3 Tips to Grow Your Audience

There is no such thing as an overnight success. It takes a lot of hustle, skill and focus to be successful. Social media is no different, you gotta be good to get where you’re trying to go. But for those just starting out on social media here are a few tips to grow an audience.

• VALUE – This is the number one way to grow a social media following. It doesn’t matter what you do there is some sort of content that you can publish to create value in the lives of your target demographic. For a mortgage lender it may be tips on improving your credit. For a florist it may be videos explaining how to arrange a bouquet or keep flowers looking fresh for longer. For a cleaning lady it may be DIY instructions on how to get red wine out of carpets. If you are a professional you can share your expertise in your industry to create value in the lives of the consumer.
  
• CARE – You have to care about your audience. I know, crazy! People know when a brand or company cares about them. How do you show your audience that you care? Well you interact with them proactively instead of just reactively. Ask them questions and take their feedback to heart. I have seen companies large and small get both 1 and 5 star ratings on Facebook and say nothing to those people. Your customer just spent 5 minutes out of their day to let you know how they feel, you need to at least acknowledge that. If it is a 1 star rating you REALLY need to interact with that customer, because the rest of the audience will take notice if you don’t.
  
• Be Consistent – You can’t expect success on social media if you post inconsistently. Just like anything else you need to do your homework to get the grades. Posting on a Monday at 8 am when you roll into the office and then neglecting it until Friday isn’t doing you any favors. Your posts only go out to a small percentage of your audience anyway, chances are you will miss them both times. Therefore, it is pointless and no wonder your following isn’t growing.

Whether your purpose on social media is to convert traffic to your website, offer better customer service or to increase brand awareness your company needs to be good at social media to accomplish these goals. If your brand has been utilizing social media for a year or more without the designated KPIs showing a return, then you’re not good. In this case, you should outsource it and focus on what you are good at.

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