6 Ways to Say “Thanks” to Your Facebook Fans

Thanksgiving is two weeks away. Even if some of your users don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday season is reason enough to says “thanks.” Plus, most people kinda like freebies and good-hearted gestures. In the spirit of giving, here are six ways your business can say “thanks” to your Facebook fans.

1. Design a Fan-only contest:

First, decide on a prize. iPads are awesome, but it’s better to think more niche. For example, if you’re a yarn company like Jimmy Beans Wool, give away a knitting kit to motivate users to participate in your Facebook giveaway.Remember: When you choose a prize based on your fans’ interests and wants, you can create excitement without having to spend a lot of money.Your giveaway should be simple and entry should be easy. Ask users to sign up for your email newsletter for a chance to win. Or create an interactive photo contest with voting. Have users submit a photo through your giveaway app. The photo with the most votes wins.

2. Don’t leave anyone out:

A fan-only contest is a fun way to get users engaged, but not everyone wins. Create a Facebook app where all your fans can get something. An exclusive fan-only eBook is one way to give back. Another example is Simply Sausage’s free interactive recipe book exclusive to their Facebook fans only.

3. Share a photo:

Design a photo that says “thanks” to your Facebook fans and share it in a status update. Positive posts often receive a lot of engagement and open up the door of communication between your business and your Facebook fans.

Tip: To be sure your post is seen by as many of your Facebook fans as possible, promote your post using Facebook’s promoted posts feature (available only to Pages with 400+ fans) and select your audience to be “people who like your page.” If you have fewer than 400 Page Likes, instead “Pin” or highlight your post.

4. Update your cover photo:

Your Timeline’s largest piece of design real estate is your cover photo. Use your cover photo to say thanks or feature a collage of your fans’ profile pictures. Both Mashable and Mari Smith provide great examples for how to use cover photos as a way to say “thanks” to fans.

Need some help designing your cover photo? Download ShortStack’s Cover Photo Template! This template includes dimensions of the cover photo and your profile photo, and it’s 100 percent customizable. Simply open the file in Photoshop and follow the directions.

5. Run fan-targeted Facebook ads:

To reach Facebook fans that infrequently visit your Facebook Page or don’t often see your Facebook posts in their News Feeds, run Facebook ads that specifically target your entire fanbase. Direct your ads back to a giveaway app you’ve designed or to your Facebook Page where fans view your newly updated cover photo and recent status updates.

6. Remember Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

The day after Thanksgiving is known as the “biggest shopping day of the year. ” Say “thanks” to your Facebook fans by either sharing a downloadable PDF coupon using a Facebook app or creating a Facebook Offer that can be shared among fans and their friends. You can also create a traditional status update notifying users of your Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals.

Note: You can create a Facebook Offer for use in store, online or both. Include a trackable promotion or “redemption” code to easily calculate ROI.In the next couple of weeks does your business plan to say “thanks” to your Facebook fans? If so, tweet us @shorstacklab You may also like this article: 5 Ways to Customize your Facebook Page for the Holidays