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Why I Won’t Follow You

posted by Alicia in Strategy Stuff

Maybe because you asked. :)

Like me, Follow me, Fan me. You see these types of requests on Twitter and Facebook all the time:

“Please like my fan page”
“Follow me and I’ll follow back”

This smart infographic by Sarah Evans of PRsarahevans.com shows there are a massive 3,346,310 requests for likes and follows a month and tweeters are far more likely to than Facebook users. This begs the question; is the social ‘ask’ overused?

Is The Social Ask Overused

Whether you agree or not, there are better ways to get likes and follows than by asking:

  1. Listen
  2. Be helpful
  3. Post useful stuff
  4. Be nice
  5. Talk to people
  6. Reply and respond
  7. Be interesting
  8. Don’t automate all of your messages

Basically, give people a reason to follow. The more you get involved the more you get back!

OK, it might take more time but there are ways to simplify and organise your use so it doesn’t become a total time suck, and you will have a richer experience. If you take the 8 steps above, you won’t have to ask people to like or follow you, they will come. What’s more, the people who do will love hearing from you, happily spread your message and tell their friends how great you are.

Simple!

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  • 22 June 2011 by Lucy Baker Make-up

    Another really useful tip from you Alicia – I am guilty of the ‘please Like me’ stuff, not any more. I will let you know how I get on…..

    Lucy

    p.s please Like me, haha, it sounds desperate doesn’t it!

    • 23 June 2011 by Alicia

      Hi Lucy

      Don’t get me wrong – I think it’s fine to ask people to like your stuff on Facebook or ask your followers to RT your tweet sometimes – because they already know and like you. (It’s actually a good strategy because we can’t read minds :). If you really want someone to do something, the best bet is to ask them!) I’m talking about the ‘like my page/follow me I’ll follow back’ brigade that aren’t actually offering any long term value and are just in it to increase numbers.

      I hope that helps – Alicia

  • 24 June 2011 by Lucy Baker Make-up

    Thanks Alicia, v helpful x

  • 7 July 2011 by Sarada Chaudhuri

    Hi Alicia,

    Really interesting post – thanks for the 8 tips!

    I definitely agree with tip no. 7 ‘Be interesting’ – Mark Shaw says ‘Be interesting and interested’, which is exactly what you’re referring to here.

    Great stuff!

    Sarada

  • 17 April 2012 by Lia Parkinson

    Hi Alicia

    I am so glad that there is someone else out there that feels that a “follow, like, fan” should not be just because someone ask you to do so, but because you really feel that it is worth following, etc. that person or company.

    Thank you for the 8 tips: they are now on a post-it stuck to the side of my monitor so that I can see them every day.

    Lia

    • 17 April 2012 by Alicia

      Thanks for your comment, Lia. Likes and follows are often taken too lightly and not appreciated. Really glad you like the tips – I hadn’t thought of it before but they are post it size! :)

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