A strong fanbase for any business is important. Having a large following on social media:
Increases the impact of your social media posts
Helps your business appear popular & more legit
Drives sales
But appearances aren’t everything. A strong following on social media is only a real benefit to your business if your posts generate likes, comments or shares. Having 10k+ followers means less if your posts are getting low levels of engagement & only being served to a fraction of your fans.
Remember: engagement = reach on all social media platforms.
Here we share how to increase your followers in a genuine way. Building a fanbase or audience of people who feel a strong affinity to & love your business.
1. Post useful, relevant content
Whether you have a formal strategy in place for how to reap the benefits from social media or not, having a think about why & what you post is important.
For example, we see so many retailers using their social media as an extension of their shop or e-commerce website. `But the creative tools available on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Tik Tok are great opportunities to tell more of your story. Talking less about what you’re selling WILL generate more engagement & connection with your fans. Leading to future sales.
Remember that you’re posting to first connect with people. Therefore what you share doesn’t need to be about what you’re selling. To gain followers it needs to be content that your target audience cares about & is interested in. Your values as a business.
Looking into the performance of previous posts will help you gain an insight into what your fans want to see more of. Learn more on how to do this in our guide to Instagram insights.
2. Don’t just post - engage too
Creating posts is one thing. Engaging in what others are posting is another. Commenting & sharing on posts by businesses aligned with your values & the values of your target audience is important for building a sense of community. Not only with your target audience but with other small businesses too.
So spend time on who your business account is following, including hashtags on Instagram. Curate your feed so that you see the posts from other users who have a similar audience to who you’re looking reach. Then engage; like, share & comment their content.
But keep it genuine. A comment for a comment-sake is very obvious & can be brand damaging. Make sure how you’re interacting adds to their message & spreads positivity.
3. Promote your channels
Once you’re clear on how you’re using your social media channels & how your target audience benefits from following you, use other marketing channels to promote that benefit.
Make sure your socials are linked to on your website. Include links to them in your email newsletters or automated programs, like you’re welcome emails. Using your newsletters to promote a specific video or piece of content will create even more interest.
Invest a little budget in testing how paid social can help. We find boosting or sponsoring a naturally successful post to an audience of look-a-likes of your existing fans works well.
In summary, the significance of having a large, switched on fanbase is obvious. But building such a fanbase can take time & effort, especially for a small business without big marketing budgets.
Thinking through how & why you spend time on your socials will help you use that time more wisely & most importantly make your channels worth following.
There’s more on how we can manage your social media here. If you’d even more of a steer get in touch at michelle@narrativeagency.co.uk.
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