Building an Organic Following
Back when I was teaching in-person workshops, some of the most common questions rang the tune of…
How do I get more visibility?
Why is it that when I make a post, sometimes I get 200 likes, but most of the time only 20 likes?
What the heck is up with algorithms?!
And… the biggie…
How do I get more followers??
Well, believe it or not, these questions are all connected. And the answer all comes back to one word: engagement.
So for this month’s Social Media for the Creative Professional, we’re going to talk about how to connect with your audience, be more intentional with your social media, and build an organic following.
Check out last month’s Social Media for the Creative Professional article:
Using Social Media for Your Business
But before we get to that, let’s define a couple terms.
Engagement. I’m not talking diamond rings here! When it comes to social media, any interaction is considered engagement. From likes and comments to shares and reposts—any connection with another user is an engagement. I just dropped to keys here… interaction and connection. When you think about engagement this way, it’s less about the numbers, and more about the social workings of these intricate networks.
Organic Following. This is a following you build simply from being active, engaged, and present on social media. These are real people, who hit that “follow” button, and are actually interested in what you’re doing. Not bots. Not people collectors. You cannot buy this kind of following. It’s slow growth, but it’s meaningful.
So let’s break it down…
Things you should absolutely care about when building your following:
connection, authenticity, relationships
Things that you can look at from a data point-of-view (but not be overly concerned about):
numbers, insights, analytics
Honestly, I think we get so hung up on the numbers that we overlook some of these more relevant parts of effective social media marketing. And it’s easy to do so! In fact, the whole platform is set up in a way that focuses on numbers and we use these numbers to gauge our success. It’s tangible and right there under every single post.
For real though — how many times have you looked at that one post that got a bunch of likes and think, Ok, that worked, now how do I do that again?
But until you have the right following, these numbers don’t mean a whole lot.
You could have a following of 1,000 people, but unless they are people who actually want and need what you offer, the numbers mean nothin’! And this is even more true if you’re just collecting followers to boost that number.
So, what should you do instead?
Well, I’m glad you asked! Let’s look an example…
Bonnie owns a retail shop. Her business does all right, but she is definitely looking to level up her social media. So she starts posting more. Good. That’s a good start. But it doesn’t take long for Bonnie to lose interest. The numbers just aren’t there. She makes a post, and it doesn’t get that many likes. In fact, she has seen almost no increase in business from social media so why should she even bother?! Bonnie gives up. She’s sad. Social media is stupid. The end.
Sound familiar??
Seriously, we have all been there!
Lucky for you, I have the solution! And its called engagement! (There’s that word again!)
The key to building an organic following on your social media is engagement.
Engaging with others is one of the simplest, and most effective, ways to grow your following and expand your network. Think of social media as a big community where you can share ideas, info, and make connections! Like other posts, leave comments, share other people’s posts and give them a shout out... and be GENUINE!!
You definitely get what you give when it comes to social media. Sure, this takes time, but! Chances are, you are already spending a considerable amount of time on various platforms, so dedicate 10-15 minutes every day for some intentional engagement. You will definitely see the return!
Social Media should be Social!
Not only is this effective, but it is fun! Humans are social by nature and when we lose sight of that crucial element in social media, we lose our motivation to use it and, even worse, start posting a bunch of filler just to meet some imaginary quota or nothing at all.
Start having fun again. Connect with your audience. And put the Social back in Social Media!!
How to put the Social in “Social Media”
There’s so many ways to connect with your audience. And not only that, by doing so, you are guaranteed to really skyrocket your engagement… and build that organic following! Here’s just a few of my favorites!
Instagram Stories
Do you really need to use stories? The answer is yes. 100% yes.
Many people feel intimidated by stories or view them as just “one more thing I have to do,” but in reality, stories can be a lot of fun! Stories last for just 24 hours and are a great way to highlight promotions or events, get to know your audience, and post in the moment. Within stories, there are a number of features including text, video, boomerang, zoom, etc. PLUS you can use tags and geotags to increase your visibility. Use the stories feature for more casual and personal posts; remind your audience that you’re a real person!
Going Live!
Did you ever want to be on reality TV? Well, now you can... whenever you want... for free.
Going live on facebook or instagram is an excellent way to interact with your followers. People use this feature to do live Q and A’s, give workshops/lectures, host events, and just to connect with people on a new level. Get comments and feedback in real time for the ultimate level of engagement. PLUS, some platforms sends your following a pop-up notification. Talk about increased visibility!
Facebook Groups
Start one. Join one.
I have had a ton of personal success by starting and joining facebook groups. These allow you to connect with a wider audience than your friend’s list, have conversations about mutual interests, learn from others, and more. Many people post in groups when they are looking for recommendations which can turn into clients! Plus, many group members like to support one another on other platforms so you will definitely see an increase in engagement.
Creating a CTA
Every post should have a call to action!
A call to action, or CTA, is literally inviting people to engage and, guess what, it works! Make it fun and easy for people to chime in and watch your social media presence grow! Next time you make a post, end it with one of the following prompts (fill in the blank with something relevant from your post):
Leave a comment telling me _____.
Post a GIF to show your _____.
Using only emojis tell us how you feel about _____.
Tag a friend who you think would _____.
Share a link below that has helped you _____.
More social media tips every month!
We’d love to hear from you… Which of these are you already doing? Which do you want to give a try?
Article by Devin DuMond | Graphics by Bre Vachon