The popularity of social media only continues to grow; as such, it has become an essential avenue for marketing and increasing small business visibility in the online world. But, for your social media efforts to become fruitful, you first need to build a thriving online community. Whether you want to increase your engagement and get more comments and social impressions or looking to reach thousands of followers on social media, here are simple steps to boosting your social media following:

 

Key Takeaway

Social media is a fast and effective way to promote your small business. And if you want to grow your brand using social media, building a highly engaged and organic follower base is a critical step. By following the above tips mentioned above, you can encourage new social followers to follow and engage with your brand.

 

     1. Choose The Right Social Platforms

The first step to boosting your social media following is to choose the right channels. If you still haven’t created a social page for your business, then choosing the right one can impact your success.

With so many social platforms available, you can’t simply create a social account on every platform and be everywhere to market your business all the time. Instead, you want to be where your target audience is.

There are several ways to gather the information you need. You can survey or interview your customers and prospects, spy on your competitors, and check which social platforms they use. Social listening tools can also help you find where discussions in your niche are happening. Or you can also search for niche groups on various platforms.

That said, here are the most common platforms used by small businesses:

 

     a. Instagram

For small businesses that are more on visuals such as photographers, Instagram is the safest bet. It’s also a powerful platform for businesses that use eCommerce, thanks to its shoppable tagging feature.

 

     b. Facebook

A versatile social platform for businesses. You can find almost every kind of business on Facebook.

 

     c. Twitter

Global brands can take advantage of Twitter’s International reach, particularly in product launches and big announcements.

 

     d. YouTube

Considered the second largest search engine, YouTube is a powerful social platform that allows you to increase visibility and establish authority.

 

     e. LinkedIn

LinkedIn connections allow B2Bs, freelancers, and professionals to connect with people in your targeted industries and market to them directly. It can also be used to recruit quality talent to hire for your business.

 

     2. Use The Right Tools

Staying present and active on social media takes dedication and time. Fortunately, there are plenty of social tools available to small businesses.

You can use organic growth tools for Instagram to gradually increase your Instagram following and impressions and gain highly-engaged followers. There are also automation tools that save you time in planning and scheduling batches of social posts at once.

Regardless of what tools you choose, they should allow ease of monitoring and managing of your social networks and increase social engagement and following.

 

     3. Be Social

Social media requires you to be social to increase your engagement and following. When users are sending you a message or leaving a comment on your post, they’re giving you a chance to engage and talk to them.

When they leave a message or comment—whether positive or negative— your should take the time to respond. Show appreciation for positive comments or messages. Meanwhile, negative ones should be given special attention, providing them resolutions to improve customer satisfaction.

 

     4. Post Valuable And Engaging Content

If you want people to follow you, you need to post exciting and engaging content that will make them follow you. There are various types of content you can share on your social platform. But most of the post types that earn frequent shares and increased following include:

 

     a. Trends And News

You should be on top of your niche’s trends. If you can be a reliable source of current information, you will become the go-to page for updates. In addition, delivering breaking news stories allows you to stay relevant in your specific industry.

 

     b. Opinions

Expressing opinions can be risky, especially if it’s about an issue; however, it also gains a lot of engagement. Just make sure to make evidence-backed claims and tread lightly on more sensitive issues that can backfire and negatively impact your brand.

 

     c. Data

People always respond to data when providing insights or simply citing and sharing industry-related facts and statistics. Creating citable data posts improves SEO and increases social media shares.

 

     d. General, Humorous Content

Most people go to social media to be entertained. And general posts such as funny and cute videos, inspirational quotes, and anything that brings a smile or keeps users entertained.

Just ensure that you think of innovative ways to incorporate this kind of content into your brand and keep it aligned with your established brand tone.

 

     5. Follow And Engage With Relevant Accounts

Give and take build a healthy relationship. It also applies to your social strategy. You can gain followers by being a follower yourself. For this purpose, you can find already existing authoritative Facebook account for sale to engage with your audience.

However, don’t just follow back anyone who likes your page. Think of it as networking. Who can be an influential brand or individual you can partner with in the future? Who’s posting content that inspires you or goes along with your brand?

You can also join social groups where you can participate and engage in discussions that allow you to gain exposure to your brand.

 

     6. Take Advantage Of Hashtags

Hashtags are one of the most essential features of social media. They are one of the most effective ways for boosting your social media following. It allows users to discover your social account and content.

When using hashtags, make sure to use them strategically. Thus, popular and generic hashtags like #photography or #fashion should be used sparingly. These hashtags have millions of posts, leaving your posts lost in a sea of content. Instead, you want to use the business-relevant and targeted hashtags.

Also, don’t overuse your hashtags. The more hashtags you use, the less appealing and more spammy your post becomes.

 

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