Introduction

Facebook has over 900 million active users. It’s no wonder everyone tells you to network on Facebook and get a Facebook Fan Page for your business.Clearly, many of your prospects are already on Facebook, so it makes sense for you to join them there.However, just because you set up a Fan Page doesn’t mean your prospects are going to auto-magically find you. It’s not like you can set up a Fan Page tonight and wake up with 50,000 new fans tomorrow. It doesn’t quite work that way.But that doesn’t mean it’s difficult to get fans. Not at all. Especially when you use the following 17 surefire ways for getting more Facebook fans.Read on...

1. Optimize for the Search Engines

Google and other search engines crawl Facebook Fan Pages, which is why you should seek to optimize your content for these search engines. Here’s how...

Step 1: Discover the exact keywords your prospects are typing into Google.

You don’t want to guess what your prospects are searching for, because it does you absolutely no good to be ranked well in the search engines for words that no one is actually inputting into the search engines.Example: I could easily get to the top of Google for something like, “green and blue polka dot donuts,” but what would be the point? Virtually no one searches for phrases like that.So what you need to do is use a keyword tool like WordTracker.com or MarketSamurai.com to find out what words your market is using right now to search for information, products and services. Generally, you just enter your broad keywords (like “gardening” or “homeschooling” or “bodybuilding”), and the tool will deliverdozens, hundreds or even thousands of relevant phrases back to you.What you’re looking for are words that get a decent number of searches, yet they don’t have much competition in the search engines. These are usually long-tail keywords, which tend to be four or five words long (like “best organic pest control methods”). Individually, these words may not bring in a lot of traffic. But if you optimize for several of them, then collectively the traffic adds up.Tip: WordTracker.com gives you a Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI) value, which is a measure of how many searches a word gets relative to the amount of competition. Higher values are better, so look for words with a KEI value of 100 or above.Go ahead and compile a list of long-tail keywords. Then move on to the next step...

Step 2: Create content around these keywords.

Now you need to create content around each of these keywords.Typically, this means creating one article around each keyword. However, since you’re dealing with Facebook, you’re not just creating articles. You might be creating “notes” or offering short tips or even just writing your “info” (about you) section for Facebook.Nonetheless, the strategy is still the same – you need to include your keyword from one to three times for every 100 words of content. This creates a keyword density ratio of 1% to 3%.Example: Let’s go back to the “best organic pest control methods” keyword. Your might create an article titled “Best Organic Pest Control Methods.” Then you’d include that phrase throughout the rest of your article, like this:

You’re probably looking for the best organic pest control methods.
One of the best organic pest control methods is...
When it comes to the best organic pest control methods, my personal favorite is...

And so on. You can see that, depending on the keyword, it’s relatively easily to seamlessly incorporate it into your content. Just make a point of always trying to include a keyword in your content whenever you post, and you’ll start getting some of that coveted Google traffic.

2. Cross-Promote on Your Blog

The idea here is put Facebook plugins directly on your blog, so that your blog readers can share your blog content with their Facebook friends.One such plugin is the “Sociable” WordPress plugin: http://blogplay.com/sociable-for -wordpress/. Not only does this plugin allow people to share your content on Facebook, but they can share it on a whole host of other social media platforms too.Another similar plugin for WordPress is “Share This,” which you can find here: http://sharethis.com/publishers/get-sharing-tools?type=wordpress. This tool allows your blog visitors to both “like” and “share” your content.Tip: To add a bit of social proof to your blog, the Social Media Counter: http://www.philhancox.co.uk/social-media-counters-wordpress-plugin/. This plugin allows your visitors to see how many others have liked or shared your content. Once your numbers start going up, you’ll find that even more people will follow suit and share your content too.

3. Promote Your Facebook Page on Twitter

This is pretty simple – you should include links to your Facebook Fan Page on your Twitter account. Plus, whenever you post a new Facebook wall message, you should tweet about it to your Twitter fans.Tip: Ideally, you should cross-promote all your sites and social media accounts, as a way to reach deeper into your market. This means linking your blog to your Facebook and Twitter account, while linking your Twitter and Facebook accounts to each other as well as back to your blog.

