How to Increase Followers vs. Views
I could easily tell you to polish up your bio, perhaps get creative with hashtags. I could stress the importance of engaging in trending and important discussions on this platform. But I do not think that is where we should begin. Though I will share strategies and resources that are proven to yield results, I want to dive deeper into this topic.
Get your notepad and pen ready!
In this post, I will discuss 7 most common asked questions about increasing your following online and what steps to take to achieve your goals.
The seven most common questions are:
1.What do I have to offer?
2.How do I map it out?
3.How do I validate my ideas?
4.Who should I share my message to?
5.How do I gather and prepare content?
6.How do I know people are seeing my posts?
7.How do I avoid getting overwhelmed with social media?
I will also share tips within these seven sections that will give you best practices on increasing your following. So get your notepad and pen and lets get started!
Ready? Okay!!
I know you have likely heard this before but it really is about quality over quantity. But how? How do I differentiate the two when I feel overwhelmed with guilt to post daily?
How do I stand out from the crowd? What is my unique angle?
It’s possible you have the answer to this already.
Step 1 : What do I have to offer?
Ask yourself, what do other people come to me for? What do my friends and family ask me for advice on? What does my colleagues ask me to help with?
It could be as simple as your family always invites you to gatherings cause you’re the extrovert and can keep those awkward conversations at bay. Maybe people perceive you as confident and you seem to have this innate ability to stand out. Maybe you are passionate about others feeling this way too?
Maybe, just maybe, there is something there. This could very well be your superpower.
Tap into this passion. Embrace who you are as an individual and I can guarantee this will begin to manifest into your work.
Tip - Your passion will create influence, your talent will bring intrigue and your hustle with bring profit.
Step 2 : How do I map it out?
Sit down and map out your unique qualities. Begin to think about creative ways to showcase who you are and what you have to offer. Start with a general mission, like helping people to find confidence. Take that concept and build off of it.
There’s a plethora of free resources online that allow you to map out your ideas with a neat visual representation. Check out this article that discusses the top 10 mind mapping softwares/tools online. Many of these softwares/tools breakdown the process of mapping out your concept and can guide you through the beginning stages of your big idea.
Tip - Treat your idea as if it is already a profitable business. By looking through this lens, you allow yourself to strategize from a larger perspective and in turn you will analyze every detail. This is important when trying to stand out.
Step 3 : How do I validate my ideas?
As creative people, we tend to leave this step out. It is paramount to understanding your market and the demand that is happening right now. By studying what people are currently looking for or what people are trying to achieve for themselves, you are discovering your unique buy-in tactic with your audience.
A simple way to validate your idea, is to head straight over to Google.
Type in a general keyword search for your idea. Using the example we used earlier regarding confidence, say you researched “How to be confident?”
Notice the words that are generated below, as if Google is trying to finish your sentence for you. Notice some of the topics suggested. How to be confident in an interview, at work, with acne, with women, with your body, etc. These are your topics of discussion, that support your overall mission.
Now, lets further review this example. Press enter and see what ads appear on the top, bottom and side margin of the page. You may begin to see ads that speak to what you just searched for. These are the products you can discuss, use and share with others.
What about how to’s? What are people trying to figure out for themselves. Use that same search but begin looking for courses, guides, plans, etc. You will begin to see just how requested your particular niche is.
Tip - Modeling is okay. You do not have to have it all figured out, nor do you have to create a completely new concept. You do not have to be the first. Model what is working for others. There is a group of people that will find interest in you and how you share your message. We each have our own circle of friends, begin there.
Step 4 : Who should I share my message to?
This is the next most important step in any marketing strategy. Figure out who your audience is and do not be afraid to narrow it down.
Decide who you want to impact first. Determine what age range that is, gender, region, interest on the topic, and perhaps even their spending ability.
Get detailed with your targeting and do not try to speak to everyone or your message will get lost.
