How to boost your social media following is one of the most coveted questions of the 21st century. Even if you already have an established social presence, the ever-changing algorithms can often get in the way of gaining more followers. Check out our tips on how to gain followers across your social media platforms.
First, when it comes to follower growth, it's about quality, not quantity. Buying followers may look impressive at first glance but ultimately they don't engage with your content or buy into your brand. Not only this but purchasing followers break Instagram's terms of service and these followers will often be deleted by the platform or even worse, you run the risk of your account being permanently banned.
If you've been posting for some time now, you'll have an idea of the best time to post to gain maximum engagement. However, when it comes to increasing your social media following, consider followers in other time zones. On the same note, gain knowledge of holidays and key dates in other countries as these will also affect engagement rates and give you additional content inspiration.
Each platform has its own features for you to expand your brand.
It's all about finding what works for you without spreading yourself too thinly across the platforms.
Applying suitable hashtags to your content will open it up to a wider, more relevant audience. Also, creating a branded hashtag and applying it uniformly to your content will boost brand awareness as your social media following grows.
There's nothing a social media following appreciates more than a direct conversation with who they follow. Answer comments and queries. On Facebook, keep in mind prospective followers can see your reply time so respond to direct messages promptly. When a follower sees that they will be engaged with, it'll make them more likely to follow. Pinning key comments on Instagram will emphasize your brand's message to prospective followers. With Instagram and TikTok, AMAs (ask me anything) are possible through polls and interactive live videos.
The elusive blue check is not just for top celebrities and brands, you too can have one on your profile. Each platform has its own requirements, but ultimately this checkmark boosts trust in your brand and will therefore lead to an increase in followers.
Influencer marketing has become a powerful tool to gain followers in recent years. Make sure you are following influencers that are relevant to your brand, with notifications turned on so you know when they post. Interact with their posts (without spamming) to get noticed by these influencers and their followers. If you have a marketing budget in mind, there are also marketing agencies that can help you with your influencer marketing strategy.
Much like influencer marketing, collaborating with brands in the same business as your own can be priceless when gaining followers - whether this is through competition campaigns or sponsored posts.
Keeping a close eye on your analytics will help in defining the posts that are best for engagement. You can also study seasonal peaks and troughs, adjusting your posting schedule accordingly.
Content is key when growing a following. What you post is as important as when and how often you post. Be sure to optimize your content to maximize engagement whether it be by adding subtitles to your videos to increase accessibility or creating a diverse content library on your social media profiles. Then adapt your social media strategy to accommodate the post types that drive the most engagement.
The long and short of it is that there is no magic wand to increase your social media following. The main goal is to create a close-knit community that champions you and your brand. At the end of the day, it's not all about the number of followers and more about the ROI (return on investment) be it time or money.
Discover how Trint can make your social media content more accessible to your audiences.