4. Drop Your Facebook Link on Forums

Let me make this clear up front: when I talk about you “dropping” your link on forums, I’m referring to forums on which you’re an active, contributing member. In other words, do not randomly go around and drop your links on forums (in posts, forum profiles or elsewhere), because that’s considered spamming.Depending on the forum, there are usually up to three ways you can promote your Facebook page, including:

Via your signature file. Not all forums allow you to use a signature file. But if they do (and you should focus on participating on forums that do indeed allow signature files), you can link to your Facebook Page. (More about this in a moment.)
On your profile page. Even if someone doesn’t click on your signature file, they may click on your forum profile page to learn more about you. That’s why you should include your Facebook link on your profile page.
Through pre-approved social media “badges.” Some forums (like vBulletin platforms) allow you to display social media badges next to your posts, including your Facebook badge. Thus people can click on these badges and go straight to your Facebook page. When you fill out your forum profile, be sure to look for any requests for your Facebook link, because this is what usually creates these badges.

Now, let me show you how you can start using forums to drive people to your Facebook Page. And remember, this is a natural fit, because you’re driving people from one niche community (a forum) to another community (your Fan page). Here’s how to do it...

Step 1: Find Relevant Forums

You don’t need to participate on a bunch of forums. Instead, just focus your efforts on two or three of the biggest, busiest forums in your niche.You might already be aware of the most-active forums in your niche. If not, you’ll need to do a Google search. Simply search for words related to your niche, alongside forum-related words.Example: If you’re looking for bodybuilding forums, then you might perform the following searches:

Bodybuilding forum
Bodybuilding discussion forum
Bodybuilding board
Bodybuilding discussion forum

Tip: You could also search for your niche keywords alongside specific forum platforms, such as vBulletin, phpbb and SMF (simple machines forum). However, this is generally unnecessary, since you’re just looking for the top forums, which you should be able to find using the above searches.Alternatively, you can also ask your newsletter subscribers or blog readers for their favorite forums.Once you’ve found the top two or three forums, be sure to read all their rules and terms of service. You want to make sure you play by the rules when you start posting. And, in particular, you want to make sure that the forum allows you to create a signature file.Tip: Some forums don’t allow you to post signature files until you’ve made a certain number of posts or have been a member for a certain amount of time. That’s fine! Indeed, you may even create this own self-imposed rule for yourself, by building up your reputation for a week or two before you post any links.

Step 2: Create Your Facebook Links

Your next step is to register and completely fill out your forum profile. Be sure to include a link to your Facebook Page in the profile itself, as well as via your signature file.Usually, you get at least two lines of text (sometimes more) for your signature file. This is good, because you want to create a call to action. That is, you want to specifically tell people to click on your link – and you want to give them a good reason to do so.Example #1: “Like” my Facebook page and you’ll be automatically entered to win one of 15 great prizes, including [description of top prize]! Click here to enter now...Example #2: Join [number] other [type of people, like “dog lovers”] on the [name of Fan Page] Facebook Page. You’ll get free [topic] tips, discounts on your favorite products and a whole lot more. Click here to check it out now...

Step 3: Build a Good Reputation

The last step is to build a good forum reputation. You’ll note that I did NOT say that the last step is to “start posting” on the forum. That’s because posting and building a good reputation can be two entirely different things.As such, you need to make sure that you’re not just posting a lot in order to get exposure for your signature file. Truth is, if you post just to get seen, people will ignore you (and your signature file). And on some forums, they’ll ban you if they think you’re posting just for signature file exposure.Instead, what you need to do is focus on helping the other members of the forum. Look around for questions that you can answer. And then answer them thoughtfully and in full within your post itself. Do not, under any circumstances, link to one of your recent blog posts or Facebook posts as answer. (That’s too promotional.)If you do this regularly, such as seeing to answer three to five questions, in depth, every day, your reputation as a helpful forum member will grow. And as your good reputation in the forum grows, so too will the number of click-throughs on your forum signature link.

