Six Simple Strategies for Growing Your Fan Base

One of my favorite social marketing influencers, Jay Baer once wrote, “nobody said social media was easy, just that it was awesome.” The journey of growing your social media audience is a long and slow one. Building relationships takes time, and it takes commitment. But, it’s a crucial first step in social media marketing.

By incorporating these six simple strategies into your social media time, you gain exposure for your business and in turn, get more fans.

How to Get More Fans:

1. Write a professional about description.

Don’t rush this part! Most people are in such a hurry to open their pages and profile, they put just about anything in the about description. Use your about section to share a success story, tell people what you will post about, and deliver the key marketing messages for your business.

2. Add social follow buttons to your website.

Social follow buttons link people to your page or profile. When I come across a blog post that’s informative and fun to read,  the first thing I do is look for social follow buttons. This way I can subscribe to the content this business or blogger is sharing on social media. Bonus points if you can embed a like or follow widget right in your sidebar. These features will allow people to follow you without leaving your website.

3. Leave comments and respond to questions.

The real secret to how to get more fans on social media is about one simple thing. Being social. Make time to go browse other people’s posts and leave comments. Each time you comment on someone’s post, you create a notification for them and get your business name in front of their fans. It’s also important to regularly check for questions or messages from your fans. Each response you give can help build relationships with potential partners or customers.

4. Post value-adding content.

Use your social media presence to help make your customer’s lives better. Help them save time by sharing tutorials or tips. Educate them about your industry. Inspire them with a testimonial or success story. Entertain them with pictures, videos, and fun facts. When a fan find value in your content they’re likely to share, like or click on it.

5. Recycle most popular content. Remember to add hashtags!

Once a month do a quick audit of your posts. Which post type do you fans like most? Did you ask a question that received a lot of comments? Identify your most engaging content and save a link to it in a reference doc. This way you can share it again later in case anyone missed it. By adding relevant hashtags you also help other find your post.

6. Mention supporters and influences in posts.

In every industry their are leaders. Find the top bloggers, tweeters and pinners posting about your key topics. Reshare their posts and reach out to them with a mention. To mention someone use the @ and the person’s username. This will tag them in the post. Another category of people you need to connect with are your supporters. Find your rock star fans and thank them with a mention.

> Next steps:

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