With tight budgets and a competition for attention, it can be hard to grow your following on social media. And everyone would love a few extra followers, right?
This list includes 10 things to think about if you’re wanting to increase the return of your organic social media marketing efforts.
One thing before we start, though. Remember it’s about quality over quantity when it comes to followers. It’s better to have 10,000 ideal customers who are ready-to-purchase than have 1,000,000 followers with absolutely no intention to buy.
With that in mind, here they are
10 things to think about if you want to grow your following organically
1 / Be where your audience is
As with anything, you want value for money. So, make sure that the time and resources you are putting into your marketing are reaching your audience where they hang out.
This is probably going to be more than one social media channel but if you can prioritise your efforts, you’re more likely to see a return on your investment.
2 / Update your profile
Think of your profile as a landing page. Make sure it’s up to date, clearly communicates your messaging and is visually appealing.
It is there to do a job and that job is to convert profile visitors into followers. So, make sure you’re not letting followers slip through your fingers.
3 / Have clear brand messaging
Brand messaging is a huge topic but we’re just going to give you two things to think about today.
First up, what are the messages you want to get across to consumers?
The other part is thinking about how you communicate that – tone of voice, content style, visuals etc.
Once you have these in place, it becomes easier for your audience to decide whether they align themselves with your brand. For those that do, they’re more likely to follow you.
4 / Talk about your values
Similar to point 3, if you’re clear on what your brand values are, then it becomes easier for potential followers to align themselves with your brand.
Brands that people can identify with, especially from a values point of view, are more likely to generate more followers.
5 / Implement a cohesive content strategy
Don’t see social media as a standalone tactic. Make sure that it is tied into everything else that you’re doing.
This is important because you don’t want to confuse your audience. If you’re communicating different messages on different platforms, people who see you in multiple places might not takeaway what you want them to.
Also, if you have a cohesive strategy, it’s easier to identify moments where you can drive traffic from one channel to another.
6 / Bring value to people
Of all the tips, this is probably the most effective.
We’ve spoken about selling less on social media and it’s so true. People don’t go on social media to be sold to, they go their to fill their time. So, if you can bring value to their feed, they’re more likely to give you the time of day.
If you do this well, you should see sustained, consistent growth.
7 / Give people a reason to share your content
To some extent, getting new followers is a numbers game.
The more of your target audience who see your stuff, the more likely they are to follow you. And the simplest way to get more people seeing your posts organically is by making shareable content.
Whether it’s an emotive message, something thoroughly entertaining or a simple request to share, think about how you can get your content in front of more people.
8 / Generate a conversation
Another way that you can get more people to see your post is by generating a conversation. With more comments, your post will rank better in the algorithm.
One way people do this is by saying something controversial. Now, you need to make sure this aligns with your brand messaging. But, by saying something people will disagree with, it’s likely to get people commenting.
9 / Engage with your community
Once you’ve got people engaging with your content or sending you messages, make sure you respond to them and engage with their content.
By doing this, you’ll create a stronger relationship with that person which means they’re more likely to engage in the future and recommend you to other people.
10 / Comment on other brand’s posts
We recently shared a full blog post on this. But a quick recap...
By commenting on other posts, you’re achieving two things. You’re forming stronger relationships with that person and their audience. And, you’re reaching more people by piggybacking on the performance of their post.
Wrapping Up
These 10 tips can probably be broken down into 3 sections which all work in tandem.
First up, clarify your message and identity. Make sure everything aligns and makes sense.
Next, create good content. Stuff that people want to interact with.
Finally, become a part of your community. Make sure your brand is synonymous with the space.
There is no magic key that will unlock the full potential of your brand on social media. If there was, everyone would be doing it!