5 STRATEGIES TO HELP GROW AN ENGAGED AUDIENCE ACROSS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES

Increasing your reach is a key part of scaling your business. Your online marketing efforts are a critical part of increasing the awareness of your brand and ultimately bringing in new customers. Below are five strategies to help grow an engaged audience across your social media pages.

Increasing your reach is a key part of scaling your business. Your online marketing efforts are a critical part of increasing the awareness of your brand and ultimately bringing in new customers. Below are five strategies to help grow an engaged audience across your social media pages.

Facebook:In general, Facebook users lean a bit older with men and women between 25 and 34 years making up the largest demographic on the platform. One in three Facebook users actively research recommendations for local business on the platform, too. Sources: Facebook, Hootsuite, Pew Research (Facebook Cheat Sheet E-Book)

Instagram:Instagram is ideal for capturing and engaging with a younger audience. Users count on Instagram to help them find new brands and products to incorporate into their everyday lives. The platform has made moves to simplify shopping and allow people to make purchases directly on the app, too! In addition, brands with an active presence on Instagram are viewed favorably by users. A recent study showed 78% of users perceived brands on Instagram as popular, so it’s important to establish your presence here and use it to stand out from the competition.Source: Hootsuite

Grow Your Audience

1. Understand your audience and meet them where they are.

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Twitter:Twitter is a great place to continue conversations with people who have visited your business, bought your products, or used your service. We found that 80% of Twitter users have mentioned a brand in a tweet, and 54% of Twitter users have taken action after seeing a brand mentioned on Twitter. Source: Hootsuite, Pew Research (Twitter Tips for Businesses E-Book)

Yelp:Yelp is a community-based platform, which means that someone else can create a page for your business. By claiming your Yelp listing, you’ll be able to create and protect your brand’s reputation by celebrating positive feedback and addressing negative feedback right there with your customer.

Google:Claiming your Google listing will allow new consumers to find your business online seamlessly. Anytime someone is looking for a business like yours, they’ll be more likely to land on your page if you have claimed your Google My Business listing. Then, they’ll have immediate access to important information like your phone number, location, menu, and more.

Social media platforms aren’t the only place that affect your audience.

On review sites, you’ll be able to show off your customer service skills to potential customers through interactions with your existing audience. Platforms like Yelp and Google can be a great way to make a first impression on someone who has yet to visit. If they like your style, they’ll be more inclined to check out your business.

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Content that actively engages with the reader will help grow your following. A few types of engaging content to consider:

Content readers want to share.You can get new eyes on your posts, videos, and more by creating content that your existing followers will want to share. To do so, you’ll want to fill your feed with things that are relevant to your audience’s interests. Think about new topics that might spark a conversation between your customers and their peers. You might land on things like:• Eye-catching infographics or data. • Relatable quotes that have to do with your industry.• Trendy, timely topics or tips that relate to your business.

Content that readers want to save.The Instagram algorithm uses the number of saves a post receives to indicate its quality. If that number is high, then the algorithm is more likely to show your image to more people. You can create “savable” content by promoting things your audience may want to revisit in the future. Think critically about what information your audience might find valuable. Some ideas might include:• Tips, tricks, or tutorials that are relevant to your customers.• Details about your specials and promotions.• Inspirational or funny content that people want to return to.

Content that readers want to comment on.Engagement can help platform algorithms recognize the value of your content. Thus, comments from your existing followers could make it more likely for your posts to be shown to a wider group of people. Here are some ways to encourage audience participation:• Ask an easy, open-ended question in a graphic or caption. If the barrier to entry is

low, people will be more likely to weigh in. • Keep things seasonally relevant. Asking something topical or personal, like for a

favorite winter or holiday tradition, could encourage your followers to respond.• Mention topics that are relevant to your audience’s needs, wants, and interests.

Source: Later.com/blog

2. Post content that encourages shares, saves, and comments.

TIP: Consistency is key when growing a following.Whether you post twice a week or twice a day, the key is to keep a consistent posting cadence on your pages. Timelines are no longer chronological, so your posts can show up at any time on followers' feeds. It’s important to keep a consistent flow of content coming from your business to stay top of mind and to nurture your audience as it grows.

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Contests, giveaways, and raffles are great ways to attract new followers and engage with your current fan base. There are many ways to frame your contest, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Ensure that your contest follows the rules and terms of service of whichever platform you host it on. Provide the conditions, requirements, terms, and rules plainly to make it easy for your customers to enter the contest.

• Make the barrier to entry easy enough that people won’t just keep scrolling. Consider having folks like, follow, or comment on your post(s).

• Be sure your prize is relevant to the business, like dinner at a restaurant as opposed to tickets to a baseball game. Make it valuable enough for at least one visit to the business.Example: A restaurant that gives away a prize valued at the cost of two meals.

• Think about incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into your giveaways by asking your followers to post their own photos and mention or tag your brand

3. Run a contest.

TIP: If you experience a large bump in followers after your contest, nurture that new audience. You’ll avoid empty follows and instead turn those folks into an active, engaged community. Continue to work engagement-centric posts into your content mix on a regular basis.

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Paid media has become an important lever small businesses can use to increase their exposure and get new customers. In addition to having a compelling organic content strategy, you can take an extra step by using boosted content on Facebook to get your message in front of the right audience. Boosted posts target users who don’t follow your business on Facebook but may need your products and services. When you boost a post, your content reaches a wider audience to entice potential customers to visit your business or shop with you online.

Set up your social media platforms for success to help boost your content’s reach, discoverability, and engagement.

Use keywords associated with your business to boost searchability on platforms.Keywords can be hashtags, like #coldbrew or #candleOptimize your Instagram bio with keywords. Your bio and “Name” field can include keywords that help boost your rankings in the Instagram search feature.Include your most prominent services or your location in your page titles, handles and usernames, or website URL if you can.

A recent study shows that Instagram posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement than posts without. So, don’t skip out on creating a hashtag strategy for your brand. A few hashtag tips to get you started:

• Try a hashtag that describes your product or service, like #petspa or #sweater• Use a hashtag that’s location specific, like #denverfoodie or #austinrealestate• Create a branded hashtag that’s unique to your company. It can be your business

name, the name of a product, or even an ad campaign slogan. Once you establish your hashtag, ask followers to include it in their own UGC to help build your online community.

4. Use keywords and hashtags to improve discoverability.

5. Try your hand at boosted content.

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