Today, every organization needs to be on social media. You already might have opened accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram and may even be dutifully posting up a storm there. However, despite months of hard work, you have very little to show for it. If you are looking for the fastest ways to get more followers on Instagram or Facebook or, in general wish to improve your social media presence; then read on for some valuable tips and easy ways.
1. Be transparent
And this means treating your followers with respect rather than just thinking of them as numbers. Create a community- a place for people to gather. Humanize your brand and manage its reputation. Resolve crises and solidify relationships through great conversations. Here are some ways to accomplish this:
- Take your CEO to Twitter
- Post videos or photos of your every day workplace
- Read and respond to views and, more importantly act on it.
- Introduce your team
- Solicit feedback
- Communicate with your employees internally through your blog as well as your customers through social media
2. Give them a reason to follow you
There is a lot of competition out there today. So you really need to give your followers things they do not get anywhere else. This is the fastest way to get more followers on social media, be it Instagram or Facebook. You can post relevant videos, blogs and images to get them interested. Update your social media pages daily or weekly. You can also use Hootsuite (social media management dashboard)and other similar tools to schedule posts.
3. Keep an eye on competition and other pages you follow
This is a great way of getting much needed inspiration in case you are stuck on what to post on your social media. Take a good look at the pages you personally follow on different platforms. What is it that you like about them? Could you also do the same without copying them blatantly?
4. Avoid over-sharing
Your followers could quickly stop following you if you post too much too often. Frequent tweets, status updates and similar photos over and over are some factors that could turn your followers off. Develop a calendar to organize when, what and where you are posting.
5. Tell a story
This is the best and easiest way to get more followers on social media channels. Stories help you establish a real, emotional connection with your audiences. Stories also get shared which helps you develop an engagement that is further shared over and over.
6. Tag people
Learn to use the @ and # signs which help you tag people or use keywords which help audiences fnd you and also relate to your posts. This will also help you become accessible to their followers who, in turn, are more likely to ‘like’ your page and start following you.
7. Respond to feedback
No matter if you receive positive or negative feedback-respond to it. Thank people for their opinion and maintain politeness no matter what. If needed, placate them by asking them to be guest contributors on your page. Whatever you do, respond quickly as time is of essence. Never delete negative feedback.
8. Give your followers what they are looking for
The best way to develop a following on social media is to be aware of what your customers are looking for. Are they searching for recommendations? Are they implying that your product/service needs to be changed in any way? This will help you keep a clear focus by pinpointing your social listening.
9. Show your personality
Your brand has a personality which your social media should reflect. However, you should not get all stiff and formal. Social media is a place to have fun. Tease! Respond with creativity, humor and warmth as these emotions will make you more relatable to the people following you. Do not sound canned. You can always ask your readers how you can help them in an entirely non robotic way.
10. Share at specific times
Social media works rather well as specific times of the day. For example, Facebook tends to get more likes at 9 am, 12 noon, 4 pm and 7 pm local time. Also, weekends and holidays tend to see greater number of shares, likes and reactions. So post on these days, throughout the day and especially on holidays.
11. Content is king and photos are queen!
In order to find great posts which you can share with your followers, you must first follow other top pages known for their great content. This way; you can post interesting and innovative content which sets you apart as a brand that shares great content relevant to your industry. Also post photos that are attractive and have a good resolution. Learn basic photo editing or hire some one who knows. Instagram and Facebook are all about great photos.
12. Keep’em short
Posts on Twitter and Facebook should ideally be short. Pots that are shorter than 100 characters receive 17% higher engagement than long ones.
13. Ask them to share
Get your audience to be more responsive to your posts by asking them to share it. You need not sound all ‘high and mighty’. Simply ask people to share the blog you have written in a respectful and friendly way. This will make you seem more human.
14. Do not be afraid to experiment
There are no rules of social media engagement and what works for one may not work for another. So be creative and experiment with stuff. Establish some guidelines and stick to them. Consistent efforts will eventually lead to great results!
We hope these 14 easy ways help you increase your social media following.