The average internet user spends nearly 2.5 hours of their day on social media. If your brand wants to connect with your target audience, social media is one of the best ways to do so.
There’s only one thing. Ultimately, the number of people your brand can connect with depends on how many people are following you. The more followers you have, the better your chances are that people in your target audience will see your content.
It’s simple. Whether you’re on Instagram or LinkedIn, you need more followers to succeed on social media. Get started with these seven proven strategies for getting more social media followers.
Sections
1. Throw a contest
Social media contests are a surefire way to increase your follower count. Often, the rules are straightforward. In order to enter, people must follow your brand and comment on your post by tagging one or more friends (to increase the visibility of your contest and encourage more followers). You can partner with social media influencers or partner brands to drive more contest entries and visibility.
Once your contest is over, some people will unfollow you. You can minimize the number of unfollows by ensuring you have a slate of premium content lined up that will encourage them to stick around.
2. Post exclusive content
People need a reason to follow brands on social media. Sometimes they feel a deep connection with the brand, and that’s enough. Sometimes the brand has a strong brand voice, and people get a kick out of their funny or snarky content. Duolingo’s TikTok account is a great example of this.
People also follow brands to receive exclusive content. Exclusive content can come in various forms, including flash sales where the promo code is posted exclusively to your social channels. You can also use social media to show a different side of your brand, where you can be more casual, unpolished, and “real.”
3. Partner with influencers your followers care about
Partnering with influencers lends credibility to your brand. If followers trust or admire an influencer, and that influencer endorses your brand, their followers are more likely to associate those positive feelings with your brand.
You can partner with influencers in whatever way makes sense. Some brands host influencer takeovers, where the influencer takes over the brand’s account for the day. You can also invite influencers to post tutorials using your product, exclusively to your channel. Finally, you can host an AMA, or #AskMeAnything, with an influencer popular with your target audience. If your brand hosts exclusive influencer content that can’t be found anywhere else, more people are likely to follow you.
Remember: The size of the influencer matters less than how well their audience aligns with yours. Microinfluencers can be more affordable, promise better engagement, and have a closer relationship with their followers.
4. Create shareable content
You can increase your reach, and get your content in front of more people, by posting content people will want to reshare within their own network — which may earn you more followers.
What content performs well on social media?
- Hot takes
- Industry trends or news
- Memes
- Quotes
- Animals
Regularly create content like this, and your followers may repost it to their own channels.
5. Use the right hashtags
The most popular hashtags — the ones with the most posts — aren’t always the way to go. Unless it’s related to a specific event or holiday, when everyone is using the same hashtag, no one stands out.
If you use more niche hashtags, you can reduce your competition and increase your chances of your post being discovered by potential new followers.
Pro Tip: Using too many hashtags correlates with less engagement, and may come across as spammy. Limit your hashtags to 11 or less.
6. Be a thought leader
Is your founder or leadership team featured in the news? The more your brand is out there, the more people can get acquainted with you and decide to follow you on social media — especially if you say something interesting.
Seek out webinars, podcasts, and interview opportunities for your company leadership. At the close of these interviews, the interviewer will almost always ask where listeners or viewers can learn more. That’s when you can direct them to your social media channels!
7. Promote your social media
Finally, make sure you’re making it easy for your current audience and customers to find you on social media. Include links to your social media channels in your website footer. Embed relevant tweets in your blog posts. Promote your Instagram contest in an email newsletter.
Get (and keep) your social media followers
Once you start getting more social media followers, your work isn’t done. You also need to keep them around. So, pay attention to what strategies are working for you, and which aren’t.
For help discovering what those are, contact Your Marketing People. We’ll develop a social media strategy for your brand that drives follows, engagements, and even sales.
