How to grow social media followers

These days, you’ll be able to’t develop a private model or run a enterprise with out an lively social media presence. Nonetheless, with so many individuals and types on social media, it may be troublesome to get seen and develop your viewers with out subtle advertising methods. 

Development doesn’t occur in a single day, so it’s vital to be affected person and have a wholesome mindset round this objective. Take it from Amber Vittoria—artist, writer and Wix person—who has greater than 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 followers throughout her social media accounts. “It took nearly a decade [to grow my following on] Instagram and X—and some years for TikTok,” Amber says. 

However the worth has paid off in spades. Her socials have helped to advertise her work of gradient ribbons of shade in order that now, her designs have been featured on merchandise from Adidas, Mastercard, L’Oreal Paris and H&M Residence. In 2023, Amber even revealed her first ebook, These Are My Huge Woman Pants: Poetry and Work on Womanhood. 

Whereas there’s no one-size-fits-all method to rising a social media presence, we picked Amber’s mind to get her recommendation on the right way to develop social media followers and why doing so is important.

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11 tips about the right way to develop social media followers

1. Get artistic with video

2. Associate with others

3. Cross-promote your social media profiles

4. Encourage user-generated content material

5. Put money into adverts

6. Follow the schedule

7. Be genuine

8. Construct relationships together with your followers

9. Concentrate on analytics

10. Be selective about what you share

11. Bear in mind your “why”

01. Get artistic with video

TikTok has modified the sport in social media advertising in the case of video content material. Recognized for its bite-sized movies, TikTok has develop into the platform to imitate for social media giants like Instagram, Fb, YouTube and X who’ve all adopted some kind of short-form video.

These days, the urge for food for video is big: 66% of shoppers report short-form video to be essentially the most participating kind of social media content material—but video is essentially the most underutilized format throughout a number of channels, in keeping with SproutSocial.  As a result of producing movies can get time-consuming, Amber systematized her manufacturing to stop it from distracting from her artwork. “With video being the precedence on social, I movie snippets of my course of, edit them within the apps and publish,” she says. 

Thankfully, fewer shoppers anticipate extremely polished content material than you may anticipate. Seventy-nine p.c of Millennials and Gen Zers choose much less refined, extra genuine content material. By embracing this lo-fi content material development, you can also make the method of constructing movies for social media extra manageable.

02. Associate with others

Teaming up with different creators, influencers or manufacturers can widen your sphere. By collaborating, you’ll be able to faucet into one another’s follower base and supply complementary content material. All these collaborations also can enhance your credibility, particularly when partnering with well-known manufacturers, serving to to determine belief with followers, each present and new.

Amber isn’t any stranger to those partnerships. Partnerships have helped her to achieve area of interest audiences which will take an curiosity in her work. Her collaboration with Tilda & Moo, a child accent firm, as an illustration, has launched her artwork to new moms who recognize artwork in all types—even within the type of bibs and blankets.

Collaborating would not all the time imply launching a product line. It may be so simple as becoming a member of forces with a peer in your business and sharing your joint actions via an Instagram Collab. (This explicit Instagram characteristic enables you to tag your collaborator in order that one publish conveniently seems in each your feed and your collaborator’s feed.)

Whether or not you’re engaged on a product line or a advertising collab, Amber suggests taking a storytelling method. “My art work could be very narrative-driven, so I like when my collaborations are as effectively,” she says.

03. Cross-promote your social media profiles

You don’t must reinvent the wheel on every platform—as a substitute, develop a cross-promotion technique to unfold the wealth throughout your social media presence and ensure your followers on one know of your content material on one other. 

As an example, you may publish a snippet from a YouTube video in your Instagram story with a immediate directing viewers to the total video on YouTube. Alternatively, you possibly can publish behind-the-scenes footage on X from an Instagram mission, drawing your X followers to your Instagram for extra content material. This method not solely piques curiosity but additionally encourages followers to work together together with your profiles on varied platforms.

In the event you’re in search of lower-hanging fruit, merely linking from profile to profile within the bio part of every account can assist individuals discover the content material that almost all appeals to them. Amber locations social media icons proper within the header of her portfolio web site to make sure that they’re simply noticeable. 

04. Encourage user-generated content material (UGC)

Your prospects are your finest advocates, so invite them that can assist you develop your social media viewers. Amber has discovered that a lot of her web site site visitors comes from prospects sharing her work on-line. To encourage user-generated content material (UGC), think about these approaches:

• Ship a postcard: For bodily merchandise, insert a postcard into your packaging that encourages prospects to publish an image together with your product and tag you on social media. 