5. Comment on Other Peoples’ Blogs

You just learned about building up a good reputation in niche forum communities, and then being rewarded with clicks on your signature file.This next strategy is the exact same idea, except here you’re commenting on other peoples’ blogs rather than posting on a forum. However, the underlying idea is the same: your goal is to be as helpful as possible by joining the discussions in a thoughtful manner.Here are some ideas:

If the original blog post lists tips, you can offer your insight on one of the tips, such as by offering your own twist.Example: Let’s say you’re commenting on a post about taking apart and cleaning a classic-car carburetor. You might offer a tip about videotaping yourself taking the carburetor apart, which makes it easier to put back together.
If the blog post is a rant about a specific problem, you can offer solutions and alternatives.Example: If someone is ranting about PayPal freezing accounts, you can list tips for avoiding problems with PayPal. Or you can offer a list of alternative processors.
If someone within the discussion answers the question, you can answer it. The only exception here is that you don’t pompously answer questions that are obviously directed at the blog author. However, if the person asking the question says something such as, “Does anyone know ______,” then feel free to answer.

You may already know about some of the top blogs in your niche. Once again, you can ask your own readers, subscribers and visitors which blogs they regularly follow.Another idea is to go directly to the websites belonging to the top marketers in your niche, as most of them are likely to have blogs. Or, just as you did with forums, you can search for your main keywords alongside blog-related keywords.Example:

Gardening blog
Gardening blogger

The above two searches will be the most fruitful. If you want to uncover even more blogs, then you can search for different blog platforms, such as:

Gardening WordPress
Gardening LiveJournal
Gardening Tumblr

You get the idea.Bottom line: become a regular, thoughtful and contributing member of the biggest and busiest blogs in your niche. Once again, as your good reputation grows, so too will the clicks through to your Facebook Page.

6. Send Newsletter Subscribers to Your Facebook Page

Here’s another way to cross-promote: send your newsletter subscribers to your Facebook Page. That way, you give yourself multiple ways to reach your subscribers.There are multiple ways to achieve this cross-promotion, such as:

Putting a link to your Facebook Page on your subscription confirmation page. This is the page your new subscribers see immediately after they join your newsletter (if you’re using the single opt-in option) or immediately after they’ve confirmed their subscription (if you’ve chosen to use the confirmed opt-in option). Either way, you should give your new subscribers a good reason to join your Facebook page.Example #1: “Do you want even more free tips, contests and chances to win valuable prizes? Then click here to “like” the [name of Page] Facebook Page!Example #2: “Click here to join the [name of Page] Facebook Page to make sure you don’t miss a single [topic] tip, trick or secret – you’ll be glad you joined!”
Including your Fan Page link at the bottom of every email you send.You can include your Facebook link in your email signature file, which gets automatically appended to the bottom of every email that you send to your subscribers.Again, it’s better if you create a call to action rather than just offering a plain link.Example: “Are you a [name of Page] fan yet? If not, click here to join [number] other people who love getting fan-only [topic] tips and special [type] product discounts!
Telling your readers specifically to join your Facebook Fan Page. Finally, from time to time you can include a call to action directly in the main body of your email. One such time you can do this is in the very first email you send out to your new subscribers. You can also do it for special occasions, such as when you’re running a contest.Example: “You can win [describe name prize] by entering the [name of Page] Facebook contest now. Click here to enter – it’s free!”

You can see how these sorts of cross promotions will give you a way to reach your market through multiple channels. Now imagine if you had other people promoting your Facebook page, too...

7. Get JV Partners to Promote Your Page

So far, we’ve been talking about ways you can build up your Facebook Fan Page through your own efforts. However, you can multiply your own efforts by having your JV (joint venture) partners promote your Facebook Fan Page.They can do this through:

Their newsletters.
Their blogs.
Their forum signature files.
Their own Facebook Fan Pages.

If you already have joint venture partners, then it’s a simple matter of suggesting to them that you trade Facebook Fan Page promotions.Meaning, for example, that you both promote each other’s respective Pages in your newsletters, blogs or elsewhere.If you don’t currently have any joint venture partners, then you next step is to find and then start building relationships with other marketers in your niche.These are the people who sell products, provide services, publish blogs and newsletters or even have Facebook Fan Pages in your niche.Indeed, you might want to start out by directly finding other marketers with Fan Pages, especially those who’re just starting their Fan Pages. That way, these prospective partners may be quiet open to your proposal to help each other grow your prospective Fan Pages.Tip: To find these Pages, just log into your Facebook account and then enter your broad keywords (e.g., “dog training” or “gardening”) into the search box at the top left side of your screen. When you get to the page of results, narrow these results by clicking on the “Pages” option on the left side of your screen.As mentioned above, it’s a good idea to build relationships with people first before you start proposing joint ventures.Nonetheless, here’s an example email you might send out to a prospective JV partner...------------------------------Subject line: Let me help you build your FB Fan Page...Alt subject line: Let’s help each other grow our FB Fan Pages...Alt subject line: I have an idea regarding [name of person’s Fan Page]...Hi [first name],My name is [your name], and I run the growing [name of Page] Facebook Fan Page. It attracts the same niche market as those who visit your [name of other person’s Fan Page]. And that’s why I think my [number] Facebook Fans would enjoy learning about your Fan Page.In other words, I’d like to help you grow your fans by spreading the word about your Fan Page. Here’s how:

