There are an estimated five billion social media users worldwide, with each of those people representing a chance to have your brand noticed. It does not matter if you are a start-up business desperate for new Twitter followers, a veteran blogger wanting to get your work out to a broader audience, or you simply want to massage your ego by having thousands of fans and followers, the social media realm is the place to do it.
You will have to spend time and put in effort to build your social media brand unless you are one of the world’s sporting superstars or an A-list celebrity, which we assume you are not. Some people and brands have a substantial social media presence, so new followers naturally flock to them in what is a snowball effect. Those “normal” people wanting to spread the word about the best betting apps California has to offer, air their thoughts on the latest video game, or want to make a name for themselves in their chosen field have to fight tooth and nail to add a couple of zeros to their follower count.
Identify Your Audience First and Foremost
You must know who your audience is before you start pushing any form of content on your social media channels. Learning who your brand appeals to dictates which social media platform you should focus on the most. For example, Linkedin is best if you offer professional services, while TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube are better for followers that are at the younger end of the scale.
Of course, you would like followers from all walks of life, but your core fanbase, the ones that love your product and will likely attract more followers, will tend to fall under one or two demographics. Zero in on them and give them the most attention.
Converse With Your Followers, Don’t Just Talk at Them
Have you noticed the common denominator linking almost all the most successful social media brands? That is correct, they all converse and interact with their followers instead of bombarding them with content and sales pitches.
It is crucial to reply to your followers on social media, especially if you have posed a question or asked for an opinion. Otherwise, you run the risk of seeming cold, robotic, and uncaring. Most social media users want to feel part of something. Interacting with them endears them to you and your brand and instills loyalty.
Consider running polls to get your followers talking among each other. Running competitions is a great way to give something to your audience; people love receiving free things!
Perhaps more important than chatting with your followers is responding to complaints and issues in a timely manner. Studies suggest users expect a response to a social media post within two hours if they tag that brand. While having complaints displayed online is not an ideal scenario, showing you deal with them courteously and timely can positively affect your brand.
Every Social Post Should Have An Accompanying Image
Posting on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram leaves you no choice but to publish your content with an image or video, but what about posts on Facebook, Twitter, and the recently launched Threads? Pictures and videos are far more eye-catching than blocks of text, and users are far more likely to click on a link or read the rest of a post if an image accompanies it.
Ensure your images and videos are high-quality. Pixelated images give the wrong impression; your content represents your brand, after all.
Regularly Post But Don’t Post Too Much
How often do you think you should make a post on the various social media channels you manage? The number you just said is almost certainly too high. Many people new to managing social media accounts wrongly think that the more posts they make, the more likely their content will be seen and interacted with.
Spamming your audience is never a good idea, even if you have plenty to say and share. Readers and viewers quickly become blind to your content because you are always there; you become part of the furniture and fittings whenever they are online. Focus on quality over quantity every time.
The optimal posting frequency depends on the platform used, as you would expect. For example, the industry standard for posting on Linkedin is a mere one post per day. Feel free to send three or four tweets daily, post on Facebook four or five times, and share an Instagram post or story once or twice. Add those up across four platforms, and they add up to a total of 12 posts maximum across them all.
Don’t Be Afraid to Piggyback Trending Topics
One way to get your brand noticed is to take advantage of trending topics and put your spin on them. After all, these topics are being talked about by masses of people, so why not piggyback onto them and see if you can grab some of that traffic?
Use the same hashtags to be noticed, join in conversations about the trending topic, or create a post referencing the latest trend. For example, Twitter can often explode during the NBA and NFL Draft weekend, so asking your followers what their best-ever purchase was with the relevant hashtag could spark some interesting conversations.
Experiment and Analyze the Analytics
Do not be put off if you produce what you think is an excellent social media post only for it to have minimal engagement and views. Experiment with different types of posts and make those posts at other times of the day. Consider reusing a post that did not perform as expected on another day or time, and see if it gets some traction then.
You should also analyze your social media posts, noting what performed well and when, and the times things fell relatively flat. Analytics will give you much information that you can use to help finetune your future posts and help your audience grow.
