Engage, Engage, Engage: How to Build Facebook Clout

Everyone wants to use Facebook to build their company's influence, but how do you build a network of followers that are invested enough to interact with your company on a day-to-day basis? Traditional marketing would say sell, sell, sell but in an digital world where people have to choose to follow or like a company in order to be solicited by it, a company needs to have something more.

Direct potential followers. No one is going to stumble upon your Facebook page by themselves. Link websites, newsletters, emails and any digital material with the Like This feature or Facebook web address.

Produce engaging content. Think for your audience. What's in it for them? Know what's interesting and don't get caught up in what you or your company think is interesting. Incorporate callouts from your audience for advice, feedback or stories. Have personality, pay attention to peak posting hours and post multiple times a day.

Provide incentive. Promotions are excellent tools in building a following. Have a contest, survey or drawing from those who follow you. Offer to donate a dollar for every follower to a particular charity. While usually not sustainable to do consistently, fishing with a tangible incentive should be the hook that leads potential followers on a line of quality content.

Network online and off. Let the boundaries between online and off merge. If you hold events or do business with other companies, interact with them on Facebook. Like their page, write on their wall, cross-pollenate between audiences.

Stay consistent, post often and maintain a non-sales persona that allows third party posters to advocate on your behalf. In the end, the natural personality of your company will develop as well as a database of well-informed advocates.