I’ll post about your Page on my Facebook wall, which will reach up to [number] Fans.
I’ll tell my [number] email subscribers about your Page.
I’ll blog about your Page to my [number] unique daily visitors.

So what’s the catch?All I ask is that you post about my Fan Page on your Facebook Wall. That’s it – just one post. And in exchange, you’ll get the opportunity to reach up to [number] of my fans and subscribers.If this sounds like good idea (and I’m sure it does), then just hit reply right now and let me know when you’d like me to promote your Page.I look forward to hearing from you![Your Name ]------------------------------The above is just an example. Ideally, you should custom-tailor each email you send so that they’re more personal. And, of course, the benefits you offer will depend on the prospective partner. Example: The above email would offer a good deal if your prospective partner has a considerably larger Facebook fan base then you. The idea being that all your partner has to do is post about you on his or her Wall, while you’ll promote this person multiple ways.

8. Comment on Other Peoples’ Fan Pages

Of course you don’t have to be someone’s partner in order to leverage their traffic sources. Just as you interact on forums and blogs, likewise you can interact on other peoples’ Fan Pages in order to get people clicking through to your site.Note: See the tip in the previous section for instructions on how to find Facebook Fan Pages in your niche.Once again, the key here is to become a contributing, valuable member of the community. Don’t post drivel just to get seen. Instead, post thoughtfully and add to the conversations.Secondly, be sure that you’re adding to the ONGOING conversations, specifically those started by the administrator/owner of the Facebook Fan Page. That’s because many Facebook readers get their news from a Fan Page directly through their news feeds. This means that they are NOT going directly to the Fan Page. Thus the only comments they’ll see from you are those where you’re replying to a post from the admin.In other words, it’s usually not as productive to post your own comments on someone else’s Wall, simply because your friends/fans are the only ones who’ll see these comments. Very few other people will see your comments.

9. Joining Facebook Groups

Commenting on related Facebook Fan Pages is a good and targeted way of reaching out to your target market. Another way to find members of your target market directly on Facebook is by joining relevant Facebook Groups.Tip: Naturally, you can start your own Facebook group! Just be sure to name your group using your broad keywords (like “dog training”) so that it shows up in the search results.To find these groups, enter your broad keywords in the search box on the upper left side of Facebook and click on the magnifying glass to search. When you get to the next page, narrow your results by clicking on the “Groups” option.You’ll then see a list of relevant groups, with two options:

Closed Group. You need to request permission to join the group.
Open Group. Anyone can join the group at any time.

You can join either closed or open groups (although you may not be accepted into all the closed groups you attempt to join).Primarily, you’re looking for groups with a lot of active members. A quick look at the search results will tell you how many members there are. A quick look at the group itself (if it’s open) will tell you how active these members are.Same rules apply here as with the other communities we’ve been talking about. Namely, you’ll naturally get more people clicking on your avatar and clicking your links if you focus on developing a good reputation. Refer back to the section on driving traffic using forums and blogs for more information about how to build a good reputation.

10. Create a Facebook App

This is a bit of an advanced strategy. However, you can create a Facebook app as a means of engaging existing users while attracting new users. And then you can link your app back to your Facebook Fan Page (as well as your website itself) to grow your Fan base.There are a variety of apps on Facebook, including utility apps, calculators, search apps, calendar apps and the very popular game apps. To see what I mean, just log into your Facebook page and click on “Apps” on the left side of your screen. You can then sort through the most popular apps, the newest apps, and those apps that your friends are using.If you have knowledge of a programming language, then you can learn about creating your own apps by starting here:http://developers.facebook.com/docs/guides/canvas/Otherwise, if you’re not a programmer, then you’ll need to start by finding yourself a competent programmer.For this, I suggest you go to a freelancing site, such as Elance.com or vWorker.com. Be sure to choose a programmer who has plenty of experience creating Facebook apps. You’re also looking for someone with a good history, so be sure to check their onsite feedback rating.