• Create a photograph spot: In case your model has a bodily house, similar to a retailer or pop-up, arrange a beautiful photograph alternative, like a vibrant mural. Embrace your social media deal with to encourage tagging.

• Host a contest: Arrange a social media contest asking members to share a photograph, video or story associated to your model together with your account tagged as a part of their entry. This not solely engages your viewers but additionally helps unfold model consciousness via their networks.

05. Put money into adverts

In case your social media progress is not as quick as you would like, think about using adverts. Whilst you don’t wish to develop into over-reliant on adverts, adverts may give you a push in the suitable course once you’re simply getting began. 

Social media platforms every supply their very own distinctive promoting companies. On some, like X, you’ll be able to create follower campaigns which are particularly designed to drum up consideration round your social profile. On others, you’ll be able to select between a wide range of advert codecs—like video, picture and direct message—to get your content material in entrance of extra individuals. 

It’s finest to start out with only one or two channels, the place you’ll be able to make investments time into studying and experimenting with their advert companies. Wix retailers can handle Instagram and Fb adverts proper from their dashboards. Wix gives automation that can assist you shortly create, monitor and optimize your adverts across the clock. 

06. Follow the schedule

Based on Amber, there wasn’t a particular publish that instigated a surge of recent followers. “Persistently exhibiting up is the important thing in my expertise,” she explains.

To that finish, it is vital to take care of a social media calendar that matches comfortably into your each day routine. Amber limits her social media exercise to 1 or two hours a day, guaranteeing it helps however doesn’t overshadow her artwork. “I attempt to maintain it natural and never put an excessive amount of stress on myself,” she says.

By planning and scheduling posts forward of time, you’ll be able to keep a constant on-line presence with out disrupting your different duties or tasks. Wix’s social media administration instrument permits you to schedule posts upfront. It moreover gives templates for picture and video posts, in addition to AI that can assist you write participating captions once you’re in a artistic rut. 

07. Be genuine

With the stress to share on-line always, it’s simple to lose sight of your social media branding. It’s possible you’ll end up posting one thing only for the sake of posting one thing. Keep away from this entice. Doing this will result in creating posts that are not genuine to your model. 

Trendjacking (during which a model makes use of trending matters, occasions or memes to attach with its viewers) could be a useful manner of reaching new audiences. That mentioned, Amber says it’s vital to belief your instincts when attempting social media developments to stay true to your model. When your content material is genuine, it might probably work together with individuals who encounter your account and may make them extra prone to observe you.

“I am not large on following developments, however I do love experimenting with new platforms,” says Amber. “I might say, belief your instincts. If hopping on a development brings you pleasure and success, do it. If tinkering on new platforms feels too heavy of a raise, then do not. The great thing about social is that it’s as much as you [to decide] the way you share and have interaction.”

08. Construct relationships with followers

Partaking with followers isn’t only a rewarding solution to keep related together with your supporters—it’s additionally an natural solution to develop your viewers. “My favourite is when of us DM me,” says Amber. “It feels extra private, and it aligns with how I behave in actual life since I am a lot better at chatting one-on-one versus in giant group settings.”

By creating relationships with followers, they’ll consider you positively and shall be extra prone to unfold the phrase about your model. They may share a screenshot of a dialog that they had with you of their Tales or retweet your back-and-forth as a result of they’re excited that you just responded. Or, in the event that they’re an lively buyer, they could be extra prone to share about your services or products on social media after you’ve engaged with them.

“Concentrate on those that are already following you. Give them love, and extra of us will see that and observe alongside as effectively,” says Amber. “The neatest factor I’ve performed concerning following is to not focus an excessive amount of on how many individuals observe me however to attach with those that already take the time to have a look at my work and observe together with my artwork apply.”

09. Concentrate on analytics

To confirm that you just’re creating content material that engages your viewers, verify your social media analytics. Every platform has a local reporting characteristic that permits you to monitor follower progress and see metrics like likes, feedback, attain, impressions and extra. Most social media platforms require you to have a enterprise account to entry stories, so change into this mode should you’re not utilizing it already.

Use analytics to find out when your accounts have skilled essentially the most progress and to see which posts carry out the very best. Discover patterns in your top-performing content material, then use that to tell your content material. You can additionally use this knowledge to find out which posts to spice up with advert cash to draw new followers.

