More than 39 million people in the UK use social media. So as a business owner, this is a great way to reach people.
But today in 2018, social media is a lot different than it was 10 years ago. And it can be hard to know how to keep up.
But don’t let this get you down! We’ve put together this guide all about how to build a social media following.
Check out these 5 foolproof strategies below.
1. Set Some SMART Goals
Before you start trying to grow your social media following, it’s important to think about the bigger picture. Why is your business on social media in the first place?
Is it just because everyone else is doing it? Are you not sure about your reasoning? If this is the case, this is where you need to start.
Let’s begin by setting some goals for your social media activity. If you don’t have a goal in mind, your time spent on social media is pretty useless.
Think about it. It’s like going on a road trip without a final destination in mind. You need to make a plan!
And one of the best ways to make a strong social media plan is by using SMART goals. If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve probably heard of SMART goals before. If not, that’s okay too!
SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. These are the characteristics of a strong goal and you should utilize these concepts in your social media strategy.
When you have a goal, you have something to work towards. Here are some social media SMART goal examples:
- Increase our Instagram followers by 200 this quarter
- Improve our Facebook response rate by 50% this year
- Post on our Twitter account once a day for the next month
All of these goals are clear, achievable, and bound by time. In other words, they follow the SMART framework.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
Sorry to break it to you, but guess what? “Everyone” is not your target audience.
So if you are trying to reach anyone and everyone with your social media posts, you’re making a mistake. And this is true for any marketing campaign.
Instead, you should narrow your focus to try and reach a specific audience group. Here are a few examples:
- Current customers
- Potential customers
- Industry influencers
Also keep in mind that you can try to reach a different audience with your various social media accounts. Snapchat could be for one, while Twitter is for another. But for most companies starting out, it’s best to just choose one audience.
Once you’ve decided who you want to reach, this will give you clarity in every aspect of your social media strategy.
You’ll now have greater direction about your posting schedule, your voice, and which sites you should be active on.
Don’t waste your time or feel lost because you don’t know who your audience is. Instead, take some time and figure this out early on. It will make everything else easier.
3. Make an Editorial Calendar: Another Idea on How to Build a Social Media Following
The most successful brands on social media post on a very consistent basis. And this takes planning!
That’s where an editorial calendar can come in handy. This is a document that you create ahead of time that will help you stay organized with your social media posting.
Having an editorial calendar will also help you to time your posts to achieve maximum engagement. It also helps you see ahead so you can avoid repeat posting the same thing over and over again.
Also look for a software that will automate your posting. These allow you to schedule your posts in advance, making it so you don’t have to be posting every single day inside of your social media accounts.
Instead, you can get it all done in one day and have your accounts ready to go for weeks to come.
For one-on-one digital marketing help, get in touch with our team of experts.
4. Start Building Your Community
Next, it’s time to start growing your online community! A key part of this engaging with content, both your own content and others’.
Think of growing your social media community much like you would grow relationships in real life. You need to interact respectfully and be consistent in your interactions.
Start by engaging with your followers. Here are some ideas:
- Follow them back
- Always respond to comments they leave on your posts
- Like and comment on their posts as well
As far as posting, try to post once a day. On Facebook, more than once a day is considered over-posting. For Instagram, you’re okay to post 3 times daily.
All in all, care about your followers and try to provide a great user experience for them. Remember that the way you treat them on social media reflects your brand image.
5. Focus on Helping More than Selling
Social media is a great way to sell product. In fact, 90% of top performing salespeople report now using social media as part of their strategy.
However, you shouldn’t only use your social media accounts to sell. In fact, this shouldn’t even be your main focus.
Instead, you should focus your social media accounts to be a place where people can ask questions and get helpful information.
Social media is also the perfect place to provide content marketing materials to your audience. Often, these come in the form of ebooks, whitepapers, and blog posts. When this information is genuinely helpful, it’s a win-win for you and your audience because you can gather their contact information and they get valuable content.
Make it a goal to always respond to your followers in a timely manner. They shouldn’t have to wait for hours to hear back from you.
If you notice a lot of people asking the same question, consider creating some marketing materials about that specific topic.
Closing Thoughts
Now that you’ve read about how to build a social media following, what’s next for you? It’s time to get started!
Pick your favorite ones and implement them in your business.
Have more questions? Contact us today.
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