Social media has been around for over a decade, but there is still mystery on how to grow social media followers organically. In fact, with social advertising on the rise, many businesses are deciding to forgo the organic route and just pay for clicks. While that may seem like a good idea, you are missing out on the long term value that a loyal, engaged, organically driven customer brings you.
Why Not Just Pay for My Following?
Social advertising is a great way to expand reach and drive sales. However, it costs money. If you have the budget to continue to grow your social followers with target advertising campaigns, then, by all means, continue. However, one must think of the user first.
Social ads are thrust into our news feeds. While we have grown accustomed to this, it still isn’t the ideal way to grow trust and loyalty. Getting a user to choose to follow your business is a better way to increase the lifetime value of that customer. It indicates a higher level of interest that you can utilize to potentially turn that follower into a customer that executes multiple purchases over time.
Maximizing by Minimizing
It is fairly common to believe that you should create a new profile for every social media platform out there. While this would increase your reach, it also takes considerable time and effort to execute that strategy effectively.
Instead, research what platforms your customer base is typically active on. Which platforms are your competitors on? Answering those questions should narrow down which platforms are relevant to your business.
Don’t be mediocre on 6 social platforms. Be great on the one or two that make the most sense for your business and customer base.
Refine Your Social Media Profiles
Did you know that you can schedule appointments directly from your Facebook page? Social profiles aren’t simply a “set it and forget it” tactic. Social platforms are constantly looking for ways to improve user experience and so should you.
Before researching the latest and greatest improvements, make sure that your page has all the basics down.
- Always high definition images/video for logo and banner
- Use a username that simply and accurately represents your business
- Link the page to your website
- Utilize keywords in your company descriptions (remember, social media typically has a search feature)
- Make sure all information is accurate and up-to-date
- Include your location(s) and hours open
The Right Content for the Right Platform
Ok. So you have cut your platforms down from 5 to 3. Great! Now what? Now, you must tailor the content to the chosen platform. For example, you wouldn’t want to place a landscape image on an Instagram post. Instagram uses a taller format for its images. It is much more ideal for a 1:1 or 4:5 ratio for image publication. You will want to post more professional, B2B content on LinkedIn and Twitter, while showing more of your company’s personality on Facebook.
The content you choose to post is just as important as the platform.
Build Evergreen Content
According to the Digital Marketing Institute, evergreen content is search-optimized content that is continually relevant and stays “fresh” for readers over a long period of time. In other words, strive to create content that is just as appropriate in 3 years as it is now.
For example, an air conditioning company would want to create a post that explains how to save money on your utility bill. A business consultant may way to post a case study about a great outcome they provided for a client. Or a digital marketing company might want to post about how to grow social media followers organically…
Strive to build content that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel with. It will cut down on content creation resources and provide content that is relevant to your current and future customer bases.
Quality over Quantity
If you have noticed a theme here, then you have realized that the key to improving your social media presence is choosing quality instead of quantity. From reducing your social platforms to reusable content, you can carve out a strategy that increases engagement and extends your brand reach to more potential customers.
Next Horizon provides holistic technology solutions for businesses looking to improve sales, increase agility and optimize productivity. From building bespoke business applications to developing and executing digital marketing strategies, Next Horizon uses its 40+ years of experience and award winning talent to provide meaningful business solutions for its clients.
Categorised in: Digital Marketing, Social Media