10. Be selective about what you share about your self

Oversharing may be inevitable once you’re attempting to develop your social media following. Amber recommends maintaining your private {and professional} lives separate on-line to keep away from burnout. 

“I’ve slowed down on sharing every little thing about my life on social,” she says. “Generally we overlook a few of {our relationships} on social media are parasocial, and [we] method a stranger on-line as if we’re mates. Due to this, I attempt to maintain my social media about my artwork and the components of myself which are related overtly to my artwork.”

One other profit: Conserving your content material targeted on a specific subject or theme will assist entice the correct of followers. It may well assist you stand out in entrance of the suitable individuals, reasonably than power you to attempt to be every little thing to everybody.

11. Bear in mind your “why”

Mastering the right way to develop social media followers comes with many advantages, however it isn’t every little thing. Hold your “why” in thoughts as you create content material to remain true to your big-picture targets. Though Amber has a formidable viewers on social media, her goal isn’t to make a profession out of social media influencing. Her artwork and writing profession are her high priorities, she says. 

Why do you have to learn to develop social media followers?

Mastering the right way to develop a social following is a strategic transfer that goes past private reputation. By investing within the above methods, you’ll be able to look ahead to the next advantages.

Land skilled alternatives

Rising your on-line presence opens up doorways to skilled alternatives like paid partnerships, shoppers and even full-time work. For instance, via a connection on X, Amber managed to land a fee from Mastercard and MLB to design a limited-edition, animated digital ticket for the 2023 All Star Sport in Seattle.

Turn into a thought chief

Having a considerable social media following positions you as an business thought chief or skilled and makes you a beautiful candidate for talking alternatives, media interviews, collaborations, business occasions and extra. By amplifying her social media presence, Amber made a reputation for herself within the artwork world and has been a visitor on greater than two dozen podcasts and counting.

Achieve extra prospects

A big social media following expands your attain, growing your possibilities of assembly new prospects. In the same sense, by participating with followers on social media, you’ll be able to foster a way of group round your model. This could deepen your prospects’ loyalty to you, or persuade your on-line followers to develop into paying prospects.

Living proof: Amber’s social media accounts are greater than only a place for her to share her work; they’re a spot for her to promote it. On her Instagram, Amber has a number of calls to motion for followers to buy her work. In her link-in-bio, Amber hyperlinks to her on-line retailer and has a CTA that encourages followers to buy her prints. Her Instagram Highlights (i.e., curated collections of Instagram Tales that she pinned to her profile) characteristic action-oriented titles like “Store Guide” and “Store Prints.” Amber additionally advertises her artwork in her posts and hyperlinks to her on-line retailer in her Tales.

Crowdsource

A large following is sort of a free sounding board that you need to use to assemble opinions. Companies, manufacturers and organizations can leverage their follower bases to crowdsource suggestions, serving to to tailor services or products to prospects’ wants.

Make an impression

A bigger social media following permits you to amplify your message and make a broader impression.

Whether or not you are selling a trigger, sharing useful info or advocating for a particular situation, having a large viewers lets you attain and affect extra individuals.

Amber makes use of her platform on Instagram to unfold hope to others who’re affected by continual diseases. In a caption for a publish about her piece “The Idle Shift,” she talks about her journey with migraines, allergic reactions and anxiousness and the assorted remedies she has tried. She hopes to achieve extra individuals who would profit from listening to her message and really feel much less alone of their struggles.

Diversify your income streams

With a bigger social media following, you may have a better probability of diversifying your earnings streams to incorporate online marketing, sponsored occasions, merchandise and even a brand new product line.

Furthermore, larger follower counts go hand in hand with larger incomes potential. Manufacturers are keen to pay extra for partnerships once they know your content material can attain a bigger and extra engaged viewers.

Keep high of thoughts

Your exercise on-line can assist you keep atop shoppers’ minds. Put merely: The extra lively followers you may have, the extra potential impression you can also make.

In the event you run a enterprise, this ongoing visibility will increase model consciousness and helps to maintain your model high of thoughts when followers are making buying selections.

Construct your connections

Enterprise- and brand-building advantages apart, rising your social media following is a incredible solution to construct connections and relationships on-line. Though most of Amber’s freelance shoppers come from chilly electronic mail outreach, investing time in social media is price it for her. “I like connecting with individuals over my artwork, and social media is the very best place to do this,” Amber says.