11. Develop a Mobile App

Here’s another advanced strategy, but nonetheless a good one to help you find new Fans while engaging existing fans. The idea here is that you link your app to your Facebook Fan Page, so that users can reach you on their mobile phones with just a click.If you already developed a Facebook app, then you can convert this same app into a mobile app. Or vice versa, of course: if you already have a mobile app, then you can create a complimentary Facebook app. For example, if you have a game app for Facebook, then you can create one for the iPhone, Android or other smartphone.The key here is to encourage your mobile users to come to your Fan Page and start interacting. That means that your app must create a call to action and offer a good reason for your app users to become fans.------------------------------“Like” the [name of Page] Facebook Fan Page now so you don’t miss out on [secrets, tips, or other information that’s highly relevant to the app they’re using]. Click here to get started...------------------------------Example #1: Let’s say you have a game app. You can offer “cheats” and “tricks” to those who become Facebook fans.Example #2: If you have a utility app, you can offer additional resources to your Facebook Fan Page fans.Example #3: If you have a weight loss app (such as a calorie counter), then anyone who joins your Facebook Page can get access to additional resources, such as a dining-out guide.Again, you’ll need to find a programmer if you’re not a programmer yourself.You can search Google for the type of developer/programmer you need, such as “iPhone apps developer.” Or you can go to elance.com or vworker.com. But again, make sure you do your due diligence in order to find a professional, experience apps developer.

12. Encourage Fans to Tag Photos

This is a great little technique if your business involves doing live events. That’s because you can take tons of photos at these events and upload them on your Facebook Fan Page. Then encourage your users to “tag” these photos (e.g., label the people in the photos).The reason this works to attract new Facebook Fans is because whenever a use is tagged in a photo, that user’s friends will see the photo. And your Facebook Fan Page name and link will be next to this photo. Thus the user’s friends can click through to visit your Fan Page.

13. Hold a Facebook Contest

If you’re going to hold a contest, Facebook is a natural place to do it. That’s because Facebook is naturally viral, so you can use this viral platform to hold your own viral contest.The key to holding a viral contest is to do something which naturally engages your fans so that they’re “liking” or, better yet, “sharing” information on your page.Examples:

Hold a contest where fans who share your Facebook Page with their friends automatically get an entry into the contest.
Hold a contest where fans are required to post something on your Wall, such as a video or even a text entry that explains why your product, service or general business totally rocks.

Another way to make the contest even more viral is by holding a contest where your fans are likely to recruit their friends to help them win the contest.There are two ways to do this:

1. Create an individual contest.

The idea here is that you ask your fans to send in entries, such as videos or photos. Then the other fans “vote” on the best entry by clicking “like” on their favorite entry.Example: If you have a dog-related site, you might hold a “cutest puppy” contest. Users submit their cute puppy photos, you upload them to a special contest folder, and then people can start voting by clicking on the “like” button.The reason this works to bring in new fans is because those who’ve entered the contest will naturally ask their friends and colleagues to join your Facebook Fan Page and then “vote” on their photo. And you’ll get fans if you set it up so that only those who “like” your page can vote on it.Naturally, not everyone who joins your Facebook Page is going to be a true fan. However, you are bound to pick up a few new fans this way.Either way, one advantage is that you’re going to get the boon of “social proof.” When prospective fans see all your existing fans, they’re going to join your Fan Page just to see why so many others have already joined.This is businesses like McDonald’s restaurants advertise how many customers they have or products they’ve sold (e.g., “Over one billion burgers...”). People like to do what others are doing. That’s social proof.

