So, how do you establish a meaningful following on social media platforms? The following list is not an exhaustive one, but certainly will help as you try to engage with your audience and discover your buyer personas.
- Start with a plan: It’s so simplistic, isn’t it? But it’s so important to map out how you’re going to entice your target audience on social media. Why are you engaging, who are you engaging with and, what value do you bring to the proverbial table?
- Choose a handle. Choose wisely: This is key since it is how people will know you on social media. This handle is most often connected to a business. It’s best to avoid using your personal account, since the information you would share with a friend probably differs to what you would share in a business relationship.
- Once you get started, don’t stop: By planning what you will share in advance, it considerably speeds up your process of publishing content and reduces the quantity of work you need to do. Writing posts, finding links and building tweets happens a whole lot quicker if you focus on your chosen subject. When do you plan to post? You’ll keep your customers happy if you blog every day. Be reliable.
- Create a value-added relationship: Your followers are following you for a reason, and that reason is because you bring them informative posts which they want to read. Test posts to verify what “value” is, but a starting point is something with a link to useful content. Bring your followers useful content and they will remain loyal. A “no post without a link” rule is a sensible starting point.
- Be open and approachable: If people reach out to you directly, answer them. Be cordial. It’s easy. Thank them for retweets and sharing your posts. They repost your information, because they find it valuable. Appreciate that and respect it.
- Limit the selling – It’s not about you, it’s about them. Talk about your product when applicable, but be very sure to balance that with other information which is not central to your product.
- Install social sharing icons: Making it easy for visitors to your website to share your content can significantly increase how far and fast your content reaches the masses.
Social media is about forming and (keeping) relationships. Always remember to add value to whatever you’re sharing. Steer clear of shortcuts, spend your time wisely and you’ll see success.
