10 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING
Fact: your social media marketing strategy is only as effective as the effort you put into it.
If you created a bunch of social media profiles a while ago and haven’t followed up on them since they’re not going to be of much help as-is. It would be unrealistic to expect to drive a lot of traffic towards your website or to find new leads for your company with social media accounts that are never or rarely maintained. Several business owners do just that, then make the assumption that social media isn’t an effective sales tool. Nothing could be further from the truth.
A rewarding social media campaign warrants patience and regular nurturing. Any company, no matter what industry they’re in, can obtain a strong ROI via social media marketing. A methodical plan is the secret to increasing your base of followers, which usually grows over time.
Check out these 10 approaches to increasing your following on social networks.
1. FOLLOW PEOPLE IN YOUR TARGET MARKET: How many followers you would like to have within the next 180 days? Choose an amount, and then work backward to determine how much effort will be required to reach that number. If you don’t have any followers at the moment, follow people in your target market, many of which will follow you back. There are tools that can help you, such as TweetAdder, which will help you find specific people to follow based on specific search criteria and keywords. TweetAdder will automate some of the following process, and ultimately increase the number of followers you have. Social Buzz Club is another tool that you can use to post updates for others to share.
To engage with others, locate tools that simplify the process. Don’t abuse this approach, though. Following too many people too quickly, or posting too much in a short period of time could get your account banned or suspended – moderators might perceive your actions as spamming. Many social media platforms place limits on the number of people you can follow within a set time. Respect those limits in order to adhere to the social network’s terms of service.
In time, as you establish your reputation as an authority within your field, people will naturally follow you based on your growing social presence. They will come to you if you’re active on social media regularly.
2. SHARE CONTENT OF OTHER PEOPLE: This works on just about every social network – when you begin to share the content of others’, they begin to notice you. Focus on smaller players; you’re more inclined to get two-way attention if you share another small business owner’s content, as opposed to a high-profile industry leader with a large, established fan base. Develop a reputation for sharing posts, and it will be reciprocated by others within your field. Don’t forget to share this article too.
3. FOCUS YOUR CONTENT: If one were to look at your Facebook, Google+, Twitter or LinkedIn profile, would they see consistency in your posts? The more you focus on a topic, the more of a target market you’ll allure. If you manage a software business for the HR field, your content should concentrate on subjects that small business owners and HR managers are interested in. Write about management, hiring, training, and scheduling. There are several reasons to do this:
- LinkedIn and Twitter use your content to match you with other users. If you’re targeting HR managers, you’ll be recommended to them.
- When people search for exact keywords, your content should show up. Examine what hashtags you can use to appear in those searches.
- People will associate you with your content, and subsequently, share it and/or follow you.
4. LEVERAGE GOOGLE+: With regards to social media, Google is a monster. Google+ even eclipsed Twitter’s monthly users by about 45 million. Marketers know that they can expand their online presence on Google search results by being active in Google+.
5. REGULARLY UPDATE YOUR CONTENT: The more consistent you are when updating your social networks, the more people will notice your content and eventually follow you. Since you don’t know which posts will catch your audience’s eyes in your feeds, it is crucial that you’re regularly providing valuable links and content. Consistent social media updates will elevate the number of shares you acquire. Be mindful to only post quality content, and not post for the sake of keeping up your numbers. Overwhelming your followers with posts, especially if some of them are fluff, will decrease your following.
6. USE YOUR FACEBOOK PROFILE TO GAIN MORE USERS: Facebook can be difficult in the sense that you can add friends through your personal profile, but not to your business page. However, you can use your personal profile to direct traffic towards your page. Friend individuals that match your target market. After you develop a connection with these people, send them an invitation to your page.
7. MAKE YOUR SOCIAL ICONS STICK OUT ON YOUR WEBSITE: This is the easiest method to obtain more followers, and yet several business owners fail to do it. People anticipate seeing those social icons at the top of a website, so ensure yours are prominent, and that the links point to the corresponding social network. You’ll lose credibility if those social icons point to dead links.
8. INCLUDE YOUR PROFILES IN YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE: Anyone who reads your company newsletter should see the links to your social profiles at the bottom of your message. Likewise, be sure to add links to your profiles in your email signature.
9. JOIN LINKEDIN GROUPS: Groups assist people with common interests. Locate the ones your target market is most active in, and begin providing valuable insight there. If you’re contributing valuable content, people will organically link to you. You can also link to others in order to get their attention and perhaps obtain a reciprocal link in the process.
10. DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS: Locating and developing connections with industry leaders is an ideal approach to hastily extending your brand awareness, reach, and audience. Utilities like WeFollow are perfect to help you find key leaders through keywords. Follow these people and engage with them – develop a connection, and before you know it, they’ll help you accomplish your social media objectives. Be mindful that social media is all about engagement, so don’t hesitate to reach out to people.
Let Us Point You In The Right Direction (After all, we live up to our name!)
Most businesses know that they probably need some sort of social media profile – maybe a Twitter page for their business. Few people, realize the difference between merely existing on Twitter and truly leveraging the power that social media offers.
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