile.

6. Check Ins (Foursquare / Facebook Places)

It is more likely that one of your customers is going to check in on Foursquare or Facebook Places than they will simply Tweet about an experience. Not everyone in the world has a marketing mindset and tries to find every opportunity to promote a business who does right by them. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t a big fan of being the Mayor! Maybe an ice cream shop should create a “Mayor’s Sundae” for whoever checks in the most. Small promotions like that will go a long way. This isn’t only good for getting people to like your page in the first place, but all of that individual’s followers or friends are seeing information about your business at the same time.

The level of creativity and the strategy used to execute these ideas is up to the business and the level of experience they have with each of the above mediums. We at Keystone Click are always keeping our eyes peeled for opportunities for our clients to interact creatively with their customers.

Please comment below with some ideas that your company has used to “Initiate The Like”!