10 Tips for Enhancing Social Media Growth

In today’s digital age, it’s more important than ever to have an active voice across social media channels. As you begin to establish your brand on these platforms, it’s natural to wonder how you can extend your reach and grow your following.

1851 connected with Lindsey Hunt of Williston Holding Company and Trever Ackerman, Chief Marketing Officer of WellBiz Brands, Inc.®,  to discuss their top tips for gaining fans on social media.

1. Engage with Your Audience

It’s important to have a relationship with your social media audience. In order to build a genuine and loyal following, you must be willing to engage with them on a regular basis.

Ackerman recommends that brands “take the time to develop a thoughtful content strategy that engages your target audience with a relevant conversation.”

2. Be Authentic

Hunt explained that an essential element of any brand’s content strategy should be authenticity. It is very important that the company comes across as transparent and true to its established identity. This can be done by creating exclusive and engaging social media content for fans that reflects the company mission.

3. Be Responsive

“If you receive an inbound inquiry or comment on any of your social channels, it is so important to respond quickly. The digital world we live in does not allow for slow response times,” said Ackerman.

He explained that it is necessary to answer both positive and negative reviews on social channels. Ignoring positive comments may leave your social media advocates feeling slighted after they have taken the time to express support for your company.

4. Have a Defined Voice

Part of building a brand’s identity is developing a clear voice across all channels including social media, email campaigns and advertising collateral. This helps consumers develop a relationship with the brand and allows them to associate the company with a personality.

“Wendy’s, in particular, has done phenomenally well on Twitter with their snarky tweets and fun responses to customers,” said Hunt. “It all depends on your audience and finding out where they are on social media.”

5. Establish a Content Plan

“Be sure to post at a regular cadence at the most active times for each social channel, daily. While it is certainly important to have planned, evergreen content, you should also be flexible and prepared to share real-time relevant updates as they happen,” said Ackerman.

Though it is important to have this content calendar, it is also critical to be aware of what is happening outside your company’s doors. If a crisis were to occur, be prepared to pause or stop all content from going out. This awareness shows that your brand is sensitive to public emergencies.

6. Utilize User-generated Content

When fans engage with your brand on social media, it is important to show that the company sees and hears their commentary. One way to achieve this is through user-generated content, which highlights the experience that real consumers are having with the brand.

7. Share Valuable Content

Unless you are sharing something of value to an audience, it does not matter how many times you post on your social media channels. At the end of the day, it’s the quality of the content that will keep people coming back to your page.

“Have you ever had a friend who does nothing but talk about themselves? Annoying, right? At the end of the day, you are sharing content to build a relationship with your target audience, not boast about your brand. Be sure to develop beautiful, insightful or educational content that your audience finds valuable. Try to take a step back and think through the lens of your target audience and what they want to see,” advised Ackerman.

8. Consider Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing continues to pick up steam across social platforms. Hunt noted that this is especially true on Instagram and encourages brands to consider adding it to their strategy. The focus should be on building relationships, and these partnerships can be leveraged for hosting contests down the line.

9. Be Active on Instagram

Build your presence in the social media space where your target market spends most of its time. “Instagram has the biggest engagement opportunity,” said Hunt. “While it takes a lot of work to launch and maintain a successful Instagram page and strategy–it pays off.”

She explained that the platform’s stats show that at least 80 percent of Instagram users follow a brand on the platform. Out of this percentage, at least 30 percent have purchased a product or service that they discovered on Instagram.

10. Understand the Value

If you are investing time, energy and your budget into social media growth, you should understand why this digital presence is important. In today’s world, having these channels is no longer optional. In order to have the most success on the platforms, it’s beneficial to learn the ins and outs of how the tool can help your business grow.

“Think of these social platforms as part of your marketing toolkit – and key for all businesses. Digital avenues such as social media are oftentimes the first interaction consumers and prospective franchisees have with a brand. You can make a good first impression and develop a strong brand relationship by engaging, responding and posting amazing content that resonates,” said Ackerman.