2. Create an “everyone wins” contest.

Here the idea is to create a contest where your fans must work together so that everyone wins a prize. One of the most popular ways to do this is to set a goal and a deadline for getting X number of new fans. And if the goal is met on or before the deadline, then all fans get a prize.Example: Let’s suppose you currently have 1000 fans. And let’s say you decide you want to triple that number in three weeks time. So you tell your existing fans that if they help you get 3000 fans within three weeks, that everyone will win a prize.The key here (or with any Facebook contest) is to offer something very desirable to your fans. Because the more desirable your prize, the more motivated your fans will be to win.If you sell digital products, then you can offer a free product as a prize. This is especially desirable if you’re offering a product that’s currently for sale.Example: If you sell an ebook for $47, you can offer it for free to all fans if your goal and deadline are met. However, you may want to set a time limit on this freebie, such as it being available for just 48 hours after the contest ends.If you can’t offer a freebie, then you can offer a very good discount for all your fans.Example: Namecheap.com (a domain registrar) ran this sort of contest. Their goal was to get an additional 10,000 Facebook likes. And if they met this goal, then everyone would get a domain for just $1.99 (which is a steep discount off the regular prices that run from $9 to $10). Naturally, everyone who wanted a cheap domain told their friends to “like” the NameCheap Fan Page.I’ve seen this used successfully on a local level, too.Example: One small-town bar and grill offered steeply discounted appetizers on a particular evening IF their customers helped them reach 1000 likes on their new Facebook page. It worked. The bar and grill got new fans AND new customers, while the customers (both existing and new) got to enjoy cheap appetizers.You’ll note above that I mentioned choosing desirable prizes. Indeed, as in the examples above, these should be prizes that are directly relevant to your niche. Offering free products or discounts on products is best.You see, you might be tempted to offer prizes such as cash. However, if you offer cash then you’re going to attract people who are NOT interested in your niche at all. So, again, you can help avoid this problem by offering prizes such as steep discounts on your products.

14. Invite Fans to Join Via SMS

If you already have at least 25 fans, and if you’re prospective fans have a mobile phone linked to their existing Facebook accounts, then they can text from their phones to join your Facebook Page.First, they need to text to: 32665. (Note that this spells “FBOOK,” so it’s easy to remember.)Then they need to text the phrase: like yourfanpagenameNote: Naturally, they need to replace t=”yourfanpagename” with the actual name of your Fan Page.You can advertise this way of joining your Fan Page everywhere that you advertise your Page, such as in your emails, on your blog, your forum signature file and even your offline ads. This is also a great way to advertise your page when you’re doing it verbally.Example:

In a radio advertisement.
During an audio interview (such as teleseminar or even on talk radio).
From a stage when you’re delivering a live presentation.
When you’re talking to someone face to face, such as someone you meet at a party or in line at the grocery store.

15. Upload a YouTube Video

Just as you should cross-promote your Twitter and Facebook accounts, you can also cross-promote your YouTube and Facebook accounts.This works particularly well because it’s easy to post Facebook videos on YouTube, and just as easy to create a call to action inside your YouTube videos to direct people to your Facebook Page.Now, this works especially well if you create a viral video. This is a video that’s unique enough, entertaining enough or so useful that people are naturally inclined to share it with their friends. Examples:

If you have site about cats, then post a video of kittens and cats doing cute things. (If you’ve spent any time on Facebook, then you already know that cute cat videos are popular!)
If you’re catering to online marketers, then post something that they’ve never seen before – some traffic tip or secret that will blow their mind.

Naturally, at the end of your video you need to create a call to action, which is where you give your viewers a good reason to go to your Facebook Fan Page.Again, just in the examples I’ve given you repeatedly throughout this report, you can offer free reports, secrets, discounts, contests and more – whatever you think your prospects are likely to find as a desirable reason to join your Fan Page.Now, you can’t just post a YouTube.com video and expect it to take off immediately. A viral video needs a little push. So here’s how to give it that push...

Use Good Keywords

Earlier I told you how to use a tool like WordTracker.com or MarketSamurai.com to find out what your market is already inputting into Google and other search engines. You can use those same instructions here, and then include those keywords in the title and description of your video as well as in the tags.Tip: Take a moment and look at similar videos on YouTube.com. So, for example, if you made a funny cat video, then search for other funny cat videos that are popular. Check these pages and use some of the same keywords. That way, when their video plays, yours is likely to show up in the sidebar as a related video.

Post a Good Thumbnail

Sometimes people decide whether to watch a video or not based on the thumbnail picture. So make sure you choose a good frame for your thumbnail (usually you get a choice of the first, middle or last frame of your video). You want it to be something relevant. And yet it should also be something eye-catching.Tip: It’s important that you choose something relevant. You’ll often see people do things like include photos of scantily clad women in their video just so they can use it as a thumbnail. However, this is misleading. So don’t do it. Stick with an actual frame from your video, something your niche audience would notice. (E.G., Like a cute photo of a kitten for a cute-cat video.)

