Let’s face it. Every business has its own social media profile. However, only a very few manage to succeed in their campaigns.
The reason? Having a mere profile across different platforms is not everything. The key to getting noticed is to have something interesting to say, so your visitors have a reason to like and share your content.
Bottom line, that’s how you gain more followers and likes on social media.
Leverage the benefits of fast-growing sites like Instagram and Pinterest to gain a strong social media presence. But remember, you need quality content to engage them.
How to gain a loyal following on social media? How to make them stay? Read on, and unlock the answers.
1. Develop a posting strategy
Post consistently. It’s the only way to earn a loyal social media following.
Any account without regular updates will soon be forgotten. Likewise, any account that posts updates like rapid-fire bullets will also be unfollowed. It’s best to keep your daily posts to an average of four to six.
Obviously, you will be posting your original content. However, if you don’t have something to post, it makes sense to curate worthy content from other authors and post it on your timeline.
2. Tweak your content according to the social media platform
Social media includes various platforms, and, mind you, not all are the same. You need to know what type of content marketing strategy works best on each platform. Based on our research, here’s a quick comparison of various social networking platforms:
Facebook – Has more than 1.2 billion users and provides a great opportunity for brands to promote and interact with customers in a non-obstructive way. New changes to the algorithm make it harder to get your content noticed, especially if it’s promotional. Focus on relationship, not selling.
Google+ – Not the best site for B2C brands, but it can help you build circles and a considerable following. Building a big circle in Google+ is a great way to grab Google’s attention. As a bonus, your Google+ posts often rank in the Google SERPs.
Instagram – Is best for photo and video sharing. Hashtags are a great advantage. Create a unique hashtag for your brand and make it easy for your customers to find all your related information in one common place using your hashtag.
Twitter – Due to its wide reach in the U.S., it is well suited for native brands to market their brands. Of all the social media channels, this one is most suited to frequent updates. But focus more on relationship and brand building than on selling.
LinkedIn – A business-friendly social network that gives corporations and brands a great potential to network and connect with business associates. If your business is B2B, this is a great place to focus your energies.
Apart from these, there are other social media networks as well. Do your own research and find which is the best social network to post your photo, which is best for video, which is more suited for text, and so on.
3. Respond to customer queries within an hour
A study conducted by Lithium revealed that 72 percent of Twitter users expect responses to their queries within an hour. This goes to show how social media gives you a golden opportunity to prove what your customer support is like.
When you troubleshoot and resolve their issues in a timely manner, it tells your customers that you care for them. The goodwill this generates can also help you build a loyal following on social media.
4. Use social media management tools to manage your time
Social media management tools help you to schedule your updates. In one 30-minute session, for instance, you can schedule your posts to publish at regular intervals throughout the day. That way you aren’t guilty of sudden bursts in updates.
A study conducted by Fragile Online Relationship in 2011 observed the ‘unfollow’ pattern of more than 1.2 million social media users and revealed that over-posting in a short time span was the main reason why users unfollowed brands.
The easiest way to overcome this problem is by scheduling your posts using social media management tools.
Kathryn recommends: HootSuite and Buffer are great for scheduling and social media management.
5. Give special offers or discounts
A survey by Neilsen in 2013 revealed that 52 percent of social media users follow brands to be notified of special offers or discounts.
Remember, the idea of giving away special offers and promotions is to grab more customers. Analyze the top brands in your industry and see what they offer. Try hosting contests, give away special offers, give access to freebies and so on. This is one of the easiest ways to make people talk about your brands. Eventually, it helps develop positive relationships with customers.
These are some great ways to gain more followers and, ultimately, convert your followers into customers. However, keep in mind that Rome was not built in a day. Social media marketing also takes time, but the fruits are often sweet.
About the Author: Cody Watson is a social media freak and an active blogger who likes to share his thoughts and ideas on how people can benefit from social media marketing. He also writes on other categories such as technology, SEO, tourism, food, health and fitness.
