Let’s start this post off with the bad news: there’s no guaranteed way to get a great social media following. This isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme type of thing. You want to grow your followers? You’re going to have to create engaging content, post it across multiple platforms, use analytics, engage with your followers, and create connections. Sounds good? Let’s dive in.

Create Engaging Content

What is engaging content? It could be pictures of staff events. It could be a behind-the-scenes look at how you create your products. It could be memes and savage clapbacks. There’s no easy answer to this question, but you should try to tailor your content to the platform you’re posting on. Facebook might be a good place to post lengthy think pieces, while Twitter is great for one-liners. Know your audience, know your brand, and act accordingly.

Post On Multiple Platforms

You can narrow your efforts down to one platform, but you might be missing out on a big chunk of potential followers. You can automate cross-posting to platforms using services like IFTTT, though that limits your ability to customize content to each platform. Be active on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn – wherever you think your potential customers are hanging out.

Use Analytics

Social media is not a guessing game. You can use insights provided to you by most of the social media platforms themselves in order to determine:

When users are engaging with your content
Demographic information about the users engaging with your content
What types of content they’re engaging with

…and much more. Purchase analytic software. Make a spreadsheet and track the data yourself. It doesn’t really matter how you do it – find a way of tracking analytics that serves you, get as much data as you can, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Interact With Your Followers

Create content that motivates engagement. Social media contests where people gain entries by sharing your posts and tagging their friends can boost your following and your engagement numbers. When someone mentions your business, comment back, whether the mention was positive or negative. Share content that you enjoy, post photos customers took of your business in your Instagram story, and use appropriate hashtags.

Create Connections

Social media isn’t just a place to advertise your business – it’s a place where people can really get to know the people behind the business. Be authentic, post and share content that’s truly meaningful to you, and follow and support other business owners in your area. Create a community.

Trying to understand how much to spend on social media and accounting, and what ROI you can expect? Our Winnipeg accounting firm can help you crunch the numbers so you can come to the best decision for your business.