Learn how to keep your followers engaged and how to make the workload manageable.

Growing a social media following in a crowded digital landscape takes a tailored social media strategy coupled with industry insights and technical know-how. But it can all seem so overwhelming! The best way to start is to focus on one thing at a time. Today, we are talking about ‘4 Ways to Cultivate Social Media Followers.’

Keep reading to learn how to keep your followers engaged and how to make the workload manageable. It’s not about doing ALL THE THINGS. It’s truly about finding what is right for you and your brand. Read on…

1. PLAN AHEAD

The best way to a successful social media content strategy is to plan ahead. Don’t do things on a whim. The first step is to create a social media content calendar. Having this tool will ensure you don’t miss key dates. You can create your calendar in Google Sheets to keep it really simple. Or, you can use a specific social media management tool. Choose from a free tool like HootSuite, or you can choose a paid version like Monday or Sendible that our team prefers.

The good news is that most paid tools offer a free trial period. So, try a few different ones and find out what works best for you. Whatever tool you use, plan ahead for content that helps support your business goals.

2. BE CONSISTENT

There’s something to knowing what to expect. And the same goes for your social media followers. They’ve come to know and love your brand so your social media accounts should be representative of your brand. When someone visits your social media channels they should see the brand they are familiar with. And for new and potential customers, it’s good to show them what your brand is all about.

How can you be consistent with you social media presence? From the creative to the post copy there are many ways to let your brand shine. One of the easiest ways is to use the same colors and embellishments on your social media posts. If you need help creating those check out our Creative Elements Package. It is a unique offering by Afflecto where we give you all the tools to create beautiful social media posts that are consistent with your brand identity. Many small businesses have benefitted from using this package. It’s an easy way to create good social media content.

Additionally, ensure you find your unique voice and that it comes through in how your posts are written. Create a brand persona and define how that person would talk and what words they’d us. Then use that to guide your post writing.

The different content types you share can also create consistency. Users find the most value in educational content and entertaining content, but you also have to determine what is right for your brand. As an example, if you are an orthodontic office, you probably want to share content about the benefits of seeing an orthodontist at an early age (educational) and funny memes about visiting the orthodontist (entertaining). But you will also need to share some get-to-know you content about the people in your office. That way followers can see their favorite hygienist, or the staff that will be treating them. While this isn’t educational or funny, it humanizes the brand by showing some personal aspects of the office.

3. KNOW TRENDS

Be aware of social media trends, but only participate when they make sense for your brand. You don’t need to jump on the bandwagon for every trend. Be mindful of how participating in trends can work within your overall social media strategy.

One “trend” that will always work is user-generated content (UGC). If your fans and followers are sharing content about your brand, it’s always a good idea to use it! First, ask their permission. And once it is granted, share this UGC with your other fans. This authentic content resonates well with nearly all social media users. And potential customers will see it as an endorsement of your brand.

4. CHOOSE QUALITY

If you have a lot on your plate and can’t manage posting to social everyday, then do what you can. Your reach and engagement will increase as you post more, but you also want to share high-quality content. If that means sharing one post per week, than make it amazing!

Also, don’t feel like you have to be present on every social media channel. Choosing the right social networks for your brand is a great way to limit the workload, but still reach your target audience. If your audience is older, you might just need to focus on Facebook and Instagram. If your target is much younger, then you’ll want to consider focusing your efforts on TikTok. Just remember, don’t just to post. Be intentional.

EASY TO USE INFOGRAPIC

Here is an infographic that captures all of this information in an easy to use way. Print it off and keep it by your desk as a reminder of the 4 tips to cultivating social media followers.

Contact Afflecto for Social Media Assistance

We can help drive engagement, awareness and conversions. But first, we’ll talk about your goals. Then, we can do as much, or as little as you’d like. Our team can create a Creative Elements Package that will give you all the tools you need to create beautiful social content. Or, we can handle all of your social media management from social media strategy to content creation and community management. Now is the right time to get your social media channels in order. Contact us to learn more about the social media options we offer.

We talk to a lot of business owners who declare themselves ‘not good writers’ and feel like they have no idea where to start when it comes to creating social content. Little do they know, they are usually sitting on a goldmine of industry knowledge, product details, testimonials, and other information their customers are dying to know!

