Almost every business nowadays makes use of social media, whether they have a presence on every major platform or only have a profile on the big ones but don’t actively interact with their followers. Today, companies and publications can’t afford to ignore social media. However, merely existing isn’t enough; you must create a captivating presence that not only draws in but keeps people interested. Only then will visitors be interested enough in what you have to offer to click the “follow” button.
Of course, in today’s day of intense competition, expanding your social media footprint and expanding your fan base are easier said than done. It’s not easy to be seen in a crowded marketplace, but it is possible with practise and the right approach. The following 25 steps are tried and true methods to increase your social media following immediately.
Know Who You’re Talking To
The first step in expanding your brand’s social media presence is figuring out who you’re trying to reach. Now is the moment to develop buyer personas to better understand your target market. Social media influencers and opinion leaders in your field are two more demographics to keep in mind. Build them some fictional characters too.
Your research for the following several guidelines will be informed by your target audience personas, and those personas will prove useful in the long run.
Firm grasp on your target demographic
you can zero in on the best social media platforms on which to concentrate your efforts in expanding your reach. If, for example, just 0.5% of your target audience uses Pinterest, you’re wasting your time and money if you spend a lot of time and energy marketing on the site.
Remember that your intended audience may vary from social network to social network. It’s possible that one subset of your target demographic (or buyer persona) is more likely to frequent Instagram than Facebook. Twitter and LinkedIn may be better places to reach industry thought leaders and certain types of buyers. There is no silver bullet for marketing, so taking the time to determine who you’re talking to on each channel is well worth it.
Make a Strong Initial Impression
You should update your social media profiles and sites now to increase interaction. Making a profile or page for your brand isn’t enough if you want people to follow you; you have to offer them a reason to remain around, and that starts with a good first impression. Make your profile more engaging by uploading a header picture and a profile photo, and by including details like your brand’s website, address, and a description of your firm. (Read these articles for guidance on selecting the right dimensions for your social media profile pictures: Facebook header, Twitter header, Instagram profile image, and Facebook cover photo.) To increase the likelihood that your brand’s profile will appear in relevant searches, be sure to fill out all of the “about” fields.
Include a link to your website or other social media accounts as well as the hashtags you are currently using for promotions and your brand’s #hashtag in your Instagram and Twitter biographies. Teva’s Instagram page has the #StrapInToFreedom hashtag and the company’s consistent, well-thought-out branding, for instance. Use a bio link generator for Instagram since Instagram only permits one link in your bio. You may share numerous links with your followers from a single landing page you construct using Instagram bio tools. You may tailor the visual style of your landing page to better represent your company with the help of some of these tools.
Figure out when each social media platform is most active and what kind of content they respond to best
Once you know which social media channels to prioritise, you can dive deeper to learn when your target audience is most engaged on those channels. This is the stage where an actual strategy is developed. Conduct in-depth research into the demographics of your target audience on each social media platform you intend to use, as well as the characteristics of content that will appeal to that audience and work within the parameters of each platform’s design. Unlike LinkedIn and even Facebook, Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters, so you can’t share lengthy articles there.
After developing an initial strategy, the next step is to start producing content and testing it thoroughly. That is to say, as you learn more about your target audience on each social media platform, your strategy will adjust accordingly.
Stalk the opposition to learn their weaknesses, strengths, and weaknesses
Investigate the inner workings of your rivals’ social media accounts to see what appeals to their audience and what doesn’t if you have any. Learn how your rivals’ target demographics interact with various forms of content using analytical tools like Facebook’s Audience Insights. Learn from success, then improve upon it.
By examining the offerings of rivals, you might learn what problems or concerns your target market has that aren’t being addressed. One of the best ways to establish your brand as an authority and begin building a dedicated social media following is to offer your audience something they can’t get anywhere else.