What Is the Best Way to Grow on Social Media?
One of the most common questions I get about starting an online business is,
"What is the best way to grow on social media!?!"
I totally get it.
If you have a product, service, or program that you want to sell - you actually need an AUDIENCE to sell it TO - am I right?
Here are some of the most effective ways I've grown my social media following from zero to a combined 100k+ in a few short years:
>> Psst: I created a done-for-you social media membership HERE if you're ready to hit the ground running and stop wasting time!
1. Educate Your audience
Think about it: who is your ideal client, customer, or student? Who would your coaching, product, or program be PERFECT for? What kind of information would they find SO valuable, that they would "save" it for later? If you're reading this, you are most likely trying to grow a service-based business that helps people achieve a specific goal or outcome. The easiest way to grow your account is to share educational information that positions YOU as a valuable resource to your ideal audience.
Becoming a trusted resource = SALES.
Some great ideas that come to mind when it comes to educating your audience on social media are:
To talk about the top misconceptions in/or about your industry.
Address the top tips for achieving X desired result (X = whatever your ideal audience’s #1 goal is)….
Answer/speak to the #1 thing you help clients with and what simple tips/tricks you suggest that anyone can try out….
You can also talk about some of your favorite resources/products/books/podcasts etc and WHY they are a valuable resource.
Main point being - you want to create content that shares high quality resources, sought after knowledge (on your niche), encourages curiosity in your audience and inspires them!
Still stuck on the “how?” Keep reading below for my ideas on how to find out what your audience is looking for and how to show up doing just that!
2. Stay Consistent with your content +Posts
This one needs no explanation. But the very (un)sexy truth is that you MUST be consistent with creating/posting on social media if you want to grow without paid ads. (My social media membership makes this SUPER easy!)
Now, this doesn't mean you have to be on every.single.social media platform OR spend hours per day thinking about what to post (I know you have WAY better things to be doing, right?) But, I recommend aiming for 1 social media platform you enjoy (Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, blogging etc) and committing to posting there consistently.
The best way to stay consistent on social media is by batching, scheduling and planning out your content. This makes the process of content creation so much easier! So, let’s talk about what I mean by “batching” and “scheduling” your content and some tools you can use to make your life (and business easier)!
Batching - I personally think it is great to keep a list (the “notes” app on your phone or on a site like - Trello or Evernote, etc)… but, this way you are keeping track of everything that you may want to share or create content around on and can refer back when it’s time for posting or creating! What aids in the creation process is setting time aside each week, month or quarter (if you can do that!) and putting down all of your ideas and writing out blocks of content around each of these ideas. You can spread out each block of content on a specific topic over however much time - week, month, or a quarter’s worth of content. You can repurpose these blocks of content across all of your platforms (email newsletters, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, etc).
Scheduling Content - I suggest using apps like Planoly, Later, Hoosuite or UNUM to get your content laid out, draft your captions, add your hashtags, etc. Most of these apps/sites also have other editing features for stylizing and editing the images. Remember: you can use some of your previously written long form blog posts or emails to be repurposed as captions for social media!
If you are struggling to find ways to connect and engage with your audience and find yourself spending hours allocating time to figuring out just “what to say” to your audience - my social media membership does the work for you, so you can more seamlessly get back to your “zone of genius”…because we all have one. 😉
3. Connect with your audience
Even if you post valuable content every single day on Instagram for the rest of your life... it will be extremely difficult (maybe even impossible) to grow a community if you never truly CONNECT with your audience.
Because you don't JUST care about the numbers, right?
You actually want to build and serve a community of people (who LOVE everything you post!) while leading them towards their goals with your expertise....sales being an added perk, right?
Connection with your audience is TRULY the icing on the grain-free, dairy free-cake of your profitable business, ya know what I mean?
If you're like I am, service comes first - and sales are a (fun!) added bonus.
Luckily, these two go hand in hand.
The best way to be sure you are connecting with your audience is by sharing relatable content. So, let’s dive into that -shall we?
