Struggling to gain new followers on Facebook or Instagram? Not getting much engagement on your posts? Maybe it’s time to start investing time and effort into improving your organic social media growth.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Organic social media growth is actually very similar to organically improving your SEO: it’s all about high-quality content, optimisation and positive user experience. So, if you start thinking about your social media strategy in the same way as you think about your website SEO, you’ll begin to see some very positive results. If you’re not sure where to start, try following the below steps to promote your organic social media growth…
1) Define Your Target Audience
It’s no use trying to appeal to everybody – this is just not possible! You need to start by clearly defining your ideal target audience, so ask yourself: How old are they? Male or female? What consumer behaviours do they possess? The more specific you can be about who your target audience is, the better.
Consequently, you should focus your efforts on the right places. Choose just one or two social media platforms that are most relevant to your business to start with – once these are established, you can use the first two to then promote a third new platform. It’s important to remember that not every business will benefit from Instagram’s visual nature, or LinkedIn’s B2B marketing efforts. Consider which platforms your ideal target audience are most likely to use, and then set about creating your content!
2) Post Relevant Content
Don’t just post any old content that isn’t relevant to your business or industry! Create and share relevant posts that will be interesting and useful to your followers, adding real value to your audience members. Even if you work in an industry which isn’t particularly creative or interesting, you can still find ways to make your posts stand out. For example, if you are a painter or decorator, you could share tips on trending colour schemes; or if you are a gardener, try sharing tips on the best spring flowers to plant.
Keep an eye on what your competitors are posting on their social media channels, and always be thinking about how you can step up your social media game. The more research you do, the more relevant your posts will be!
3) Post Regular Content
So many small businesses just post content whenever they have the time or whenever they feel like it – I see this time and time again in my work. It’s vitally important to ensure that you post content on a regular basis. This will set up an expectation for your followers, meaning they will look forward to your next post. Larger brands may post multiple times per day whereas small businesses may opt for a few times per week; whatever you choose, make sure you stick to it!
Pay attention to your social media insights and analyse your reach and engagement rates. This will give you a really good idea of which posts work well, and which don’t, as well as providing you with key information on the best times to post.
4) Use Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags can be tricky to get your head around, as there are lots of different factors to consider. The hashtags you use should be relevant to your audience and easily searchable. If you’re a small business owner, try using smaller hashtags that have under 100K posts – this will reduce your competition and maximise your potential for success.
The best way to improve your hashtag strategy is research. Look at which hashtags your competitors are using and how successful their content is. You can then select your favourites and create a batch of hashtags for usage on future posts. We recommend having a few different batches of hashtags to cycle through on your posts so that you don’t get shadow banned (Instagram hides your content from hashtag searches if you use the same ones on every post!).
5) Engage with Others
Identify and engage with your ideal clients on social media. Always respond to any DMs and reply to comments – this will help you build up a strong reputation that will continue to grow. Creating and maintaining positive relationships with your followers will make them more likely to purchase your goods or services. Plus, the social media algorithms favour users who engage with others than those who don’t.
You should also engage with other key accounts within your industry. Like, comment, share and save their posts; soon enough, they will begin to return the favour! This will prove your authority and worth within the industry, which will build trust and loyalty in your brand.
Social Media Strategies for Success from Melissa’s Copy
The 5 steps above are a great starting point for promoting organic social media growth. However, patience is key, and real change doesn’t just happen overnight! It takes a lot of time, effort and determination to build your social media accounts.
If you wish to improve your social media strategy but simply don’t have the time, look no further than Melissa’s Copy. We provide expert content creation and marketing strategies, allowing you to build your business’ brand across multiple social media platforms. If you’d like to find out more about our dedicated social media support services, click here to book in your FREE consultation today!