When social media isn’t your full-time job, it’s difficult to dedicate the time it takes to come up with new post ideas on a daily or weekly basis. If you’re ready to upgrade your business’ social media game, but not sure where to start, this how-to is for you. Take a look at our three easy steps that will tell you how to plan a year’s worth of social media content in no time! Before you know it, this important to-do will be crossed off your to-do list for good! Follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Determine Your Goals

The first step is to determine what you want from this exercise. Social media feels like a necessary evil for many business owners. They spend way too long agonizing over how often to post, what to say, and how it should look. The best way to get started is to understand how your social media presence fits into their greater business goals.

Before you sit down to create your social media content plan, think about what you want to accomplish in your business. A good idea is to ask yourself a few simple questions. What are your marketing goals? Do you want to hire more people? Get your brand in front of a wider audience? Bolster sales of a new product or service? Highlight events or promotions throughout the year? Outlining these kinds of high-level objectives will help focus your content and make sure it’s actually serving a purpose.

Answering these questions is a great way to get a better understanding of topics to address in your social content.

Step 2: Write Your Copy

Ah, now for the fun part! Writing social posts can be intimidating, but with our Content Creation Grid, you can create dozens of posts in a matter of hours! This tool will save you a lot of time. On one axis, think about the focus of your social media content – perhaps a feature of a specific product, a fun historical fact about your business or industry, or an example of how someone uses your service to better their life.

Afflecto Media Marketing free social media content creation tool

The other axis is the format addresses the variety of content types you can use on social media. This is how you will present your ideas. You might consider writing it out as a blog post or whitepaper, creating video content, or maybe choose something interactive like a quiz. Different people like to engage with different kinds of content, so it’s important to shake things up. What you will find is that one piece of content – such as a blog – can become many types of social posts. For example, a blog can be shared, but also become a video for Instagram Reels, a .gif for an Instagram post, an infographic on LinkedIn, AND a carousel of facts on Facebook.

The powerful tool we call the Content Creation Grid is the easiest way to create different types of content…quickly. With this tool, you can mix and match your focus and format to create 100+ pieces of content without reinventing the wheel 100 different times. Have ideas for other focuses or formats? Feel free to add your own! And the good news is that you can get started today by downloading this free social media tool today. We’re happy to share!

Our free templates will help you, your Social Media Manager, or whomever you have working (or not working) on your social media content. You’ll be amazed at the type of content options you are able to plan out.

Step 3: Create Cohesive Graphics

Social media posts need graphics, so the next step is to create graphics for your ideas. There are many things your graphics need to be – compelling, creative, but most importantly, cohesive. When people see your social content, they should instantly know it’s coming from you based on the look and feel of the content.

When creating your social graphics, think beyond throwing your logo over a stock image. Build up a collection of fonts, colors, banners, and more to give your posts a custom feel. Be consistent with the filter you use, and feel free to recycle templates that do a good job showcasing your message.

Not comfortable with Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop? No problem! Canva is great for business owners who are looking for a simple, easy-to-learn design tool.

Bonus Tip: Fill Up Your Scheduler

Congrats, you’re well on your way to creating enough content to last your business for the next year! However, a year’s worth of social content does your business no good if it sits on your desktop. Another best practice for ensuring your valuable content is shared with the world si to use a scheduler. Once you’ve created your graphics for the year, load them into a social content manager like Sendible or Buffer so you can schedule posts to go out automatically throughout the year. If you would rather not use these tools, you can use a Google calendar, Google sheets, or Google docs to make a publishing schedule you can follow. By dedicating just a couple hours to scheduling posts after your creation session, you can coordinate a whole year of social content that will go out on its own. That way it doesn’t weigh on you (and your to-do list)!

When you’re looking for a social post scheduler, there are a lot of options to consider. Figure out what’s on your ‘must have’ list (like the ability to re-size posts for each platform). Then think about what’s on your ‘nice to have’ list (like an analytics dashboard or monthly reports). That will help you pick the perfect tool that fits your business needs as well as your budget. Whatever you use, make sure you share your new content among all your different social channels. It does no good if it sits on your computer.

Get started today and you’ll be amazed at how much time you save yourself while also creating so much content for your brand!

Need Some Help?

We’re here for you! We love helping business owners create successful social media strategy that support their business goals, write engaging content, and create beautiful graphics that elevate their brand. Get in touch with our team to schedule your free strategy session to discuss your social media marketing efforts. We’ll review your specific goals and offer you some free advice on what content ideas could work for your brand.

4 TIPS FOR CULTIVATING SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS