With 3.96 billion social users in the world, how hard can it be to get more social media followers?
As it turns out: surprisingly hard! The big downside of such a large pool of potential consumers is that reaching your target audience can be challenging.
Still, this is one of those cases where the juice is worth the squeeze. Having a strong social media presence makes it easier to market your brand. That includes spreading the word about new services and campaigns.
Not sure where to start? Here are our most effective tips for increasing your social media follower count!
Develop a Brand Identity
Having a cohesive brand identity goes far beyond putting a logo on your profile picture. Every post you make on social media is a reflection of your brand. And for most people, this will be their first impression of you.
Your first step should be to figure out your brand’s voice. Is it fun and whimsical with a casual, upbeat tone? Or does it make more sense to adopt a serious, business-like approach aimed at adult audiences?
Once you have a general idea of what your brand should be, create a familiar look for it. Decide on your color scheme, graphic designs, filters, and so on. If you’re on several platforms, use this look on each account.
Engage With Your Followers
Imagine you go on a date and spend the entire night talking about yourself. Meanwhile, your partner can’t get a word in edgewise. What do you think your odds are of getting a second date?
The same principle applies to social media. If you approach it as one big ad campaign, your potential customers will tune out. Instead, engage with your followers by replying to their comments and inviting conversation.
Choose Targeted Hashtags
Using hashtags is a good way to gain followers, but you have to pick the right ones. Generic hashtags have too much competition. For instance, #love has over two billion photos connected to it on Instagram.
If you want hashtags to work in your favor, you’ll need to be more specific. Start by looking at hashtags used in posts relevant to your brand. Tools such as Hashtagify make this process much easier.
For best results, keep your hashtags simple. Not only simple hashtags are easier to understand, but they’re easier for others to use.
Get a Head Start
When people are scrolling their feeds, they’re naturally attracted by activity. The more likes an infographic gets, the more likely people are to check it out. But how do you get those likes with a new social media account?
The easiest solution is to buy those likes. On top of creating engagement for a new post, this method boosts its chances of going viral. For example, that post could end up being the top post for a popular hashtag.
As for how to buy social media likes, that all depends on your platform of choice. For example, here’s an easy way to buy Instagram likes.
Have Solid Customer Service
Having a social media presence invites customer complaints. And since many of these comments get posted on public forums, your reply will be under scrutiny. The solution: show you care for your existing customers.
The best way to do that is to make sure your customer service is aware of your company policies. That’s particularly important if they’re the ones replying to unhappy customers on social media.
Post Interesting Content
This one sounds obvious, but it bears mentioning. If you want a strong social media following, you have to post content that excites them. That will lead to those posts getting shared, helping them get more engagement!
What you post will depend on your brand. For example, cute and funny content tends to rake in reactions, but it won’t work for every brand. Posting industry news, trends, and data can all produce results as well.
As a general rule, it’s best to stay away from opinions about big issues. These posts create a lot of engagement, but can often negatively affect your brand.
Take Advantage of Analytics
Knowing how your content performs helps you make strategic decisions. The more data you have access to, the better. Figure out what time of day translates to more views, which demographics you’re reaching, and so on.
The tools you use to track your social media presence will depend on the platform. Popular choices include HubSpot, BuzzSumo, Hootsuite, and more. Find the tool that gives you the data you care about and go from there.
Follow Relevant Accounts
Social media is a lot like any other relationship: for it to work, there needs to be some give and take. Now, that doesn’t mean you should follow anyone who likes your account. Instead, think of it as a method of networking.
For starters, look for people who can be brand advocates in the future. That includes influencers who have a lot of followers but are picky about who they follow back. The people they do follow tend to be high quality.
Joining groups on your platform of choice can also help you find new accounts to follow. Plus, contributing to these communities increases brand awareness.
Build Partnership Campaigns
Partnership campaigns between non-competing companies can create a lot of exposure. Plus, this gives you another chance to tap into a new audience. An ideal partnership allows both brands to benefit from one another.
If you’re partnering with an influencer, consider what your campaign should entail. For instance, contests and affiliate flash sales are popular choices these days. Again, it all depends on what your brand is trying to do.
That Is How to Get More Social Media Followers
The bottom line: getting social media followers is a marathon, not a sprint. If you want to see consistent results, you’ll need to put in a lot of time and effort. Following this guide is the perfect way to get started!
Interested in more social media tips? Keep checking out our Social Media section for more fresh and unique content!
