We have spoken about where you should begin regarding social media in our previous blog, Starting from Zero: Where to Begin on Social Media. But once you have opened your social media accounts, where do you go from there?
The first thing that usually pops into your mind is, how am I going to gain followers? We’re here to help! To get you going, we’ll go through some fundamental tactics to gain your social media following.
Quality Content
First and foremost, the main way to increase your following is simply by creating great content that will engage your audience. This, in turn, will encourage your following to like, comment and share your content which will expose your content to a wider audience and increase your following. Electronic word-of-mouth is the greatest influencer amongst consumers. Therefore, if a member of your audience engages with your posts, a friend of theirs may be more inclined to engage with you too, increasing your following. Brand advocates such as your friends, family and employees will be a great support here to get things moving.
Use of Imagery
Image is everything. As mentioned in our TOP TIP #5: Maximise Facebook + Twitter Engagement with Images blog, content with relevant visuals get 94% more views than text-only posts.
Instagram primarily focuses on imagery, so take more time to get these pictures right. You may look to develop a brand theme to your images so your feed has consistency. Have a look at your filters as research proves they really are eye-catching. Mix things up with video too, Boomerangs & Giphy’s.
Hashtag Strategically
In order to reach your desired audience, ensure that you use relevant hashtags with your imagery that your desired audience are likely to search for. Dedicate a hashtag to yourself that you can promote on other channels to integrate your marketing activity (be fun and creative with this!). Read more about hashtagging strategically in our TOP TIP #7: Use Hashtags Strategically blog.
Follow for Follow
The beauty of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is that they suggest relevant accounts that you should follow, based on your content, bio, current followers and who your competitors are following. Seek out key influencers in your industry too. Some that you follow may also follow you back! Stay active and engage with these followers, including sharing their content. If you support them, they are more likely to support you too. But make sure you keep control of your Following to Follower ratio on all social media channels as your desired audience may be reluctant to follow you if you are following 3103 yet only have 202 followers.
Link your channels
An easy, yet effective tool is to add a social media widgets to your website. Your consumer can then be directed straight to your social media pages without the extra hassle of trying to find you themselves. Check out our Social Hub!
As simple as it sounds, don’t be afraid to post about your other social media channels to encourage a following across all networks. See our examples.
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Your Facebook page tabs can also add Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram feeds. Simply use Facebook’s search bar to find, for example, ‘Instagram feed tab for pages’ and install the app and link your accounts, resulting in your other social media channels being displayed on your Facebook page like so. 
Schedule Posts
It’s so important to stay organised. We suggest planning your posts using a simple Excel spreadsheet, displaying which posts are going out when and on what channel. You can then schedule up to three channels for your posts using free tool, Hootsuite. It also has a natty ‘Auto Schedule’ facility that works out the best time to post for maximum engagement. That way, you can get on with your day without having to worry about posting. Be sure to keep up with any engagement though as it can be easy to forget that your social media activity is live when using scheduling tools.
These tips are all organic growth methods. There are paid options across the three social media channels which we will address in a later blog, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, if you need help with your organic social media growth, get in touch!