Everyone wants friends. And everyone wants followers. It’s what fuels the social media craze—why post if no one is going to see it? But, how do you get followers?
And, perhaps more importantly, how do you get followers without paying?
Here are 5 Tips to Get Followers Without Paying
1. Promote Your Social Media Accounts
It seems like a no-brainer, but promoting your accounts often gets overlooked.
Think outside of the social media sphere. If you don’t have followers on social media, advertising your profiles only on social media isn’t going to do anything—no one sees it.
Start with cross promoting across your various social media platforms. Use your Twitter bios as an Instagram promotion. Shout out to your Facebook using your LinkedIn.
And it doesn’t stop there….
Use your website! You have one of these right? (If not, immediately stop reading and start working on that). Create social media icons and links from your homepage to all your accounts.
And don’t forget about email signatures!
Below your contact information, address and website information—put links to your social media. It’s a great, organic way of providing your information without shoving it down customers’ throats. Eventually, someone always clicks.
The more you promote, the more people follow. It’s the first step to get followers without paying and it’s as simple as saying: “Hey. I have a Facebook.”
2. Share Sharable Content
We consume content and information fast, and it’s only getting fast every year. This means your posts need to capture a reader’s attention —immediately.
The first step? Always have something colorful. Posts without images are useless. Honestly, don’t even bother.
Videos are a great solution as well. Eye-catching, enjoyable, memorable—videos can boost your social media followers and are great for business.
But, remember your audiences’ short attention span. Keep videos short, ideally under 2 minutes. Put essential information first (just assume your average viewer only watches for 15 seconds).
These days, posts and content without crucial points, an image and useful and relevant information aren’t helpful or sharable. It’s time to dress up your posts.
3. Be Consistent
It’s not enough to just post once a week; you need to keep your page updated often with new content.
One rule of thumb is posting at least three times a week. While ideally, that number would be closer to five, it’s a great start and easily obtainable.
Additionally, your posts need to be consistently informative and consistently different. While the majority of your posts should link to your business website, incorporating and posting industry news and articles from authority sources helps keep things interesting.
Remember: Users want variety, or they get bored.
4. Interact and Engage
The “give some to get some” philosophy thrives in the social media setting. If you aren’t out making friends and interacting with other industry accounts, don’t expect others to communicate with you.
Approaching social media like an online community gives you the best results.
Plan on spending time cultivating relationships by chatting, liking and sharing industry account posts (while still posting your own).
Follow other accounts. Like and share other pages’ posts. Authentically interact with your users. Like their comments and spend time answering questions.
5. Be Realistic
Don’t wake up the morning after creating your account expecting thousands of followers. Also, don’t anticipate the same amount of followers and interactions as companies like the North Face, Target or Wendy’s. You aren’t them… yet.
Embrace the small.
And be realistic about your followers. 15 followers who interact and are interested in your business are better than 100 followers who could care less.
Be realistic about who is following you and how many friends you have.
The good news?
Starting and creating social media platforms is the first step—and you’re there. But, it can be daunting to get followers without paying. Putting in the time instead of the money is the number one tip. Especially if you want long-term real growth.
Spend time interacting and posting and watch your online presence grow!
Not sure you’re doing it right? Let our team of social media experts check your accounts and give you tips tailored to your business.
