This blog series will be based on my own followers weighing in on Social Media Questions and Topics. The first one in this series is a great question that people ask me all the time.
They ask me, “What do I need to put on my profile to gain more followers on Facebook?”
I asked some key people on my own Facebook profile what they thought triggered them to hit the Add Friend Button. This was my exact post on Facebook:
Working on my next blog post and going to be doing something very different. I want to focus on some new topics in my blog posts and want your input for my posts! I will be showcasing some of the best answers and a link to your site on my blog! Question #1: When using Social Media, what about someone’s activities makes you interested in following them?
They responded:
Andreas Felis Basically it’s about his / her spare time activities … and his / her success and ideas in business. – Activities / interests we have in common are my most favorites
Jason Armbruster … for me it has to do with … what tips, tricks and techniques can I learn from following this person? … if I feel there is immediate value, I bookmark their blog, fb profile and fb page … =) http://www.jasonarmbruster.com
Eden Rudin First thing I notice is do they write well? Do they take the time to check spelling and sentence structure? Does the information they provide flow and make sense..then they have my attention. Next I look at originality, is it the same information I have seen 4 to 100 times before? Are they just copying and pasting content? If they are providing ‘new’ or ‘fresh’ content, even a link to something from 6 months ago that I haven’t seen yet is still ‘new’ content to me and I find that original/creative…then I am become interested in following them.
Emily Stoik Hey Melissa! I always try to look for common ground. It’s nice to network with and connect with people that have similar interest in life and that applies to both business and regular day-to-day life as well! If I can connect on a personal level and even better yet, become friends with them it will just add to the experience all the more! I love connecting on social media and the ability to learn from all the people I’ve connected with has been monumental in driving my passion for what I do!! And the link to our blog is: http://www.ShawnEmilyStoik.com/
Danielle McGaw If I am on Twitter one of the first things I look at is following to followers ratio because if they are following 5000 people but only have half that many followers I know they are not there for anyone but themselves. The second thing I do is look at their tweets/status update/posts for the past day or so; I look for a nice ratio of shared links and comments and interaction. No interaction = no follow! http://daniellemcgaw.com/
Karla Campos I agree with @Danielle McGaw I need that positive energy and enjoy talking to those people who also enjoy talking to me. Nothing like a person who says hello back : ) http://www.giglogo.com/
Dani Nir McGrath Their picture and smile first! I want to know that they’re willing to share that they’re a real person FIRST! Then, the type of info they post on their wall. I love when someone is clearly interactive in groups, pages, and with others on socila media. And if they are positive! I love good energy, it’s contagious.
Terrie Handley Same with me Dani, picture and smile. http://easierlife4u.com
Donna Marie Johnson Great question, Melissa! Generally speaking, I already know what I’m looking for before I start networking online. So, for the most part, the person is either a good fit or not. However, I’ve had a few folks that I just really felt led to reach out to for further networking who didn’t fit my “ideal profile”. http://www.wahm-preneurs.com/
‘Jessica Northey definitely industry or hobby…I always look at what common ground I have with them.
Leona Dean Martin Like Jessica..I look to see common ground within my industry but there are times when I look beyond that as well and see what else they can assist me with beyond my industry since I work with various different types of industries.
Martha Giffen They have to be engaging. Is there something about their profile that says, “follow me, I’m fun,let’s talk?” If so, I’m there! http://marthagifen.com/
Joseph D. Shiller Hi Melissa, If someone puts their FB profile link in their Twitter bio or on their blog, that’s an open invitation to me and I gladly oblige. On FB I am attracted to profile pics and good content in the status field among other things. On Twitter I like good bios and @mentions in the tweets. http://www.twitter.com/e_booksmaster
Melanie Kissell Hey Melissa — I’ll echo and underscore everything Joseph Shiller noted and add that someone’s “niche” or particular interest or passion is often a reason I would choose to follow or befriend someone. So, for me, a big part of my decision is based on what’s in someone’s BIO. And I never follow someone who has no photo uploaded.
As I received all of these amazing comments from my fellow Facebook Friends, I was able to see a common thread throughout all that they were saying. Follow these simple steps and you will too begin receiving more friend requests on a daily basis:
1) Share useful, powerful, and original content.
2) Be interactive, Build Community.
3) Share photos and videos that relate to your Brand, Image, Work.
4) Be fun.
5) Be Helpful to Others.
Thank you to everyone who shared an amazing comment and great content for this blog post. After reading this, what is one thing that you now know you need to do in your posts to gain more followers and attract more people to you and your work?
Share with us here!
To you and your Success,
Biz in a Box is a 7 Day Video Training that teaches YOU exactly how to build your home business using Social Media and Blogging!
Hi Melissa, good question & my answer is to find people who can write good quality content (this includes decent spelling & grammar) and obviously enjoys writing and provides me with stuff I can relate to.
I’m a Social media, construction and property type guy and I can’t relate to crochet, pets, mountain climbing or shell collecting. (Although I have collected some pretty cools shells when I lived in the Philippines)
A good sense of humour and humor helps too!
I LIKED this page but didn’t see NetworkedBlogs or I would have followed you too.
Nice work!
Peter
Peter L Masters MCIM´s last [type] ..Where did February go The Social Media scene and construction marketing
I agree with whether they can write well, whether they seem to be just out for themselves, whether they have great content and whether they have interests that will support my own goals.
Also – it’s important if the information is real. Is it just random information, or is there direction and order to their information.
Great Post!
Tammy Matthews´s last [type] ..You Have The Freedom To Choose
Melissa, love your new series! Appreciate being one of those chosen to mention.
