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How To Get More Social Media Followers

Social media Followers have the potential to become loyal customers and advocates for your business. Ninety percent of shoppers say they buy from brands they follow on social media. Suffice to say, a main priority for your social media marketing strategy should be growing your Followers and cultivating existing ones, as this will lead to wider Reach, boosted Engagement, and an ever-expanding base of dedicated consumers. We’ve compiled just what you can do to achieve that.

Post Engaging Content

How To Get More Social Media Followers

Content that engages and adds value to your Followers’ lives will be sure to attract new ones, and this can include: 

  • Visually pleasing content. Some people just love a good aesthetic and seek that during their daily social media scroll-throughs. 
  • Funny content. You can’t go wrong with a good meme. They’re easy to create and malleable enough that you can make it relevant to your business’s offering.
  • Helpful content. Useful tips and tricks go a long way with followers, and they have high Reach potential, meaning Followers will send this content to friends or reshare by posting to their Facebook or Instagram Stories or retweeting.
  • Thought-provoking content. Anything that gets Followers to leave a comment on your posts is well worth a shot, so ask questions. We use “thought-provoking” loosely; anything that can get a conversation going will do. Are you a jewelry retailer? Ask Followers what their favorite piece of jewelry is. Music retailers can ask what the first song Followers learned to play on an instrument was. The options are endless.
  • Exclusive content. Give Followers the advantage of hearing things first. This can be sales, new inventory releases, or even store updates, such as changes to hours of operation or letting them know when a product has sold out.

There’s not a universal content type that works for everyone, so feel free to try different approaches to determine what resonates best with your audiences.

Post Content Consistently

How To Get More Social Media Followers

Now that you have some ideas for engaging, valuable content to post, you need to make sure it’s posted consistently. At face value, it just looks good to prospective Followers. Sporadic posting can dissuade potential Followers, because how valuable can one’s content be if it’s only posted once every few months? On a more technical level, consistency plays a big role in how algorithms determine what content your Followers will see. Ergo, consistent posting leads to consistent Engagement and new Follower growth.

Follow Similar Accounts

Following accounts similar to you in product offering or location can serve as a great discovery tool. They’ll most likely return the follow, which then helps your page get suggested to their Followers.

Partner With Your Brands

In addition to following similar accounts, you should also follow the brands your store carries and partner with them directly to curate posts for your social media presence. This will ensure you share high-quality content that’s engaging and consistent. Plus, it makes it easier for brands to spotlight you in their own content, which can mean a new wave of exposure and potential Followers for your accounts.

Be Responsive

In addition to responding to comments on your posts, try commenting on the posts of other businesses or individuals in your community. You can answer questions, leave a helpful tip, or just provide some kind words. When people see your comments, they may be inclined to check out your page and eventually follow you. You can search for people and places by location using Facebook and Instagram. 

Include Your Social Media Links on Everything

How To Get More Social Media Followers

Just to cover all the bases, make sure your social media accounts can be easily accessed on any non-social-media customer touch points. Website pages, email campaigns, and other digital assets should include direct, functioning links to your channels, and tangible items like receipts or shopping bags should include your social media handles, too. 

Use Relevant Hashtags

Give users a way to find you based on their interests, because there’s usually an intention to follow there. Use the names of your products and brands, as well as popular terminology among your target audience, to boost your chance of catching a potential Follower’s eye.

Tag Your Location 

This is another quick and easy way for people to find your page. Many people search by location — specifically cities — to find new businesses in their area, ideas for things to do, or just to follow more content they like.

Encourage User-Generated Content

How To Get More Social Media Followers

This popular tactic involves reposting content created by customers. User-generated content (UGC) can include photos, videos, and product reviews that speak to the quality of your store’s products or customer service.

UGC promotes Engagement and Exposure by incentivizing customers with the potential to be reposted. In order for you to see their content, they have to tag your account or incorporate your branded hashtag in their posts. This simple process introduces you to their Followers, who could soon become yours.

Hold Contests

Contests and giveaways are great for boosting Engagement and getting Followers. Typically, entry for a giveaway requires following the account hosting the giveaway, liking the giveaway post, and tagging a friend (or a few) in the comments. It’s possible that some of those tagged friends will be interested in your content and follow you.

Incentivize Follows

When we talked about engaging content earlier, we mentioned adding value through exclusive content. Some techniques to really incentivize new Followers include offering in-store freebies or perks for proof of a follow, or holding frequent promotions for your online store that are exclusive to social media, such as unique discount codes sprinkled throughout Instagram captions. One would need to follow your account to really stay on top of these deals.

Grow Your Social Fanbase With Automation

Now that you have some ideas to work with, it’s time to put them into action. And with ThumbStopper, you can do so effortlessly. Our automation platform consistently posts high-quality branded content to your social channels for boosted Exposure, Engagement, and Followers.

Because retailers on ThumbStopper post better content more frequently, they see a larger increase in Fan Growth. Average business pages gain Fans and Followers at a rate of 1.6 percent. Meanwhile, ThumbStopper retailers grow Fans and Followers at a rate of 12.5 percent.

Ready to get started? Contact ThumbStopper today.

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Key Points:

 

  • Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
  • Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
  • Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.

 

 

Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.

 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.

Social Media for All

The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.

Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.

Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns. 

 

Making Content Accessible

Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.

For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It's one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.

None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible. 

Text

  • Use plain language that’s easy to understand 
  • Avoid text in all caps
  • Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case

Videos

  • Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
  • Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
  • Use captioning for live videos when possible

Graphics

Distribute Accessible Content

Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.

That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience - with your accessible, branded content - in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business. 

Ready to see how ThumbStopper can help your brand improve its reach? Check out our brand reach calculator or book a demo.

 

 

accessibility
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[/et_pb_column]
What Is Social Media Automation?
[/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_column]
10 Ways to Automate Your Marketing
[/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_column]
How Effective Is Your Social Media Strategy
[/et_pb_section][/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_row]
[/et_pb_column]

Key Points:

 

  • Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
  • Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
  • Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.

 

 

Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.

 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.

Social Media for All

The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.

Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.

Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns. 

 

Making Content Accessible

Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.

For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It’s one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.

None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible. 

Text

  • Use plain language that’s easy to understand 
  • Avoid text in all caps
  • Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case

Videos

  • Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
  • Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
  • Use captioning for live videos when possible

Graphics

Distribute Accessible Content

Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.

That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience – with your accessible, branded content – in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business. 

Ready to see how ThumbStopper can help your brand improve its reach? Check out our brand reach calculator or book a demo.

 

 

accessibility
[/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_column]
What Is Social Media Automation?
[/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_column]
10 Ways to Automate Your Marketing
[/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_column]
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[/et_pb_section]