Having a social media presence wasn’t always a must because not everyone used it. However, since 2009 to 2019, the percentage of American adults using social media has risen from 26% to 72%! Almost 3 out of 4 people are now on social media. Due to the pandemic in 2020, the potential audience grew even larger.
But being on social media isn’t enough—you need followers to interact. So how do you gain more fans? The following strategies will help you start building your online network.
1. Learn More About Your Audience
Conversations flow easily when talking to an old friend. You know their names and how to reach them. But getting comfortable with a stranger isn’t easy. This scenario is almost like that on social media as well. To start a meaningful conversation, you must first understand your audience.
Experiment with various ways of interacting with your audience. Post a photo of yourself doing what you love and ask them to do the same. People love to talk about their hobbies, and the more you share, the more likely they are to follow you.
2. Maintain a Routine
You need a strategy to grow your followers over time. By planning ahead of time, you can incorporate seasonal themes and promotions into your content.
Consistent content posting keeps your audience engaged and top of mind.
3. Prioritize Shareable Content
Finding and creating content that informs or entertains your audience becomes easier as you learn more about them. Your followers are more likely to share your content with their friends, family, and colleagues if they like it.
Always put the audience first. Self-promotion has its place, but going overboard will lose you followers. In fact, according to a survey by Fractl and BuzzStream, 44% of social media users would unfollow a brand that over-promoted.
Keep your content selections current. Talking about New Year’s resolutions in September is illogical.
Share and retweet interesting content, but not exclusively. Original content, unique insights, and expert status in your field.
Use social media etiquette when posting. Not all Facebook rules apply to LinkedIn.
4. Start Building Relationships, Not Scores
Engage your audience to build relationships and brand loyalty. Answer questions, complaints, etc. Listen to others, try to understand their viewpoints, and make thoughtful comments.
It’s difficult to prioritize authenticity over quantity, but it’s worth it. The right number of followers for you may not be the same for others, and that is not the goal. Rather, strive to be a thought leader and knowledge source for your industry, locality, or both.
5. Give them more than words
Visual content is more engaging than text alone. Content with images gets 94% more views than content without images. Videos on social media get 1200x more engagement than text and images combined. After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy. So, do not hesitate to make use of videos and pictures where necessary.