Social media can sometimes feel like that sport you never were good at in P.E. class—no matter how hard you tried to spike that volleyball or get picked first, you somehow always managed to either look ridiculous or get completely ignored.
Stay laser-focused. It’s less about skill and more about patience.
Effectively growing your social media presence isn’t rocket science, but it does take a certain level of commitment and effort that most people aren’t willing to put forth. You can’t simply post a photo with a quippy caption and a bunch of hashtags every 3 weeks and expect to get outstanding interaction. Ads and hashtags are great, but only if you are using them strategically and pairing them with relevant, quality content. You are not a celebrity or a politician with built-in followers; you are a business, trying to seize the attention of an audience that has a shorter attention span than a goldfish.
Use a social media checklist to help you stay on target.
In order to effectively boost your social media following, you should:
- Post regularly and often, but not too often. You want your followers to remember you exist, but you don’t want them to groan on your fifth post that week and “snooze” you for 30 days…which they can do, thanks to Facebook’s hyper-customization options.
- Stay relevant. Stay professional. Posting a random video that is totally unrelated to your brand communicates to your followers that you are unfocused, unprofessional, and starved for attention. You may think you’re being personal, but you can’t treat them like that friend you tag in everything you see that is amusing. They are your followers, clients, and associates. Treat your slot in their feed with respect by posting content that is both relevant to your brand and worthwhile.
- Be inspiring yet humble. If you don’t know the difference between being captivating and being narcissistic, get someone else to handle your social media for you. Your followers want to see confidence, not self-absorption.
- Conversation trumps monologue. Polls, “post a GIF” posts, and questions are all great ways to make the conversation two-sided. We say this all the time: invite your followers in! Believe it or not, your followers want a voice. And seeing as they are the driving force behind your social media in the first place, it would be nice if you gave them the platform whenever it makes sense to do so.
Link arms with a team of marketing experts.
There are countless other ways you can boost your social media following that take more experience and skill. Getting someone who knows what they are doing to fill in the gaps is one of them. Having the support of a professional can make marketing your brand much less intimidating. Ready to learn more about enhancing your social media presence? Let’s get started!