Grow your fanbase
You can measure the health and success of something by whether it grows or not.
This can be equally true for creators making videos for a specific audience.
You've planned, produced, edited and finally launched some awesome content. Then one question runs through your mind: Now what?
While your videos will ideally be speaking for you and generating the interest and traction you're hoping for, there are some effective and proactive ways to grow your audience. Let's explore a few.
Go the extra mile: Sharing content
Want ways to bring new fans to your Facebook content? Well, as cheesy as the saying is, sharing is caring. One way to introduce potential new fans is by sharing your videos on other social media platforms. Consider creating teaser clips, behind-the-scenes extras, bloopers, or interviews to post on other platforms and drive people back to your Facebook Page.
Here are some other things you can try:
Share fun, exclusive content on your Facebook Page. This will drive your fans from other places specifically to your Page and can help fuel your following.
Consider collaborating with another creator, especially one whose audience may be interested in your videos, and share each other's videos to your own Pages. Alternatively, team up with someone totally different and reach new viewers!
Appear as a guest or have a guest in your video to create buzz between your audiences.
Share your new videos in the comments of older-yet-related, popular videos.
Connect with your audience: Facebook Groups
One way to take your audience engagement and loyalty a step further is by creating a Facebook group. While a Facebook Page will be useful for establishing an initial presence to point people towards, a group can be just what your audience needs, since it's a place that brings people with common interests (i.e., your videos) together to interact. After all, what do people love more than watching videos? Talking about and sharing them with others.
While Insights can give you the raw information about how your content is doing, a group and the discussion among its members can give you more of an “ear to the ground” for what your audience thinks about your content.
For example, as soon as you share a new video in your group, members who have notifications turned on will be alerted that there's new material telling them there's new material.
Most importantly, groups afford you direct communication with your audience, something they're sure to value and appreciate. What better way to get to know who's watching your content than by being able to respond directly to comments from your viewers?
To learn even more about groups and how to leverage them, check out our in-depth dive: “ The Scoop on Groups.”
Groups best practices
Collaborate: Create a group to exchange ideas with other Watch creators.
Make it official: Consider making the most prominent fan group the official group of your Page.
Promote active members: Once your group starts gaining momentum, consider empowering your most engaged fans to help moderate and manage the group. They can be great advocates for you and answer questions on your behalf or can spark discussions among the group members.
Participate: Creators who participate in conversations and engage with their group are more likely to build loyal audiences. It shows that they care about those who are enjoying their content, and are interested in what their audiences have to say. Things like surprise appearances, crowdsourcing video ideas, or going Live within groups can work well to get involved with your fanbase and boost the overall engagement and growth of it.
Cross-pollinate: Explore existing groups that are passionate about the type of content you create. Consider becoming a member and posting in relevant groups where people might want to share and engage with your videos. Be sure that your posts add value to the conversation and adhere to group standards and norms.
Get insights: Groups can serve as a “focus group” where you test out new video ideas or get feedback from fans.
Meaningful conversation: Your group can be a special place for fans to connect with each other and act as a forum for meaningful conversation.
Make yourself discoverable
There's a ton of videos on Facebook, so after all the work you've done on your own videos, you'll want to make them easy to find!
Keep in mind News Feed prioritizes posts that are likely to be more meaningful to users. To help heighten your discoverability, make sure your videos are original (i.e. made by you; you appear in them), authentic (i.e. they are personal to you and don't stray from your topic/theme/personal brand), and encourage meaningful conversations (i.e. create back-and-forth dialogue or question-and-responses).
When it's time to upload your video, create an eye-catching thumbnail since this is the first thing your fans will see in the search results. Click “Add Thumbnail” and select any frame from your video or upload a custom picture on desktop. Don't forget to add a title that hooks people in and an accurate description so fans know what the video is about!
Video Tagging Tips
It can help to add descriptive video tags — like “funny” or “sports” — to make your videos easier to find in Facebook's search results. These aren't visible to people, but they do help Facebook make your videos more discoverable when people search for them.
Make sure your tags accurately reflect your content.
Add at least three tags per video.
Try using a variety of both broad and specific tags. Who knows, you may think tags can be too specific, but they might be exactly what people are looking for!
“Be fruitful and multiply!”
As your videos gather more and more views, you'll want to make them really mean something by investing into the viewers themselves. Creating spaces for your audience to discuss and share their favorite parts of your content will bring a cohesiveness to your fanbase — one that goes beyond mere casual viewing. Remember, loyalty builds community.
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