Building quality relationships is a combination of different tactics that, when nurtured correctly, give you the best connections in your life. Building a social media following is no different. By following a few rules of thumb, your social media following will increase. Read along for some of my most valuable tips on creating a quality relationship with your current and potential followers.
Your relationship with your social media followers is like a relationship with a significant other or your best friend; you have to listen.
Social listening is a common tactic used to build a social following. To start, create a list of hashtags relevant to your business or personal brand and check them regularly. This strategy allows you to see what’s happening in your network and, gives you the chance to create content and join the conversation.
Engaging with the people who regularly use these hashtags will help you build a social media following. Chances are, these users have a plethora of common interests with you and would be very intrigued by your content. It’s easy; search the hashtag, find a photo you think is engaging, and throw them a like or comment! People love to see engagement on their posts, and at the very least, it will draw them to your page.
You can also repurpose this list of hashtags by incorporating them into the copy of your posts. That way, you will be a part of the metadata in that hashtag making it easier for people to find you. Note: this will only work if your account is public, which leads me to my next point.
This advice can mean a lot of different things in the social media sphere. To play off my initial point, a public profile is an excellent way to build a social media following faster. People get to preview your content and see what you’re about, which will likely entice them to follow you. The mystery of your private account may intrigue people, but they are likely to unfollow you once you accept their request.
You can also put yourself out there with the content that you create. Authenticity and showing your audience who you are is an excellent way to create your brand’s voice. Social media users love to see different forms of content, whether it is your day-to-day life on Instagram stories or a post about important meetings that you attended on your feed. If you’re a store or e-commerce site, sharing upcoming promotions with followers, offering them exclusive sales, and featuring user generated content are all great ways to show off the authenticity of your brand.
Life is too short for people who don’t make you happy or help you be your best self. This rule is similar when it comes to who you’re following on your social media accounts. You should spend time following accounts that post content you find interesting and inspire you. It’s better to follow fewer people with similar interests than a slew of individuals with no relation to your brand.
By being selective with who you’re following, you keep your ratio on fleek and, find accounts you may have overlooked previously. An excellent way to find these people is to see who your competitors and people who inspire you are following. I always check who my favorite bloggers and thought leaders are following to discover hidden gems.
Narrowing down a pool of people will ensure quality content on your feed and keep you thinking in a positive direction.