How to Build a Cult Following on Facebook in 4 Easy Steps

Facebook is more than just a social media platform where you can market your business.

The platform's rise to prominence in the late 2000s and early 2010s was instrumental in massive changes in the way consumers and brands interact with one another.

Along with Twitter, Facebook made it possible for consumers to connect with brands on a closer, more “personal” level,

Allowing for occasional two-way communications.

Your own company can use Facebook to create what every brand is ultimately aiming for: a devoted cult following.

You can create a follower base that really, truly loves your product.

Branding is all about building a relationship with consumers, constructing something with a distinctive “personality” that reflects its fans' own values and aspirations.

Acquiring a true cult following is certainly a challenge, but for many businesses, Facebook might just be the key to achieving this.

In a recent blog post, Neil Patel offers a four-step process for leveraging your Facebook Business Page to engage your audience closely with your brand.

Step 1: Create Goals for your Facebook Business Page

This is massive.

If you’re serious about successfully building a business page, you’re going to have to figure out exactly what ‘success’ means.

Let me be clear: Setting marketing goals is not a formality.

Creating goals accomplishes a few things:

It kickstarts the process of collecting data and tracking metrics. Trust me, this might seem minor right now, but six months from now, you’ll be thanking me.

It guarantees that your future content and marketing efforts are data-driven. With those goals in mind, your marketing strategy should always be on the right path.

[image source: Neil Patel]
Having goals matters. You can’t hit a target without knowing what it is first, right?

Your goals should be as trackable and specific as possible.

What do I mean? Well, wanting to ‘increase your outreach’ isn’t going to cut it.

Here are a few examples of better goals:

Gain 200 followers daily within 6 months

Increase user engagement by 10% within 3 months

Produce 5 pieces of unique content a week for 5 months

You get the idea. The more detailed your goal is, the easier it’ll be in a few months to see if you achieved your goal.

If you achieved your goal, nice work!

If you didn’t, you’ll be able to see how much you were off by, and you’ll be able to use that data to figure out where things went wrong.

The simple three-step formula for creating goals is:

Choose a specific area to focus on

Determine how long you have to achieve the goal

Regroup either once the goal is achieved or once your time is up

Step 2: Figure out the Right Content Strategy

With your goals clearly defined, you’re ready to start thinking about the content you’re going to create.

No matter what kind of business you’re running, there’s one rule that’s non-negotiable when it comes to social media marketing: Content is king.

[image source: Neil Patel]
Not only are people spending 50% more of their time online reading content, but over 60% of people are more likely to trust a company that delivers custom content.

Just to be clear: You need to be sharing your content on your Facebook business page.

But what kind of content should you be making?

The long answer is a bit more complex. Honestly, you should start by creating whatever content you’re most comfortable with.The short answer is: whatever works.

First, determine what kind of content you’re best suited for.

Yes, images and videos are going to typically perform the best. But what really matters is that you’re creating content that’s engaging.

The easiest way to do that? Create content in a format you’re familiar with.

If you’ve been a writer your whole life, start a blog. If you’re a photographer by trade, go with visual content.

The fewer hurdles you give yourself, the easier it’ll be for those creative juices to start flowing.

But notice how I said ‘start with’.

After you’ve found your rhythm, the next step is to start exploring other forms of content.

Take a look at Nike’s Facebook Business page, for example:

[image source: Neil Patel]
They’ve opted for equal parts photos and videos.

Not only does this give their users plenty of options to choose from, but it also ensures that they’ll always know what type of content is converting most effectively at any given time.

[image source: Neil Patel]
If you’ve only created blog posts, start taking pictures and making short videos. If you’ve only ever posted pictures, experiment with written content.

Until you have the data in front of you, you’ll never know whether or not a certain type of content resonates with your audience.

Here’s the simple one-two punch of content creation:

Figure out what type of content you or your business is suited for

Experiment, track, and tweak your way to victory

Step 3: Create a Consistent Posting Schedule

Now that we’ve discussed the ‘what’, let’s talk about the ‘when’.

Right now, we’re going to focus on the importance of consistency when it comes to building brand loyalty and becoming an online authority.

When it comes to social media, users expect you to be available 24/7. This is especially true if you have an international audience that spans across multiple time zones.

[image source: Neil Patel]
When it comes to social media, you can’t afford to ‘take time off.’ Not if you want to develop a strong social media presence in 2017.

If you’re looking for ideal posting times and frequencies, SocialBakers did a study that found that posting 5 to 10 times a week was ideal.

But remember, that’s just a guideline to get you started.

Make sure you track the data, experiment with other posting frequencies, and compare the results.

What really matters to your audience is that there aren’t any major gaps in your posting schedule. Bonus points if you can post around the same time every day.

Step 4: Become an Engaged Member of Facebook Communities

This is the final piece of the puzzle.

Creating valuable content, focusing on growth…all of that’s great.

But this step is where good Facebook marketing strategies become great ones.

By definition, a targeted follower is someone who has an interest in your business/product. These are the kinds of people that fit your buyer personas almost perfectly.

You resonate with these people because you know them. You understand what they need.

Heck, you’ve been catering to their needs since the moment you created the business.

If you want to have a community of loyal Facebook followers, you’re going to need to reach out to them and give them a reason to hop on the bandwagon.

To find these communities, go into your Facebook search bar and type in whatever industry your business operates in.

Seriously. If your demographic is entrepreneurs, just type in ‘entrepreneur’:

[image source: Neil Patel]
Once you search your term, you’ll be presented with a page listing all the relevant information in your industry.

[image source: Neil Patel]
From here, you’re going to click on the ‘Groups’ tab in the top-right corner. Or you can just keep scrolling down, your call.

[image source: Neil Patel]
Each of these groups will have anywhere from a couple hundred to several thousand members.

Once you’ve reviewed the rules, you can click on the ‘join’ button and become a part of the group.

[image source: Neil Patel]
Once you’re a member of the group, the rules are actually pretty straightforward:

Avoid shameless self-promotion. At best, it’s annoying, and at worst, it’ll get you kicked out of the group.

Offer value wherever you can, for free. This is where you build your online authority.

Speak directly to people and with as little ‘corporate talk’ as humanly possible. This is not the time or place to sell people something.

It’s important to keep in mind that your presence in the group is not as a salesman.

You’re here to share ideas with other industry fans. Let your passion over these topics show.

The more active and involved you become in the group, the more likely you are to be seen as an authority on the matter.

Combine that with your unique industry know-how, and it’s only a matter of time before people check out your Facebook Business page to see what you’re up to.

Once they do, they’ll come across that content that you’ve been consistently producing day after day.

They already care about the industry. As long as your content is actually valuable, there’s a good chance they’ll be following you before they leave your page.