I am so enjoying having you as a part of the Blogging Mastermind Tribe. You add so much value to the group and great feedback.
Looking forward to the next question you pose to your readers!
Dani
Melissa Ann,
I generally enjoy networking with people and typically examine which mutual friends I have in common with someone new and also look their interests, books they’ve read and their quotes.
peace
Aziz
Ziz´s last [type] ..Just be Curious
Hey Melissa! Fun post! And thanks again for the mention! The combination of everyone’s answers helps to bring in a great perspective!! Very good idea!!
God bless,
Emily
You are brilliant, Melissa!
You followed everyone’s advice in this awesome blog post. I can see all of these elements here.
Yes, I did send you an FB request.
Have an awesome end of weekend, as well.
–Donna
P.S.
This blog is beautiful. Love the design (colors and layout).
And I also love commentluv.
8)
Melissa, this is good information for everyone to remember. It boils down to building relationships and sharing value. Thanks for this reminder!
What a great collection of insights Melissa! I love it when bloggers do posts like this.
And thanks for including mine!
Danielle McGaw´s last [type] ..What I’m Watching On YouTube
Hi Melissa,
Wonderful post! It is very helpful to see what people look for. Interesting that what is important to someone is not at all what the next person looks for. Many of the things that people look for I do to, but I see that there are somethings here I never thought of. Thanks!
Holly´s last [type] ..Does It Ever Get Any Easier
Glad you were able to gain something new from the post! Thanks for commenting on my blog.
Have a great day! Melissa
I loved what you said in my thread! Thanks for being a part of my blog and commenting here as well! Have a fabulous day! Melissa
It certainly does, Roz, it’s all about building relationships with others. So many of us have to remember that when we are living in an ever chaning High Tech World.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my blog! Melissa
Donna – Thank you so much for your kind words. I have worked very hard on my own blog to get it to a point where I felt like it truly reflects me and I still have some work to do.
Thanks for stopping by and being a part of my community! Melissa
You are welcome Emily! I was very pleased to be able to include your thoughts on my blog. I thought it was a great way to gain new perspective on a topic that we all just brush over, many people don’t really think about exactly what makes them click “Add as Friend”. Quality over quantity, I say. – Melissa
Hi Melissa, I am so glad I casually threw my twitter link into my FB comment. I thought I was going to miss out because I was in the second discussion where you did not mention to add a link. And I see you remembered to add my link above. You are so smart and thoughtful, thanks! Also I was thinking today that the FB profile pic is probably even much more important than we imagine because that’s basically the only thing you see in the upper right hand corner of your profile. I am talking about the section titled, “People You May Know”. I find good pics in this area extremely compelling to click on. I know my pic leaves a lot to be desired, however yours is so pretty, I would really want to be your friend.
Joseph D. Shiller´s last [type] ..DentalAnimation- Really cool WARNER BROS PRINTS in my eBay store http-bitly-Animation-Art-and-Collectibles – signed Hanna Barbera Limited Editions
A great way to share awesome tips for finding friends on Facebook. The feedback that you were able to gather is a wonderful checklist to learn techniques for any social media sites.
Thanks Melissa for sharing not only the information, but supporting those that responded with a link back to their site. Networking like this is a perfect example of what to do in supporting each other for success!
Lynn Brown´s last [type] ..Successful People Will Set Goals and Make a Plan
I love the info presented in this blog!!! Much of the comments relate to things that I am reacting to unconsciously. Thanks for sharing such valuable & timely output from your survey.
The one thing that I disagree with is the disparity between Twitter followers and followees. If you are just starting out on Twitter, naturally you will have more folks you’re following. It’s important to take into account that some people are not really up to speed in learning and/or embracing new technologies, or may have more urgent issues going on, but they still need the connections (or else, how are they ever gonna get there?).
Great blog! Thanks again,
Summarah
This is a great post, Melissa! Your FB friends provided some really useful insight and also made me evaluate how I ‘Like’ someone’s page. Thanks for summarizing for us!
Carrie Maiara´s last [type] ..7 Secrets to Attracting Twitter Traffic
Hi Melissa,
New York City is in da house. Stay connected, feel free to sign in anytime with Facebook connect, and feel free to start new threads, comment on any forum posts, and share knowledge with others, while building traffic and links back to you. It pays ot network everywhere online. Welcome aboard and glad to have you as a friend on Facebook. Stay in touch always =)
DNN´s last [type] ..Medical Billing and Hospital Jobs
Anytime Melissa. Stop by the forum anytime and let me know how i can help! =)
DNN´s last [type] ..Medical Billing and Hospital Jobs
Can you post a link to that in the “online marketing” section of the forum? =)
Stopping by to wish you a Happy Mother’s day Sunday =)
Thank you! I appreciate it! Enjoy your Sunday!
I learned I need to make alot of changes to my blog. I really wanted to start writing about the things that bother me in diet, health and beauty products so this idea about blogging hit me. I have a lot to learn, yes I really really do but, I am glad have just at least got it off the ground.
I will be following your tips!!
Thanks for taking the time to share.
It is a lot of fun, once you get the hang of it! Interact with your audience, share what you love, do it often and consistently and you will see results! Thanks for stopping by!
Melissa
Good idea Melissa. Never thought of in-depth, on how to increase Facebook likes. Read somewhere online that everytime we now “Like” something on Facebook, the [Like] becomes searchable in major search engines, and FB supposedly is getting extra revenue from advertisers from this, but don’t know how true it is.
It’s all good my friend. Keep in touch and let me know how I may “be of service” to you, in helping to pass along your wonderful information =)
Melissa,
I found your blog on the Top 100 MLM blogs. I found your information on building up your Facebook fan page very helpful.
Marti