Tip - A great way to map this out is to use the formula that Facebook Ad uses. You can fill in all of the sections I mentioned above but you can get even more specific by filling out the ‘detailed targeting” section. Type in a generic keyword and much like google, facebook will generate suggestions. That cuts out all the hard work for you and offers topics that relate to yours. So if anyone shows interest in any one of those keywords, your ad will appear on their feed. If you do not have it in your financial plan to use ads at this time, use the suggestions to determine what words or hashtags to use in your posts.
Step 5 : How do I gather and prepare content?
You do not have to start posting right away. Take time to build engaging content and give yourself dedicated time to form your message.
Take a day and do a photoshoot. You can wear different outfits. Pose in different spots and even indulge in various products or your favorite activities. Build a folder of photos that you can look at collectively and begin to determine what you want to say.
You may even begin to notice that a general theme is unfolding. With each caption you are preparing, you might notice that your niche is becoming even more clear. Do not ignore patterns. They are worth tapping into because consistency is a proven tactic to any marketing campaign.
Tip - Later is a great app to use when planning out your posts. This app allows you to schedule posts and prepare captions for them. It even shows your social media schedule as a calendar and how it would look once it’s posted on your feed. This is a great way to visualize how your feed will appear to new and returning fans.
Step 6 : How do I know people are seeing my posts?
Sharing your posts organically can be tough when you are on a budget and are not prepared to spend money on digital ads.
And with Instagram’s algorithm continuously updating it can be hard to know what is making its way to your desired viewers.
But this is what we do know.
The algorithm dictates the order of posts a user sees based on relevance
If a follower has interacted with you previously, they are more likely to see your content. Think about what is engaging and speaks to them, enough to want to engage further. Maybe even share your content.
If the follower interacts with similar posts and topics, then users who are also engaging in that similar content will see your posts. Determine what is most relevant with your users. This can take time.
When a post is shared is still an important factor even though Instagram does not show posts in chronological order. Most recent posts of yours will appear while your older content may show up later or not at all.
This is important to consider when creating new content. Consistency with you message should be a priority so new and old followers will find you and know what you have to offer.
So what does this mean for you? How do you build off a formula that seems to be against you?But there are ways around this. Build a relationship.
Yep! That’s it’s! This brings us right back to quality over quantity. Relationship over reach. Just one big beautiful circle moment.
When you post, encourage your followers to respond, share their thoughts. Make it clear that you are open to conversation and bonding over a similar interest.
And you should return that favor to other influencers, businesses and accounts who share a similar message. Engage with them and your profile in turn becomes more visible.
You can even receive notifications from accounts you are interested in so you can be sure to comment on their posts. It’s also important to jump into the conversation early because this goes back to relevancy and what Instagram shows as most recent and highly discussed!
Post when they are present.
Remember the days when we used to call our friends on the landline to talk with them? We knew exactly when the best time would be! Not during school hours, not during dinner time and especially not while mom was on the computer. There was this sweet spot so we knew our friend would be ready to pick up and talk for hours.
So when should you post? How do you find out when your followers are online in order to maximize the potential for your posts?
This begins with a little trial and error. Take the opportunity to post different content, posts and stories, throughout the week at different times to see when you get the most engagement. Then review your analytics report that Instagram provides through a business account.
There are studies that indicate that the peak time for Instagram is.
Check out the information here.
Tip - Be genuine! If you are only looking for a sale or a like for a like, people will see that and steer away from your page. Be a champion of others and you will notice a major difference in your engagement.
Step 7 : How do I avoid getting overwhelmed with social media?
Enjoy the process!
Seriously! You do not have to have it all figured out. You do not have to have the perfect filter, engaging caption or trending hashtags to make waves online. Be true to who you are and be willing to learn new things along the way. Celebrate your small begins and keep pushing forward!
In addition, there are so many great resources out there that you can utilize to make your journey a little easier. Many of us want to help you succeed, I know I do!
I enjoy the creativity of marketing and the opportunity it has offered me to help others! So please take advantage of these tools and trainings!
If you would like to learn more about Sabal Solutions, connect with us on social @SabalSolutions or visit our site at SabalSolutions.com.
If you have a question or would like to know more about a topic, please email us at info.sabalsolution@gmail.com