I think I speak for everyone if I say that it’s amazing to have lots of followers on social media. But everyone’s social media growth journey is gonna be different because we all want to offer unique and high-quality content. So, if you focus on followers who are genuinely interested in your brand, products or services, the only way to get them is by earning them organically. In this blog post I’ll share some practices on how to increase your social media following. Enjoy reading!
Actively engage
Be present. Don’t go silent when it comes to engagement. Comment, like, share, follow others and be present in your social media community. Post and answer questions in posts. Not only will you increase your presence but you’ll also develop real relationships with your audience.
Know what’s being said on social media
Listen for mentions of your brand or product and then track, analyze, and respond to those conversations. More broadly you should monitor conversations that are relevant to your industry and the thought leaders who impact it.
Select the best channels to be on
Research and understand the best platforms for your business to spend time on.
- Facebook: sends more website referral traffic than anybody and is geared towards both news and entertainment.
- Twitter: views itself as a news platform and as a social network and is well-suited to brands sharing blog posts or promoting website content.
- Instagram: is highly visual and is not optimal for driving blog or website traffic. It’s best suited for strong visual brands or for brands who want to tell a visual story. It’s also the perfect platform for employer branding!
- LinkedIn: is a professional network used heavily for sharing industry articles and professional content.
See what networks your competitors are on and where they are doing well and use that as an indicator to have a potential audience on that network.
Use hashtags, tags, @mentions and locations
Be sure to add up to 20 hashtags to your Instagram posts so that you’re more discoverable from followers outside of your current community. Also, if you have any relevant tags in your photos, be sure to include them. Another thing to remember is to add a location to your post whenever it makes sense.
Promote your social media
Make it easy to follow or like your profiles. Regularly perk up your Facebook page, Instagram, or Twitter account. Ask your customers to interact with you. Add social media icons to your website; add social feeds to your sidebar. Ask people to follow you on your social platforms at the end of your blog posts. Promote these accounts in your email marketing. Never stop promoting your socials.
Be regular and consistent
Part of social media’s effectiveness is being able to keep your name and message in front of your followers. A post here and there a couple times a week will get lost in the millions of other posts. Try to share content on the same days around the same time. Your community will know your schedule over time and will be curious about what your next posts will be about. Each social media platform has information about what time of day it is best to share content and when the most users are active on the platform.
Create Authentic Shareable Content
One of the best ways to reach a larger group of people is by creating authentic shareable content. For example, on Instagram is shared content one of the best ways to spread your message. Users can share feed posts on their Instagram Stories or through direct messages. Whether it’s talking about the struggles of owning a business, or your step-by-step skincare routine, when you’re open with your audience, your followers sense it.
When you make your followers feel like friends, they may feel a natural pull to share your content with their own community of followers. The simple act of sharing can go a long way for your brand or business — so it’s worth putting an effort into creating (authentic) shareable content.
Lots of love,
Sofie ♡
All About Sofie ♡ 