10 Ways to Attract the Right Following on Social Media

A social media platform is one of the best ways of marketing a business of any size, but be sure to establish the type of following your business is after. A local business (for example, a spa or restaurant) will have more benefit of having a small local following, then a larger international following that will never visit. Identify your business strategy, whether to build local leads, a national following, or international branding.

After establishing the business strategy, take an inventory of your available resources. Keep in mind your:

• Potential reach as a business
• Resources of time and money for monitoring and interacting
• Type of product or service and your target market identification

Utilizing your well-chosen social media platform, the right following can be built by:

1. Creating a professional bio and profile with high caliber photos
2. Cross promote postings between social media platforms
3. Have your social media identifier everywhere – business cards, email signature, letterhead, web page, sales receipt, or anywhere else that your customer and potential customers will see
4. Reciprocate posting’s and like’s with your followers. Take note of who is interacting with your posts and do the same for them
5. Be human. Use your personal identity and not just a logo. Social media is about people connecting and understanding.
6. Visualization is fundamental. Anything worth saying is worth posting with a picture. Photos grab attention and should be used with all text. A photo can be posted without text, but text should never be posted without a photo.
7. Pay attention to what others pay attention to. Copy others for new, fresh and innovative. This will help you to stay current with latest developments and popular topics. Leave a thought provoking comment on a popular post; this can draw others back to your profile.
8. Set a schedule and follow it. Ideal posting times vary with social media platforms; familiarize yourself with the most viewed times. Then carve out some time to post and respond.
9. Review what works and what doesn’t work. Monitor the results of your post with re-posts and likes. Be prepared to change your approach, either the platform or simply the topic.
10. Be interesting. Seek the engagement of your followers by being noteworthy and remarkable.

Post often and regularly. Measure your results to your objectives to see how your efforts are affecting your revenue and growth. A growing following is only effective if there is a positive impact to the business.