4. Share Relatable Content
We all love to see things we can relate to! When we see aesthetic content that is relatable - may that be quotes/graphics/gifs/videos, etc. People share the content! The more your followers and potential audience relates to something, the more they have the potential to share. The more eyes you can get in front of, the more you can grow your following!
No matter your industry, there are quotes that perfectly align with your niche. Speak the language of your followers. Address their pain points. Answer their questions with your content. If you don’t know what your audience wants to know about - or more importantly, what they want to know from YOU - you can ask for feedback from them!
Some great ways to get your audience engaging with feedback is to use the yes/no feature on Instagram, Google Forms, or you could even entice them to offer feedback with a gift card…. (you could say something like “everyone that offers feedback will be entered to receive a gift card for ____”). You can encourage them to just send you a DM and they can be entered! I have done this - and can tell you it worked wonderfully! It also provided me with some great feedback that I was able to use.
You want to encourage your audience to give you authentic and detailed feedback that you can then create your content around. Luckily, Instagram gives you some pretty efficient ways of doing this!
Curious about accounts that can get your content creation and “connecting with your audience” juices flowing? Here are few social media connecting geniuses I think we all can relate to:
5. Gather follower feedback
You can also ask your followers what they want more of. Seek their opinions on things and then lean into that! I recommend utilizing the tools on Instagram stories like polls, questions, quizzes, etc. These are great features of the app and truly give you the tools to know what your audience wants more of from you and your content.
Ask open ended questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” This will help you gather answers (and in turn create content) that addresses the needs of your audience.
You then can take the feedback gathered and create content around what your audience is saying they want more of/care about or are needing to learn more about!
6. Utilize IGTV and…NEWLY, Reels!
So, you are probably aware of my obsession with reels. But - if you are new around here… welcome to my obsession with IG Reels! Utilizing IG reels is a complete game changer -especially right now. If you are wanting organic growth and reach and are hoping to be seen by more people who are in your niche… you should definitely try and add reels to your content. Reels are Instagram’s version of “TikToks” and they are such a fun and engaging way to share quick and precise snippets with your audience.
I am sure you know and love Instagram stories - but, those disappear after 24 hours! Instagram Reels on the other hand - have a much longer life span. When you create and share an Instagram Reel today - you’ll continue to rack up views, likes and comments for days, weeks and months from now. So - if increasing brand awareness and building your audience is your goal (and it totally is if you’re reading this) - Instagram Reels is a fantastic tool to use!
The thing about reels is that they are such a great way to get organic reach and grow your audience. Right now - Instagram’s algorithm is catering to reels! So, if you are wanting to get in front of more eyes and ears and be seen by more potential clients - utilize the algorithm through creating content on Instagram reels!
My best tips for reels: be precise, share authentic and educational information! Think about what your audience wants to know about, add in playful elements of your brand, educate your audience, and share tutorials/“how-tos.” People will share what helps them!
7. Go live/host virtual events
Now this is not something I use (at-least not usually on Instagram) — but hosting free “LIVES” aimed at specific topics or paired with other influencers/coaches/etc can be a great way to encourage engagement with new people who may not usually see or interact with your content. It’s like cross pollination. Find like-minded coaches and creators and see if collaborating could be fun and how you’d both like to facilitate.
REMEMBER: The more you SERVE - the more you will SELL. It's the simplest truth to creating a profitable and purposeful business.
And I'll be honest, I want to make the process of growing your audience as simple, quick, and effective as possible.
I don't want you wasting ANY more time wondering "what should I say?!" on social media.
I want you to spend MORE time in your zone of genius (serving + making sales!) and less time wondering, "what does my audience want from me?!"
This is why I created my new social media membership that you can learn about (and join for less than <$1 a day! HERE)
WHAT IT IS:
Daily social media prompts (aka ideas!) for what to say/post on social media
Each prompt is aimed at growing, engaging, and selling your audience!
100% customizable to your unique business
Share your new posts (+get instant engagement!) inside the private community
Cancel anytime!
Prompts can be used for any platform (Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube, even your own blog or podcast!)