Social media is continually changing and evolving.
New platforms pop up, trends come and go, and people’s interests shift.
To grow a dedicated and active social media following, you need to adapt and create a solid strategy.
With so much advice out there, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why I’ve put together this list of 9 proven strategies to help you grow your social media following in 2024.
These tips will help you expand your reach and create a thriving online community around your brand.
Let’s get started and unlock the secrets to social media success!
1. Know Your Target Audience
Over 5.04 billion people use social media worldwide, making up 62.3% of the world’s population.
Image via DataReportal
This presents a huge opportunity for business owners, but to make the most of it, you need to understand your target audience.
Social media is about making connections with people. But how can you connect with an audience you don’t know well?
That’s why it’s important to understand your audience and create content that resonates with them.
With the help of social media analytics tools, you can gather valuable insights into your audience’s behavior and engagement patterns. This will help you create content that keeps your audience glued to your page.
2. Optimize Your Social Media Profiles
Optimizing your social media profiles is crucial in solidifying your social media presence and boosting your audience.
When people visit your page for the first time, your bio and profile picture are the first things they see. If you don’t make a strong impression with these, you may lose their interest and potential followers.
Here are some tips to optimize your social media profiles:
- Bio: Think of your social media bio as your elevator pitch. Use clear, concise language that conveys what your brand is about and its value proposition. Include relevant keywords to improve discoverability in social media searches.
- Profile Picture and Cover Photo: Use high-quality images that represent your brand effectively. Your logo can be a great profile picture.
- Consistent Branding: Maintain consistency in brand elements, such as logo, colors, and tone, across all social media platforms.
- Contact Information: Make sure your contact information is up-to-date and easily accessible so that potential customers can reach out to you easily.
- Call to Action (CTA): Most social media platforms allow you to add a CTA button to your profile. Use it to prompt followers to take action, such as visit your store, sign up, or learn about your brand.
3. Create Engaging Content
Creating engaging content is not just about grabbing attention; it’s about sparking conversations and building a community around your brand.
Visual content dominates social media. Using high-quality images and videos is a sure way to engage users and increase the shareability of your posts.
Additionally, interactive features like polls, quizzes, and contests boost audience participation and engagement.
The key is to be platform savvy.
Each social media platform offers a unique set of features. Understanding what works on each platform helps you create content that hits the mark and reaches more people.
According to the Attrock content marketing guide, small businesses can follow the right social media content ideas to create engaging content that boosts their social media audience.
When you post relevant and valuable content regularly, your audience keeps returning for more.
4. Actively Engage with Your Audience
Building a vibrant online community without engaging with your audience is practically impossible.
Responding to comments, messages, and mentions promptly is crucial on all platforms, from LinkedIn and Facebook to X and Instagram.
For instance, responding promptly to LinkedIn comments shows your connections that you value their input. It’s a chance to converse, answer questions, and get feedback.
But engagement doesn’t stop at responses. Proactively connecting with your audience can also boost engagement. This could be through hosting live Q&A sessions, creating polls, or running contests.
User-generated content (UGC) is another powerful tool for engagement. Encourage your followers to create and share brand-related content to make them feel valued and involved.
An example of this is Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, which encouraged users to share pictures of themselves with personalized bottles. This campaign resulted in a significant increase in customer engagement and sales.
Image via Coschedule
5. Collaborate With Influencers
Harnessing the power of influencer marketing can significantly broaden your reach across social media platforms. This strategy involves partnering with individuals who are active and influential in your industry or niche.
Influencers typically have significant active followers who are loyal and interact with their content.
Any good influencer marketing strategy involves identifying the right influencers for your brand.
Once you’ve identified potential influencers, the next step is to contact them for partnerships. This could involve simply reposting your content, reviewing your product, or collaborating on a post.
One successful example of influencer marketing Daniel Wellington collaborates with multiple influencers. The influencers post images of themselves wearing the watches with a discount code for their followers.
Here’s an example of one such influencer post promoting the watch brand.
Image via Instagram
6. Use Popular Hashtags
Hashtags are a powerful tool for increasing the visibility and engagement of your social media content. They categorize your content, making it discoverable to users interested in those topics.
Here are some tips for using hashtags effectively:
- Find hashtags that match your content and are popular among your audience.
- Use a mix of popular and niche hashtags to reach more people interested in your topic.
- Add location-based hashtags to connect with local customers if your business serves a specific geographical area.
- Encourage your audience to incorporate your branded hashtag when sharing content about your brand in contests, giveaways, or even casual posts.
- Look at what hashtags your competitors are using successfully. Incorporate similar ones into your strategy to tap into the same audience.
- Avoid using overly complicated or lengthy hashtags and stick to concise and easy-to-understand terms.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with different hashtag combinations. Track which ones perform best and adjust your strategy accordingly.
- Keep an eye on which hashtags get the most engagement and use it to refine your strategy.
7. Run Social Media Ads
Boosting your organic reach on social media platforms can be challenging.
To boost your social media audience, consider incorporating social media advertising into your strategy.
Social media advertising platforms let you target your ideal audience based on their demographics, interests, behaviors, and online activity and even their engagement with online course platforms.
This ensures your message reaches the people most likely to be interested in your brand.
Paid ads can significantly boost brand awareness, especially when you target users who haven’t already interacted with your brand organically.
With paid ads, you’ll need to experiment a bit, find out what works for you, and stick to it.
You can improve your chances of growing your social media audience when you combine paid ads with your regular posts.
8. Use Other Marketing Channels
While social media is great for connecting, it’s essential to explore other channels too.
Here’s how you can use different platforms to boost your social media audience.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Optimizing your website for search engines can attract users who are searching for topics related to your brand.
Strategically placing social media sharing buttons on your web pages lets interested users easily find and follow you on social media.
A smart approach is to embed Instagram Reels or TikTok videos on your website to engage your site visitors with your social media content and get them to follow you.
Email Marketing
Building an email list helps you connect directly with your audience by sending valuable content straight to their inboxes.
In your emails, include calls to action (CTA) prompting subscribers to follow you on social media for updates and exclusives. You can also embed social media buttons to allow them to easily find your social media profiles.
This way, your email subscribers can discover and follow you on your social media channels.
Content Syndication
Partnering with websites or publications in your niche introduces your content to a new audience who might like your social media posts.
When you share your content or write guest posts, include links to your social media profiles in your author bio.
This helps readers connect with you on those platforms and discover more about your brand.
9. Analyze and Adapt
Once you’ve implemented the strategies above, it’s essential to regularly analyze your performance and adapt accordingly.
Social media platforms provide data on your social media content and audience. This includes engagement rates, follower growth, reach, and more.
Analyzing your social media metrics provides valuable insights into what’s working well and what areas need improvement.
For instance, if your analysis shows higher engagement on specific days or times, you should adjust your posting schedule accordingly. This could help maximize your reach and audience engagement.
If certain types of content or topics get more engagement, focus more on creating similar content.
A/B testing can also help with your analysis. It involves testing two different versions of a content piece to see which performs better.
The insights gained from A/B testing can inform future content and strategies.
Analyzing and adapting is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. It’s about learning from your performance, experimenting with new strategies, and continuously optimizing your social media presence.
Final Thoughts
Growing your social media audience in 2024 requires smart strategies.
Implementing these 9 proven strategies will help you solidify your social media presence and build a vibrant online community.
Success on social media isn’t a one-time achievement but a continuous journey of learning and adaptation.
Use the data available to refine your approach and optimize your social media content. With dedication and a willingness to learn, your social media presence will thrive.
Put these strategies into practice, embrace feedback, and watch your community grow!