You’ve seen them. Those Instagram accounts with thousands of likes on every photo. Those Facebook posts with hundreds of shares. Not to mention that Twitter account that gets a million retweets. It’s overwhelming. How did they get THAT many followers? What are they doing that’s so different from what I’m doing?
Well, it turns out that these infamous social media accounts have a strategy behind their massive followings. And you can do it too! Today I’m going to share five secrets to gaining a bigger following on your social media accounts.
Optimize Your Images
In order to drive viewers to your pages, it is important to vamp up the appeal of your profile.
We live in a visual society. If a follower doesn’t see something that’s attractive to them at first glance, they will be onto the next profile. That being said, your visuals are crucial to success. If you have a recognizable business logo, use that as your profile picture for brand recognition. Use high quality photos that draw your viewers in, and make sure they’re sized correctly. For example, if you are using a cover photo for Facebook you will want to follow the appropriate dimensions of 851 x 315.
Quality Content
Know what your audience wants to see when they visit your page.
Use the 80/20 rule when it comes to the type of content that you share. This means that 80% of your content should be interesting topics that appeal to the interests your audience, while the other 20% of your content should expose your brand. It’s okay to use humor. Make your followers laugh! This creates a friendlier relationship.
Follow Back & Engage
Be strategic about following other accounts that are related to your industry.
If you run a coffee shop, follow other coffee shops in the area or local roasters. Follow coffee lovers, returning customers, and everyone who follows you—people love to be acknowledged, especially on the Internet. Respond to the comments and questions they leave on your page, and thank them for their likes or retweets. In addition, be sure to engage with the pages you follow. Share their posts, comment on their material, and be a raving fan!
Offer Incentives
Everyone likes the chance to win free stuff! Create incentives for your followers by promoting contests and campaigns.
Not only will this encourage conversations on your feed, but you can also use this method to have your posts shared on your viewers’ personal pages. This will in turn produce more followers for your business and a bigger opportunity to bring people directly to your website. Make it fun, get lots of people involved, and start conversations!
Boost your Page
Expand who your page reaches by promoting posts with advertising dollars.
Promotions and “boosts” on social media allow you to target specific audiences with particular interests, in certain locations, etc. It will also give you the chance to track your engagement to see which messages are truly grabbing others’ attention. This type of social media advertising isn’t free, but if it ultimately attracts people to your services then we say it is money well spent. Plus, if you’re smart and strategic about how you target, you can keep costs down while reaching more people.
There are countless approaches to heighten your business’s popularity through social media. Sage Island uses targeted ads, clever copy, and effective social media promotions to manage and enhance our clients’ online presence and build their communities. To learn more about how we can help you win the Internet’s next popularity contest, drop us a line. In the meantime, go forth and be social.