I’m answering one of the top ten questions people ask me as a social media manager.
You might wonder: “How do I get more followers on social media?” You may feel like you post AMAZING content, but barely anyone sees it. You might even feel embarrassed if your content goes unnoticed. We all have!
Don’t worry, getting more followers is a skill that you can learn, just like riding a bike! In this post, I will show you the top ways to get more social media followers. I’ll give you actionable examples, then I’ll share some very interesting scientific proof.
Finally, I’ll show you how to use this all to your advantage, so you can take this information, apply it, and increase your followers too.
One of my business mentors once told me something that shocked me to the core and changed the way I marketed forever. She said, “A candle doesn’t chase moths. It just stands there and shines.” (Quote by Star Khechara)
So you, the candle, must shine and give all those fluttering moths a reason to come to you. Don’t even think about chasing followers!
1. The most important way for you to get more followers is by giving people a reason to follow you.
This means you must provide value on your social media accounts, not just post about yourself.
David Meerman Scott, author of World Wide Rave states: “When a post solves someone’s problem or is very valuable, funny or just plain outrageous, it’s valuable and ready to be shared.”
2. In order to give followers or fans what they would like, you have to think like one of your social media followers.
Would your ideal client enjoy tips and tricks, tutorial videos, or funny pictures? If so, then you need to start sharing more content like that.
3. You can poll your top followers or customers and ask what content they would love to see from you.
This will most definitely give them a reason to follow you on Facebook or Instagram.
4. Feel excited and joyful as you post.
If you aren’t excited about what you are posting, how on earth are you going to get someone else to like it or want to follow you?
Here’s why: Studies show that strong emotions are actually contagious. The real name for this is actually “Emotional Contagion.”
So if you are excited, people will literally feel your excitement and they will not want to let you down!.
Sounds woo-woo but countless studies* back this up. My secret trick is that I love to drink coffee and watch funny animal videos before I post on Instagram.
5. Give away your most valuable content.
Give it away, give it away, give it away now. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were on to something!
“But why!?” You may be thinking. Because the idea of reciprocity says that people by nature feel obliged to provide concessions to others if they’ve received favors from those others. Psychology explains this by stressing that we humans simply hate to feel indebted to other people!
In fact, The Godfather of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini, says the first principle of persuasion states that “we human beings are wired to basically want to return favors and pay back our debts. In short... to treat others as they’ve treated us.”
Even if you are in the business of selling something intangible like music or information, you can give away a song sample or an eBook so that people get a sense of your playing or writing style before they decide to invest in more.
This is why successful fiction writers give away their first kindle book. Especially if the book is a series!
This is why HBO gives away a “free” month. They know that once you get hooked on Curb Your Enthusiasm you will cave in and join to watch the new shows.
6. Attract the RIGHT followers.
It's about the quality of followers, not quantity. You want followers who actually engage with your content, not just one to add to your follower count.
Most people assume that the more followers you have, the better. This is based on Social Proof. "We determine what is correct by finding out what other people think is correct." If a few of your friends like something, you are more likely to like it. We trust recommendations from friends. We assume that if they like it, it must be good.
So people will assume you are successful and have a thriving business if you have a lot of followers on social media.
But in order to attract followers and sell your product, you must appeal to the right followers, not just any Joe Schmo.
I hope you enjoyed these tips about increasing your social media followers. Tune in for more social media tips!
Do you have any tips for attracting followers? Let us know in the comment section below!
Sources:
Bourg Carter, S. (n.d.). Emotions Are Contagious. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201210/emotions-are-contagious-choose-your-company-wisely
Cialdini, R. (n.d.). Influence: Science and Practice.