7 Best Practices to Grow Your Social Media Presence Faster

It's no secret that social media is an integral part of any company's marketing strategy.

With so many networks to choose from, there are plenty of routes you can take to grow your online presence.

However, with these platforms’ constant updates, it's hard to keep up with what changes need to be made on your end for maximum growth to happen.

Let's go over seven best practices you can implement today to grow your social media presence faster!
 

1. Make a social media plan based on marketing goals and business objectives

A social marketing strategy should be tailored to your brand, with metrics to measure success or failure anytime.

The idea is to create a plan that reflects your brand objectives, tuned to the lifestyle of your ideal audience.

The first step in this process is deciding what you want to achieve on social media. Grow followers? Increase engagement (comments, likes, shares, etc.)? Upsurge SEO ranking? Generate revenue? Improve brand loyalty or customer satisfaction?

Once you define your objectives, the next step in creating a plan is to set goals for each one.

E.g., if your goal is to grow your 5k Twitter followers to 10k, one goal could be to "increase follower count by 100% within six months." If that's not achievable in six months, it's worth breaking it down into smaller, more achievable goals.

Say one of your goals is to increase customer engagement on Instagram or Facebook, focusing all resources there. Give up the others since you can chase them later.

Creating the perfect marketing plan can be difficult because there are so many options—from social networks and tools to content strategies.

Each channel has its advantages and disadvantages. You want to find out which one will work best with what you're trying to accomplish and the nature of business.

To get yourself as far ahead of the game as possible, research which social network will create an ideal scenario before deciding on just any old name.
 

2. Define your target audience

The audience you choose to target will dictate what type of content you post, how often you post, and where these posts live.

There are different social media audiences with varying interests, but most people have a primary reason to be on any platform.

Applying this, for example, if you have a business that sells books for children, it would make sense to target parents.

They are likely the primary decision maker when purchasing books. Parents are more active with kids’ accounts, so this is an audience worth targeting.

In contrast, if you have a business that sells makeup products to adults, it would make sense to target people in their 20s and 30s.

The demographic of someone with an active social media account is mainly 18-34-year-olds, so this is a beautiful opportunity for you.
 

3. Develop content that will resonate with your audience 

The importance of creating content that will resonate with your audience has been well established in the research on why people share their thoughts and opinions.

Users are more apt to engage when they feel you understand them, can relate to what they're going through, or offer helpful advice for how they might overcome a problem.

So, make a habit of sharing problem-solving content relevant to your industry and audience. And it's not just about what you're saying, but how you say it.

Don't forget to upload quality content relevant to the audience and findable by social media and search engine algorithms.
 

4. Use audiovisuals to make your posts more interesting 

Videos are an easy way to catch your viewers' attention. Yes, images and videos are more likely to be shared than text-only posts.

You can create a "story" with your visuals, using images that go together to tell a story or illustrate an event.

Include audiovisuals relevant to your message and make sure they're of excellent quality. Don't forget to add exciting captions with a clear call to action so people can take the specific action you want.

And don't be afraid of testing out new types of visuals to keep things exciting and see what indeed works over time. An example is to convert texts into moving pictures.
 

5. Be consistent - post around the same time every week

This is the consistency that will help you create a dedicated following.

Open up your social channel's analytics to find the most active hours of your followers, planning your uploads accordingly.

The more often your content goes live at the right time, the better chance it has of being seen by people following you and even those who don't.

On days you'll have nothing to post, make sure to schedule ahead, so they don't go empty.

Schedule your posts consistently to build the momentum you need to scale your brand presence on any network.
 

6. Share other people's content too

The key to maximizing your impact on social media is building relationships with others. You can do this by commenting, liking, or sharing their content every day.

To reach the most incredible amount of potential customers possible, it's not just about building your audience but also engaging with other users.

However, be careful not to appear spammy.
 

7. Add relevant tags and use a branded hashtag for all your posts

Hashtags are a powerful way to group your posts with other related content, and using a variety of these tags helps increase visibility and engagement.

Relevant hashtags help other users find information about any topic they're interested in following (#marketingtips).

In addition, using a branded hashtag for all of your posts is an easy way to identify and track the success of your content marketing efforts. You can also use it to collect user-generated content. 

Remember to keep your #tags clear and concise.
 

More tips to supercharge your social media marketing strategy

• Create a professional profile - use a professional-looking profile picture and include a detailed bio.
   

• Ask followers for feedback by asking them questions like "What do you think of this?" or "Do you have any tips for me?"
   

• Tag influencers in your post so they can share it with their followers.
   

• Create a social media calendar for yourself and stay organized by scheduling posts ahead of time, noting holidays and other special events.
   

• Spend time to develop your unique brand story and messaging format, and stay consistent.
   

• Find audience-rich platforms that entertain your goals and objectives.
   

• Focus on quality when creating or curating content. Ensure all your posts are well-produced and engaging.
   

• Refrain from posting too much or too little.
   

• Respond to comments as soon as possible and ALWAYS stay polite!
   

• Link back to your website in your bio section and captions, so people can find out more information about what you do online. E.g., link to a blog post on how to make brownies for dessert recipes or your article from another site like The New York Times or Forbes.
   

• Utilize social media analytics, management, and optimization tools. A classic example is BlastUp (ex-Gramblast), offering genuine Instagram likes, views, and followers.
   

• Give something away for free, such as a valuable audiobook or product sample.
   

• Consider adding an email sign-up form for subscribers who want regular updates from you.
   

• Engage in interactive activities like contests, challenges, polls, quizzes, Q&As, AMAs, and live streams.
   

• Don't forget behind-the-scenes and staff footage.
   

Key takeaways

Social media has become an important marketing channel for all businesses.

Whether you're new to social marketing or a pro, it's vital to understand each network’s best practices and how they can apply to your business goals.

There you have it—our compilation of the top 7 recommendations to follow when building up your social following.