How to Increase Your Social Media (Followers) With These 5 Simple Steps

25 Must-Follow Social Media Guidelines for Businesses to Stay Connected to Customers

Social media is a great place to have conversations with your customers. It’s also a great place to make new friends and connections. The tricky part? Figuring out how to get the most out of it all. Social media can be a great way for businesses to promote themselves, keep their customers informed about new products or services, and even create brand evangelists by providing opportunities for people to share their good experiences with you and your company. However, as with any type of marketing, getting the most out of your social media requires you to put some thought and planning into it. If you’re just starting out on social media or want to amp up your efforts in this area, here are seven helpful guidelines:

Build a foundation of trust before asking for anything from your audience.

In every business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) relationship, trust is the foundation that lays the groundwork for all future interactions. Without it, you’re likely to get burned or frustrated by both sides of the equation. And in social media, this is even more important because the vast majority of your audience likely won’t even know who you are or what you do—let alone trust you enough to do business with you. You need to build this trust where you can and then keep it going—both through your actions and through social media content.

To start, you need to be who you say you are. This means no deceptive content or tactics and being completely genuine in everything you do. You can’t expect your followers to trust you if you don’t trust yourself. So, keep your social media channels consistent. If you use different photos for different social media accounts, for example, keep them consistent. And if you post things that don’t reflect your company or brand, take them down. Any social media account is a reflection of your brand, and inconsistency or misdirection in any way could cause your customers to lose trust in you.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of content.

Social media is all about experimenting. Sure, there are certain things you shouldn’t try, but in general, you need to experiment with different types of content to see what resonates best with your audience. Remember, social media isn’t just about what you post; it’s about how you post it. If you’re posting content that doesn’t engage your followers or solidify your position as a leader in your industry, you’re not getting the most out of this medium.

While you might think that you have a clear idea of what type of content to post, don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles and formats—or even try posting the same thing in a different way. If you’re not sure how to post something, try posting something totally unrelated to your company and see what kind of reactions you get. You might discover what content is working best for your audience.

Don’t try to be everything to everybody.

Don’t feel like you have to be on social media 24/7 to get value out of it. There are times when you should be active on social media, but don’t over-extend yourself. You should be selective in which social media accounts you engage with, as well as the types of posts you post. Not every post needs to be about your company; some posts are about sharing something that relates to the interests of your audience.

One of the biggest social media mistakes that businesses make is over-shifting their focus from one social media channel to the next. For example, one week you might spend a lot of time and energy on Facebook, and the next week, you spend too much time on Instagram. You have to be focused on one social media channel and one social media type of content—no matter what channel you’re tweeting on or what type of content you’re posting on Facebook or Instagram.

Be consistent, but don’t be afraid to change things up.

Consistency is key. Yes, it’s important to build a foundation of trust with your followers, but it’s equally important to change your content, strategies, and social media formats from time to time. Like it or not, you have to keep your social media followers and audience on their toes and interested. When it comes to social media, you can’t simply stick to the same approach for too long. You have to change, mix things up, and keep your social media content fresh so that your followers don’t get bored. You can’t expect your followers to continue to tune into their social media feeds if they’re getting the same tired content.

Take the time to learn the ropes and find your footing before diving in.

Social media is a fast-paced and ever-changing landscape, and you have to be on your toes to keep up. It’s important to take the time to learn the ropes and find your footing with social media before diving in headfirst and hoping to get the most out of it all without a plan. Before you post your first social media post, take the time to research what type of content performs well for your audience. If you’re not sure what your target audience likes, you can use tools such as SocialMediaCore to see what types of posts are getting the most social media attention. Once you’ve done your research, you can create a content plan for your social media accounts. This plan can outline the types of content you want to post, as well as when and where you want to post it. Having a content plan will help you stay focused on what works best for your audience, as well as keep you organized so you don’t get overwhelmed.