Kick Start the Viral Effect

Once you’ve uploaded your video, then your next step is to advertise it as widely as possible. Because the more people who see it right away, the bigger the initial viral effect. Here’s how to advertise it:

Post it on your Facebook Wall (and encourage your users to share it).
Tweet about it (and encourage your users to re-tweet).
Blog about it.
Tell your newsletter subscribers about it.
Include it in your forum signature files.
Ask your joint venture partners to tell their fans, visitors and subscribers about it.

16. Buy Facebook Ads

Facebook has two ways for you to advertise on their site:

Pay per click (PPC, also called CPC or cost per click). This is just like Google AdWords and other pay per click platforms, where you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Generally, you “bid” on a keyword. The higher your bid, the more favorable your position in the list of ads running along the Facebook sidebar. If someone clicks on your ad, then you pay an amount up to your bid.Example: If you bid 25 cents to have your ad appear on pages where the keyword appears, then you’ll pay up to 25 cents for every click.
CPM (cost per impression). This is the alternative, where you pay a flat rate to have your ad displayed a set number of times (such as 10,000 times) to a targeted audience.

Which is the best option for you?You’re going to want to test it. If you tend to get a lot of clicks, then you might find that the CPM option is more cost-effective for you. If, however, you find that you get fewer clicks but that the traffic is very targeted, than you may find the PPC/CPC option is more cost effective. You’ll need to test to see which works for you.Either way, the key is to create an ad that compels people to click on your ad. This includes:

A relevant, eye-catching photo. Again, make it something that would attract your target market.Example: If your site is about dogs, then post a picture of a dog. But not just any dog. Post an extraordinarily cute dog. Or be different and post an extraordinarily ugly dog.
A call to action so that people click through.Example: “Enter the free contest now!” or “Click like now to stop animal cruelty.”

Tip: YES! Of course you can take your good ads and test them over at Google AdWords. And likewise, you can take the ads that work well on Google AdWords and test to see if they work on Facebook, too.

17. Send Out a Press Release

If you can find something newsworthy about your business (and you should be able to), then you can write a press release about it and distribute it locally as well as by using services like PRWeb.com.Let me give you a few examples:

You can write a press release to announce a contest.
You can write a press release announcing how your business is supporting a local charity.
You can write a press release to announce if you’re just opening a business or if you’ve added a new and unusual product to your product line.
You can write a press release that’s related to some other news.Example: If you have a weight loss site, you might create a press release to talk about new findings in the field (such as whether caffeine helps or hinders weight loss).

No matter what you write about, remember that your press release is about NEWS. It is not promotional. And it’s not written a hyped-up, promotional way. Instead, it’s written like a news article.If you’re wondering how to write a press release, then the very best thing you can do is study successful press releases. This means viewing the archives of those newspapers where you’d like to submit your release. Do two things:

Take note of the tone and style of the releases and other articles. Generally, the first article briefly gives the who, what, where, when and how of the news story. The rest of the release then elaborates on these initial facts.
Take note of how the writer incorporates the business name or link into the article.Example: “Jimmy D. Brown, founder of the iBusiness Owner Facebook Fan Page, says that more and more people are building businesses online.”

Finally, model your own release after these successful press releases. Don’t copy! Instead, just use them for inspiration in terms of the above two factors.

Conclusion

As you just discovered, it’s not difficult to get Facebook Fans. However, you need to be willing to advertise your Facebook Fan Page in multiple ways, including:

Blogging about it
Using video marketing.
Getting joint venture partners.
Commenting on other peoples’ blogs.
Joining forum communities

And a dozen other proven ways to get more Facebook fans!Now, what I’d ask is that you don’t just “cherry pick” your way through these 17 methods. In other words, don’t just use the ones that look good to you.Instead, I urge you to use at least 85% to 90% of these methods.Because the fact is, the more of these methods you employ, the faster your Facebook Page will grow.So start at #1 right now and start working your way through the list over the next few weeks. I think you’ll enjoy watching your Facebook Fan base explode!

Lesson 1: 17 Ways to Get More Facebook Fans As A Blogger