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11 Proven Tips To Get More Social Media Followers

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11 Proven Tips To Get More Social Media Followers

If you’re serious about growing your social media following, you’ve come to the right place.

In 2020, over 3.6 billion people worldwide were using social media, with that number projected to increase to nearly 4.41 billion by 2025.

That’s a lot of potential consumers to reach.

Your following can not only impact the decision of people trying to decide whether or not to follow you, but also social media influencers and other businesses who might be willing to collaborate if you have a strong enough following to make the endeavor worthwhile.

Curating a large following can benefit you and your business even beyond the constraints of any given social media platform. In fact, social sharing sites can help to boost SEO and drive traffic directly to your website.

Seems like a worthwhile investment, right?

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These tips are not listed in any particular order. They’re all important, but you may find that certain methods make more sense for your brand and business model.

1. Build A Strong Brand Identity

Whether it’s a certified business or a personal brand, you should still have a cohesive brand identity. This goes far beyond simply slapping a logo into your profile picture and calling it a day.

Your brand’s identity should emanate through every post. Decide on your predominant color scheme, filters, graphic designs, tone, etc. Everything you post and comment on should be a reflection of your brand’s voice. People are drawn to brands that have an identity.

Take, for example, Splat Hair Dye. Since this brand is all about color, it’s no surprise that bright, vibrant colors would be a critical part of their branding.

The unicorn and rainbow emoji in their bio immediately tell you they have a fun, whimsical voice.

And although they rely largely on user-generated content (we’ll get to that point in a minute), the images featured on their Instagram page still feel cohesive to the overall branding.

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They also have a link directly to the main website in their bio and created a unique hashtag to encourage engagement (another point we’ll visit shortly).

What is your brand’s voice?

Is it fun and colorful with an upbeat, casual tone? Or is it more serious with a muted color scheme?

Once you make those foundational marketing decisions, you’ll be able to start building a brand that people will recognize.

2. Follow Relevant Accounts

Just like any healthy relationship, there has to be give and take – meaning you’ll gain followers if you’re a follower yourself.

That doesn’t mean an instant follow-back for anyone who likes your account. Think of it more like networking.

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Who is posting great content that inspires you? Who might be an influential brand advocate you could partner with down the road?

Some ideas to find relevant accounts you can follow:

  • Groups and Communities: Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, and other networks allow you to easily find and join groups. While this is a great tool for content ideas and finding new accounts to follow, contributing to these groups can also be a fantastic way to gain exposure for your brand.
  • See Who Influencers Are Following: Especially pay attention to influencers who have a positive follow-to-following ratio, meaning they have a lot of followers but are selective about those they choose to follow back. The people they follow are likely to be high quality.
  • “Best People to Follow” Lists: These lists are published online for various industries and areas of interest. While they can be great resources, they aren’t always carefully curated, so use caution and vet these potential influencers before you follow them. (Example: Top SEO Experts to Follow)

3. Actively Engage With Your Followers

If you’re on a date and you spend the entire dinner talking about yourself without giving your partner a chance to get a single word into the conversation, chances are you won’t be having a second date.

The same principle applies to social media.

Instead of treating your social media platforms as nonstop advertising campaigns, invite connections and conversations. Reply to comments on your posts and encourage genuine discussions.

4. Post Share-Worthy Content

If people are going to follow you, they expect you to post content that excites and engages. Followers should want to reshare your posts!

Some of the post types that earn frequent shares include:

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Opinions

While it’s risky to express a strong opinion about an issue, it can gain a lot of engagement. Just be sure you back up any claims with evidence to support your case, and tread lightly on sensitive issues that might backfire and negatively affect your brand.

Trends

You should be on top of your industry’s trends and forecasts, and if you can be a reliable source of what’s current, you’ll become a go-to for updates.

News

Delivering breaking news stories is one of the best ways to stay relevant, but it does require some serious time and dedication to stay one step ahead and consistently be one of the first sources to cover the story.

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Data

Whether you’re verifying or challenging somebody’s argument, people respond to data. Creating citable data is great for both social media shares and SEO.

Cute/Humorous Content

There’s no denying it – cute and funny rake in reactions. People love animals, babies, kids, humor, insightful quotes, and anything else that brings a smile to someone’s face.

Think of creative ways to incorporate this type of subject matter into your brand while staying aligned with your established tone.

