I recently did a live session on social media on this very topic, and I wanted to share a golden nugget or two with you.
I've been a content creator for over 10 years, and I have the experience of creating content for big brands and small businesses alike.
If you're not getting enough followers on social media, it's because you're doing one (or more) of these things:
You're not posting consistently.
If you’re not posting consistently, it's likely because you think posting once a week is enough. In reality, this isn't enough at all!
If you're only posting once a week and your audience doesn't have much interaction with your posts, they're going to forget about who you are and why they liked following you in the first place.
But if you post too often—multiple times per day—then it could start to get annoying for them! They might unfollow because of how often they see your content and even report it as spam.
So instead of overdoing it like that, try posting multiple times per day but spaced out evenly so that everyone gets their fill without feeling overwhelmed by social media overload.
You're not posting content that's engaging or exciting.
The best way to know whether something is engaging enough for followers is by asking them!
Simply ask them directly in a comment section or through polls if they found something on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/etc. interesting —or if not why?
If the answer is no, try to improve your content. If the answer is yes, then you're all set! You should also try to post more often (but not too often) and make sure that each post has something new about it that hasn't been seen before by followers.
You can also try to have a more unique username than just your name. This will help you stand out and get more followers because it's easier to find someone with a unique name than one that is the same as other people on social media.
You're not streaming a live session or two on social media.
Streaming a live session every few days on your social media channels can be extremely effective, so long as you make sure your content is always relevant and interesting.
Live sessions on social media are perfect for building a community and interacting with your followers. They're also great for promoting yourself as an expert in your field.
If you want to try hosting a live session on social media, here are some tips to help you get started:
First, make sure that your content is always relevant and interesting. Time-sensitive posts can be especially effective at driving engagement, so if there's something going on within your industry or community that you think would interest people—make sure to post about it!
Next, consider what kind of content works best during each type of stream: long form versus short form? In-person versus remote?
Finally, consider how you can interact with your audience during the stream. If possible, try to get people on camera so that viewers can see them responding to what you're saying (this will help create a more personal connection).
You're only posting humblebrags.
Humblebragging is when you post about how great you are and pretend it's a secret. If you're posting too much, it comes off as bragging, which is way less fun than humblebragging. It also makes your followers dislike you and want to unfollow you on social media.
Humblebrags are annoying because they usually go something like this: "I'm SO tired today!" or "Today I got a chance to try out my new [insert expensive name brand here]." Your followers don't care that your day sucked or that your new shoes cost more than their rent payment. They just want to know why we should follow them back!
You're not including a call to action in your posts.
A call to action is a statement that tells your audience what action you want them to take. A clear and specific call-to-action statement usually appears at the end of an ad, video, or blog post. For example, if you’re writing about how much money you can make on eBay, the CTA should be “Start selling on eBay now!”
You can use CTAs anywhere in your social media marketing strategy: in the beginning of a post, or at the end of one. But whatever position they take in your content plan, they should always be clearly stated so as not to confuse readers or miss out on potential followers who would otherwise want learn more about what you have to offer them.
Your posts aren't optimized for mobile devices.
If you want to get more followers on social media, you need to make sure your posts are optimized for mobile devices. What does that mean?
- Use the right size images: Don’t use huge images in your posts if they don’t fit on the screen of a mobile device! Make sure the dimensions of your photos and graphics are less than 1MB each (and if possible, under 500KB) so they load quickly without taking too long or using up too much data.
- Make text readable: If people can't read what you're posting because it's too small or blurry, they won't bother clicking through to read it. You should also keep any links short so they aren't hard for people to click and use emojis liberally—emojis make it easier for readers to connect with you on an emotional level
You haven't defined your audience and you're neglecting to speak to them directly.
You've got to define your audience and talk directly to them.
You need to be able to answer questions like:
- Who are you marketing to? What are their interests? How can you best serve them?
- What kind of content can you create that will resonate with this audience?
- Why should they follow you on social media, or visit your website/blog/shop etc.?
- How often do they interact with content like yours on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)? How often do they visit websites like yours (or even just read blogs)?
You're using hashtags that are too popular or too obscure.
Here's some rules of thumb when using hashtags:
- Make sure your hashtags are relevant to your content.
- Don't use too many hashtags, and make sure they're specific to your audience.
- Use sparingly, and only for the most important posts (if you really want to use them).
- In moderation! Not too many folks will follow you if your feed is full of #lifestyle #fashion #photography #travel #shopaholic (or whatever other "hot" topics people like). Use these in moderation like when you've got something really interesting to say or show off, but don't go overboard with it.
You're not responding to your followers' comments and messages.
Responding to comments and messages from your followers is one of the best ways to build trust and credibility. It shows that you care about them, that you're listening, that you're human and sincere.
The more engaged you are with your followers on social media, the more likely they are to engage with you as well. If someone follows a brand on Instagram or Twitter, they're probably not just looking for updates but also hoping for an opportunity to interact with that brand in some way: by sharing their ideas on a product or service, asking questions about something related to it or simply saying "Hi."
Your account looks unprofessional, or it's missing key information.
Your profile is the first thing people see when they visit your page, so it should be as professional and complete as possible.
If you haven’t updated your profile in years, leave some new information in the "About" section that makes it clear what you do now.
If you haven't completed all of the fields on your profile (like a link to your website), add those now too.
Don’t forget photos! It’s hard for someone to follow someone they don’t know or recognize from somewhere else online. Include at least one photo of yourself with a real smile and close-up shots of products if appropriate.
Last but not least: make sure all of this information is consistent across channels like Twitter and LinkedIn too!
If you use social media the right way, you can expand your business far more than if you just tried to network the traditional way
If you aren't using social media as an effective tool to build relationships and connect with customers, then the value of your content will be lost. Your posts can only go so far if they're not in front of the right people.
Using social media is a great way to find new customers, but it's also great for building relationships with existing ones.
With social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you have instant access to thousands of potential buyers who already like what you do and want more from you.
On top of that, these tools allow them easy ways to communicate directly with you, and that means better customer service than ever before!
To help grow your business through social networking, consider these tips I listed above!
Conclusion
We hope that this article has helped you to understand the many ways in which you can use social media to boost your business.
If you're not getting enough followers on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, take a look at these tips and see if they help. You might be surprised at how much more effective social media can be than traditional networking!
For more tips on how to use social media to grow your following and your business, click here to learn more about our next expo! We will have social media experts come to help you better understand how to use social media for your business.
