Quick Answer
If the author has only had their Facebook account for 1 month or less, it likely means they are a newer user to the platform. This can impact their ability to build an audience and establish credibility in several ways:
- They will have a much smaller network of friends/followers compared to more experienced users.
- They will not have much content posted to demonstrate their interests/expertise.
- They will not have many engagement metrics like reactions and comments to signal an established audience.
However, this does not preclude them from becoming successful, it just requires patience and persistence to organically grow an audience as a newer user. Some strategies that can help include:
- Proactively sending connection requests to build up friends.
- Joining and engaging in Facebook groups related to their interests.
- Frequently posting content to establish their presence and start building engagement.
- Leveraging other platforms to drive followers to their new Facebook account.
- Running promotions and contests to incentivize new followers.
Challenges Faced as a New Facebook User
When someone has only had their Facebook account for a month or less, they will likely face some key challenges as they try to establish themselves on the platform:
Small Network of Connections
One of the most immediate challenges is that they will start out with a very small network of friends/followers on Facebook. When just beginning, they may only have connections from their close personal contacts who they’ve invited to friend them.
This is in stark contrast to more seasoned users who have had years to build up robust networks with hundreds or thousands of connections. A small network makes it difficult to get traction, as there are fewer people to interact with your content when you post.
Lack of Content and Engagement
A new Facebook user won’t have much existing content on their page for others to look through and engage with. This makes it harder to demonstrate areas of expertise and interest that might appeal to potential followers. The lack of content also means they’ll have very little engagement in the form of reactions, comments, and shares.
Low engagement signals to the Facebook algorithm that their content is not resonating with many people yet. This can make it harder for their future posts to be seen by a wide audience.
No Established Credibility
When someone is brand new to Facebook, they have not had time to establish any kind of reputation or credibility on the platform yet. Longer-term users who post frequently and get good engagement build credibility over time. This gives their opinions and perspectives more weight with their audience.
As a new user with no track record, people have little reason to follow or care about their content. Building credibility takes time through consistent posting and engagement with others.
Learning Facebook Best Practices
New Facebook users also face a challenge around learning the nuances of using the platform effectively. Long-time users are very familiar with what content resonates, optimal posting frequency, using hashtags effectively, and leveraging features like Live video.
Fresh users have to learn all of these best practices through trial and error. The lack of experience means less effective content at the beginning as they figure out what works.
Strategies to Overcome Challenges as a New User
While new Facebook users face more challenges, there are some proactive strategies they can use to overcome them:
Accelerating Friend Connections
While organic growth of a friend network takes time, new users can accelerate this in creative ways. They can search Facebook for people with similar interests or professional connections and send requests to those who seem relevant.
Checking “People You May Know” and requesting connections can help grow your network faster. And linking Facebook with contacts from an email account will surface more potential connections.
Engaging in Relevant Facebook Groups
Joining and participating in Facebook Groups related to their interests and goals is a great way to tap into established communities. By commenting and reacting to others’ posts, new users can gain visibility and start networking with potential friends/followers.
Be sure to choose groups thoughtfully and engage consistently without overt self-promotion. Over time, organic followers will come through groups.
Consistency in Posting
While gaining an audience takes patience, new users should be consistent in posting at least 1-2 times per day. This gives people ongoing reasons to engage with their content and helps build habits.
Mix up your content types – links, images, videos, lives streams – to provide variety. Pay attention to metrics on which content gets the best response.
Leveraging Other Platforms
Don’t rely solely on Facebook if just starting out. Promote your new Facebook account and content across other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. This allows you to direct external audiences into your Facebook ecosystem.
Use your other accounts to showcase expertise and interests beyond Facebook itself. Then lead visitors back to your Facebook page through links and mentions.
Running Contests and Promotions
To provide extra incentive for new users to follow your account, consider running contests and promotions like giveaways. These tactics reward people for engaging with your content and builds the perception you have something valuable to offer.
Just be sure the prizes are relevant to your target audience and that any contest rules and disclaimers are clearly communicated.
| Challenge | Strategies to Overcome |
|---|---|
| Small network of connections |
|
| Lack of content and engagement |
|
| No established credibility |
|
| Learning Facebook best practices |
|
Example Growth Timeline for a New Facebook User
Here is one hypothetical example of the growth timeline and milestones a new Facebook user might see in their first few months:
Month 1
- Gather 50 friends/connections
- Post 1-2 times per day across text, links, images
- Average of 5-10 engagement actions (likes, comments, shares) per post
Month 2
- Reach 100 friends/connections
- Join 3 relevant Facebook groups
- Increase engagement to 10-15 actions per post
- Get 50 Page followers
Month 3
- Grow to 200 friends/connections
- Start experimenting with Live videos
- See posts reach 50-100 engagement actions
- Gain 100 Page followers
Month 4
- Expand friend network to 300+
- Create first contest promotion
- Achieve over 100 actions per viral post
- Recruit 250 Page followers
This shows gradual but steady growth in friends, engagement, followers – all by leveraging consistent posting and community interaction. The exact metrics and timeframes will vary dramatically based on audience, content, and effort. But this reflects a reasonable early growth trajectory.
Keys to Long-Term Growth and Success
While new Facebook users face initial challenges, there are some core strategies that can facilitate long-term growth and success:
Consistent Posting Cadence
Commit to a consistent posting schedule – start with 1-2 times per day. This content quantity, more than quality at first, is key to being discovered. Don’t worry about perfection.
Engagement and Interaction
Actively engage with others through commenting, reactions, and sharing. Be a valued member of Facebook communities. This raises visibility more than anything.
Audience Understanding
Take time to research and understand your target audience. Craft content tailored to their needs, interests, and preferences. Aligned content performs much better long-term.
Monitoring Metrics
Pay close attention to the types of content and tactics that generate the most reach and engagement. Double down on what works and adjust what doesn’t.
External Promotion
Don’t rely on Facebook alone. Promote your account and drive followers by showcasing expertise on other channels. Develop diverse referral streams.
Patience and Persistence
Have realistic expectations on growth as a new user. But remain persistent sharing content daily over months and years. This compounding effort is what leads to major success.
While a new Facebook user faces challenges in the beginning, embracing these core strategies positions them for steady, sustainable growth over the long term.
Conclusion
Starting out on Facebook with an account less than one month old presents clear challenges for building an audience and gaining traction. A small friend network, lack of content and engagement, and no credibility make it difficult to get discovered. However, by adopting smart strategies around accelerating connections, joining Facebook groups, cross-promoting other platforms, and running promotions, new users can start to overcome these obstacles.
Posting consistently, monitoring performance metrics, engaging with others’ content, and understanding the target audience will enable sustained success over months and years. Patience and persistence are critical, as the compounding benefits of daily content sharing and community interaction takes time to accrue. But by leveraging these best practices, even the newest Facebook user can chart a path to relevance.