5. Create A Calendar To Schedule Strategically

The key is to strike a balance between posting frequently enough to stay relevant but not posting so much that you’re spamming newsfeeds and becoming a nuisance.

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In addition to planning out your social media calendar, consider investing in tools that will allow you to schedule posts ahead of time – preferably in a single dashboard, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to post on time.

6. Cross-Market Across Your Other Social And Marketing Platforms

Are you utilizing every opportunity to connect your audiences? At the very least, your website and newsletter should have links to your social platforms.

You might also consider promoting awareness of one platform on another. For example, a tweet encouraging people to follow and use a special hashtag you created on Instagram for an event.

7. Choose Targeted Hashtags

Hashtags can be a great way for new followers to discover you, but try to focus more on specific hashtags and less on generic ones that are inundated with too much competition.

For example, #love has more than two billion photos connected to it on Instagram. Your post is going to be buried immediately.

Make sure your hashtags are more targeted so they’re actually working in your favor. You can search for hashtags being used in relevant posts or try a tool such as Hashtagify to get analytical data and alternative suggestions.

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In this example, adding another word to “love” to make it more specific (#lovegardening) is a much more feasible hashtag to target.

You can also create your own brand-specific hashtags, like Splat did with #splatsquad, to encourage their followers to share photos. This is a great way to bring in user-generated content.

Hashtag search on InstagramScreenshot from Instagram.com, September 2021

8. Seek Out Press Features, Interviews, And Speaking Opportunities

Having a notable presence in the real world can make a big impact on your followers in the digital world.

Every presentation is an opportunity to reach someone who might like what you had to say and then actively seek your social account to hear more.

These types of thought leadership opportunities can be a great way to build links to your website, too.

9. Build Partnership Campaigns With Companies And Brand Advocates

Joint content campaigns between non-competing companies can generate fantastic exposure.

And the best part? You have the potential to tap into a brand-new audience. An ideal partnership will mutually benefit both brands by allowing each to gain new followers and overall exposure from the other.

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Influencers and brand advocates are another huge opportunity. User-generated content, especially from partnerships with prominent influencers, can generate high engagement. Contests, drawings, and affiliate flash sales are also popular.

10. Utilize Analytical Data To Tailor Your Strategy

Understanding the performance of your content can help you make better strategic choices.

This can include which type of post is performing best with your current audience, what time of day translates to the most views, what demographics you’re primarily reaching, et cetera.

Don’t ignore this data! It can provide valuable insight into what you’re doing right and where you could use improvement.

Many platforms offer their own analytics tools, but you can also invest in free or paid third-party tools such as Sprout, Hootsuite, Buffer, Later, and many more options.

11. Loop Your Customer Service Team Into The Plan

An active social media account inevitably invites customer complaints.

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In 2017, only 12% of customers with complaints reached out via email, live chat, and social media, but that percentage rose to 43% in 2020, according to the Wall Street Journal. And of those unhappy customers, 55% who reached out on social media never received a response.

Because these negative comments are being posted on a public forum, your reply is going to be under close scrutiny. Potential customers will be watching to see how you take care of your existing customers.

It’s a good idea to loop your customer service team into your social media plan, either by coordinating with them to stay informed on company policies and resolutions or by plugging your Customer Experience team into the fold so they can reply directly to unhappy customers.

Cultivating A Strong Community Of Organic Followers

Remember, growing followers organically is a time-consuming endeavor. If you find a “hack” that promises staggering results overnight, it’s likely a scam.

Fake followers aren’t going to benefit your brand in the long run. Social media platforms have become adept at identifying bots and fake accounts and then purging them, meaning you’ve wasted your money and have nothing to show for it.

Even worse, fake followers who don’t interact with your content can hurt your brand’s credibility when real people are looking at your account.

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The purpose of gaining followers is to increase ROI and create genuine buzz about your business or products that results in people sharing, discussing, shopping, and engaging with your brand.

Fake followers won’t accomplish any of those goals.

You’re running a marathon, not a sprint. Put in the time and effort and it will pay off.


Image by Alexander Bahena

Searchenginejournal.com

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.

The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.

According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.

Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.

Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.

The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.

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This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.

Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.

As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?

Only time will tell.

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.

When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.

“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.

Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.

“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.” 

“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.

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“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.

Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.

As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.

That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.

Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.

That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.

Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.

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Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.

We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.

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