Social media has become that crucial part of our lives as well as many businesses’.
Businesses are constantly seeking to be present where their target customers and audience exist and so every serious organization has a social media presence in at least one social media platform.
The fun, vibrant and social space has now transcended beyond a place for posting videos and pictures, it is a strong marketing platform that you can leverage to make the most of your business.
Unfortunately, one of the main challenges many businesses have with social media is growing a following that engages and interacts with the business’s social media page.
While the steps to help you grow a following are quite easy and achievable, being consistent is where a lot of people find it difficult. Read on if you’re ready to become consistent in following our highlighted proven steps to get you a following you desire.
How do I grow my Instagram following organically?
If you’re looking to grow your Instagram with real followers, here’s what you need to do:
1. Create a consistent posting schedule and follow it.
To be able to grow a following that can identify your brand and resonate with your content, you must first be consistent.
Consistency must occur all-round. From the frequency of your post to the branding, style of communication, and other aesthetic appeals. You must always remember that your followers need your consistency to get familiar with your content.
Build a regular posting schedule complete with the type of content scheduled for every post to help you stay consistent and on your followers’ minds at all times.
2. Go for a memorable username.
Your followers need something to identify you with, especially as a business. Your username should stand out and be easy to remember.
Spicing it up with symbols, numbers, and characters makes it tough to remember. The shorter and simpler the better.
If your business is Taco Palace, for instance, choosing a username like @taco.pa_lace becomes tedious to remember, unlike a simpler @tacopalace or @taco_palace if you must use a special character.
3. Use relevant hashtags.
Contrary to opinions, hashtags are not outdated. You can make the best of your business by employing relevant tags in your post. Hashtags are great for visibility, i.e., putting your post in the spotlight.
They help you rank highly or place you in a niche category, especially if you offer a product or service. Using too many hashtags just as you like can lead to your account being flagged as spam.
Flick hashtag tool is one of the most efficient for hashtag research which will help you rank and avoid banned tags so you don’t lose your page.
4. Engage your audience.
It’s no use putting up content on a platform without getting any form of feedback from your audience.
By engaging your audience, you can understand them better so that you know their pain points and what needs you should look to fix through their response.
You can also engage your audience by hosting contests, or liking and commenting on their own posts. By doing this, you build a community of followers that are loyal to the business.
Appreciate your followers with giveaways and freebies which they win by referring or tagging their friends to follow your account. This is how you grow real followers.
How to grow your TikTok following?
TikTok is another very popular social media platform that has gained a lot of traction over the past year. With many users flocking to the platform, your business may also need to open an account there if your target customers are present on it.
If you want to help your TikTok grow organically, see the following tips.
5. Be consistent.
As always, consistency is key to growth on any social platform. TikTok users are constantly seeking videos that are hilarious and unique.
There’s no time for your users to warm up to your content. They want relatable content and they want it now. If you are consistent with providing this for them, they will come in swarms to your page.
Also, consistency helps the TikTok algorithm determine what type of page you are. If your content varies so much that it is almost impossible to identify what type of page you are, it can affect your visibility.
6. Avoid deleting videos
It’s a given that not all your content will be a hit. Some may not get a lot of engagement, while some may garner so much exposure that will give your content a boost.
However, in the cases where your content is not performing well, don’t delete the content. TikTok algorithm marks down your page as having a high rate of poor-performing videos when you consistently delete your poor-performing videos.
Content on TikTok is different from other types of social media. It doesn’t disappear from the feed after 24 hours, so hold on before rushing to delete. It can still gain exposure somewhere down the line.
7. Build a niche
As a business, your purpose on social media is to be visible, be closer to your audience, offer them assistance and boost conversion rates and revenue.
It will be a total fail if your TikTok account doesn’t help your brand in any of these capacities. To offer a specific service to your prospective customers via TikTok, you must build a recognizable niche that relates to your business.
If you offer web design services, your TikTok account can be dedicated to making short, fun, and quirky explainer videos for your audience about the process that goes behind designing a website.
Your content not only builds you a niche account, but you also become an industry leader in the field on TikTok. Users who are interested in your service can visit your page to have an idea of your work or gain knowledge about the services you offer.
Other quick tips to grow your social media following
The world of social media is filled with a lot of areas to cover. In addition to the tips we have above, here are other helpful tips that can point you in the right direction in growing your social media following.
- Leverage videos to grab attention, increase reach, and improve engagement.
- Stay up to date on trends and innovations.
- Get and implement feedback from your audience, never post content blindly.
- Analyze your competitors to see what they’re doing right and make it work for you.
Why should you grow your social media following organically?
As long as a social audience is interested in what a content creator has to offer, the following will naturally occur.
Today’s customer is not looking for the generic or usual content that businesses attempt to feed them with. Today’s customer is looking for relatable content, something that strikes a chord in their hearts. Content that is unforgettable or sharable among their friends.
If your content is not checking one or all of these boxes, then you may need to restrategize your social media content marketing strategy.
On many social platforms, people try to build a following fast by buying followers or using follow trains to get a swarm of fake followers engaging their pages. While engagement is part of the end goal, the method of sourcing followers is not natural or organic.
Two main issues may stem from buying followers or using a fake social audience to follow your account.
1. Lack of interest in your content
There are various types of content suitable for various audiences on social media platforms. When you buy a following on any social platform, you would find people from different types of audiences, especially the wrong demographic or suitability for your content.
They simply are not interested in what you have to offer because they are not your target audience or customers. Because of this, they will not engage in your content, even if it is well done.
2. Losing your fake followers
Businesses may also sometimes use the follow train, popularly known as “follow for follow” to grow their following. While this may grow your following for a while, it will also yield little or no engagement in the long run.
When the wrong target audience becomes tired of your content, they start to unfollow your page. This not only sets your page against the algorithm of the social media platform but also makes you lose your credibility.
Businesses that also employ the services of bots to boost engagement and following also lose credibility on the platform because real followers and users of such platforms can spot the fakes.
This can lead to bad PR for your business.
Conclusion
Growing a social media following requires consistency and resilience to ensure you reach your target customers wherever they are.
The benefits to growing your social media following include an increase in revenue and building a community that is proud of and trusts your brand.
Follow our proven steps above to get you started on a journey to a credible, organic social media following for your various social media accounts.
