The Viral Factor
The viral factor is this: content.
Having engaging, likable content is the single, most important element to really differentiate your page from the others out there.
And if you are afraid you can't come up with this kind of content, don't worry: I have the exact strategy for you to make this work!
Pictures are the much more likely to get "likes" and comments - so naturally the News Feed algorithm encourages photos and favors them.
So here's what I usually do:
Post 5 times a day once you get your first 300 fans. Don't stop promoting at this point though; keep the ads running and the free efforts constant. It's still crucial to get as many fans as possible through as many methods as possible.
Out of these 5 posts, 3 are photos that have a short description, followed by a text that encourages traffic back to your page.
So for a photo like this one:
The text should be: "what do you think of the new Microsoft Logo?
More at @Microsoft Fans"
That's how 3 out of the 5 posts should be. The fourth photo should encourage interaction and get viral. Here's an example to better illustrate:
The text that would accompany such a photo could be: "Like if you are an Apple fan, share if you are a Windows user"
Or something along those lines, it could be anything, a yes or no, a game, whatever. You get the drill.
You can also encourage comments by asking questions. For instance:
"What was your most favorite version of Windows?"
The fifth and final post should be a photo taken from one of your articles (on your website) + a link back to it, or just a text describing some interesting bit from the article + the link.
You can also use this fifth post as a monetization technique that we'll discuss in a later chapter.