It’s no surprise that one of the best ways to bring awareness to your brand and products is by utilizing social media. This is one of the best ways to reach the younger generations. Not to mention it’s a great way to be transparent with your audience, and build trust with your customers or clients by showing them “behind the scenes” so to speak.
So having a social media marketing strategy is an important part of your overall business plan. However, there are some tactics that may be more lucrative than others.
In the last several months; Facebook creators, business pages, and influencers alike have seen massive growth from the “count me in” movements. This is including my own page, I’ve grown my Facebook reach into the 5-digit area and my reel and video views have gone up by 35000%. But in the last month or so I’ve noticed some huge downfalls to this tactic.
In this guide ill talk about what the “count me in” movement is, and whether it’s helping or hurting your overall social media strategy. So get comfy and keep reading with me.
What is the “Count Me In” Movement?
Over the last several months, you might have noticed business pages posting these kinds of posts.
Or
As you can see these posts tend to get TONS of engagement, most of which consist of comments reading “count me in” or “Let’s go!”. On the surface, this seems to foster a somewhat symbiotic relationship between the poster and the engagers. The poster gets their engagement metrics boosted, and the engagers get a chance to increase their followers.
Both of these are an important part of your social media marketing strategy, as well as monetizing your Facebook page. I’ve even employed these strategies on my page with great success. For example, here’s a snapshot of my page analytics from the last 7 days.
That’s JUST the numbers for the last week. This is partly from hosting my own “engagement parties” and engaging with others’ posts too. However, it has also boosted my reels performance as well.
This is just from the first day I posted this one.
Is There a Downside to the “Count Me In” Movement?
Unfortunately, the answer to that is yes. While the “count me in” movement can significantly increase your page’s reach, and the number of followers you have, in a very short time, you’re not reaching the audience your brand aligns with.
I’ve noticed that when I try to post about my brand I get significantly less engagement and it begins to hurt my overall metrics and decreases my visibility. So after a while, if you haven’t posted any of the “Follow for Follow” posts your page will stop being seen regardless of how many followers you have.
Facebook is also heavily against this tactic. They have begun to restrict pages that engage with these posts more heavily. While you’re restricted this means that you:
- Can’t react
- Can’t comment
- Can’t share posts
- Face monetization penalties
- Etc.
I have also noticed an increase in potential spammers taking advantage of these posts. They will have normal pages and names on the posts, but soon you’ll get tagged in a “Page Violations” type post attempting to take advantage of page owners.
Balancing Your Social Media Strategy
While these posts can be useful in gaining initial followers and traffic it’s important that this isn’t your only social media marketing strategy. Some of the best ways to grow your social media presence organically include:
- Posting daily
- Make a variety of posts (pictures, text, video, etc.)
- Engaging with other pages daily
- Making high-quality content
- Using relevant hashtags
If you plan to use the “Follow for Follow” posts, be sure you’re not just saying “Count me in!”. Use the opportunity to explain a bit about your business, or post a picture of your products. As a courtesy, be sure you’re following the posts host, this gives you the opportunity for other engagement posts in the future, and if you don’t that’s just rude.
Engage with others in the posts to see if they align with your ideal audience. If they do, don’t just follow them, engage on their page, and they will usually return the favor.
Building Your Brand
Overall, your social media presence can be a great way to build brand awareness, promote your products, and gain new customers and clients. While the “count me in” movement can be a great way to help boost those metrics and traffic, it’s not a long-term solution.
While your social media strategy is an important part of your business plan and marketing strategy, it’s not the only thing you have to do to grow your business. I can help you get your business started on the right foot by utilizing long-term SEO marketing strategies that build trust, authority, and customer loyalty!
Be sure to check out my home page for my Upwork projects badge, there I can help you create your own social media strategy, build your blog, and more. Contact me to get started!
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