The Top 10 Brands on Facebook and What You Can Learn from them to Grow your Fans [Plus Infographic]

Facebook has become the online home for both people and business. It has become “the” social network .

Who would have thought that the result of Mark Zuckerberg’s broken heart in 2004 would would create a social network that is projected to reach 1 billion users in August 2012.

That is nearly one in two of every Internet user on the planet. (Maybe we should have more dramatic events in our personal life to provide the fuel and passion to change the planet and our lives!)

Should You Close Down your Website?

Some businesses have even made Facebook their primary web asset and closed down their website. (not recommended as Facebook has been known to suspend “pages” with no notice and no apparent reason).

Websites in the past were boring, text based, one way static platforms that didn’t allow conversation or communication (except for the ubiquitous contact form).

Many CEO’s are still loath to participate but this is diminishing as they are earning the reputation of being “flat earthers” for not realizing that the world is round and social. (remember Galileo who put forward the crazy notion of the world being round )

Facebook has changed the web dynamics and provides a ready to use multimedia platform and social network that communicates in real time with fans and customers. This provides instant feedback that is vital in a fast moving commercial world.

The “Big” Facebook Pages

So which brands and entities are the top performers on Facebook and collected tens of millions of Facebook fans?

Top Brands

• Coca Cola
• StarBucks
• Oreo
• Red Bull
• Converse Allstar

Top Superstars and Entities

• Lady Gaga
• Facebook
• Rihanna
• Eminem
• YouTube

How can You Increase Your Facebook Fans?

One of the best tips to increase your Facebook fans is to provide what is called “liquid content” which is content so contagious it cannot be controlled. This will make people visit and “like” your page.

I have had some fun lately on Facebook posting, images, quotes, cartoons and comics that are fun and sometimes seemingly frivolous but what I have noticed is that the engagement level has increased dramatically (by more then 50%).

This in turn drives your content further into the Facebook network and increases the likes through increased sharing. The other benefit is to improve your Facebook Edge Rank  and consequently more fans see your Facebook page updates in their Timeline.

The continuing evolution of a more visual web is what you should keep in  mind when creating or posting content. Highly visual content performs much better than text or links in driving likes and shares and commments. (but don’t forget to include deep linked content as it is your foundation)

The celebrities have the resources to pursue best practice with designers and developers on tap, but what are some basic tips to assist you with your goal of increasing your Facebook fan base.

7 Tips to Increase your Facebook Fans

These are the core principles that the major Facebook brands use to build their fan base and should provide you with some ideas to get you started.

1. Define Your Target Market

You need to know who you are talking to so that the words and content that you use are congruent with what they like.

2. Get the Tone Right

You need to act the same way your target market so as too gain their trust. Get to understand them

3. Identify which Types of Engagement are Effective

Have some fun and don’t be afraid to experiment. The reactions (or lack of) will be the guide for the engagement types you pursue.

4. Look at it as a Long-Term Investment

You are building an online asset and like investment in property or saving it will take time. So persist and be patient

5. Keep it Real, Relevant and Relaxed

It is important to be “you”. If you are a blogger then the Facebook page is an extension of your personal brand. Don’t force it

6. Create a Schedule for Updates

This doesn’t have to be complex. Once a day used to be the rule of thumb but I have been experimenting with 2-3 updates a day and it seems to be working well. A large brand such as fashion will need to

7. Monitor and Measure

Facebook Insights is a great tool that provides measuremenst of elements such as Facevook Fan growth and even Virality of your content.

So what success have you had increasing your fan count and what tactics have you tried?

The Importance of a Facebook Fan Base

Click Image to Enlarge
Source: The Importance Of A Fan Base Infographic

More Reading

• Social Media Marketing – 10 Inspiring Infographics
• 6 Fantastic Facebook Marketing Infographics
• 20 Stunning Social Media Statistics Plus Infographic
• 11 New Twitter Facts, Figures and Growth Statistics plus [INFOGRAPHIC]
• Past, Present and Future of Blogging: 3 Infographics
• How Do You Use LinkedIn [INFOGRAPHIC]
• How Do You Use Twitter [INFOGRAPHIC]

Image by voodooangel