Jugnoo Social Advisor: Simple Steps to Gaining More Followers

If you build it, they will come. Or at least, that’s what we’ve always been told, and it makes sense. After all, you’ve built your business from the ground up, provided people with products and services they need, and built a base of loyal customers who love your company. Which is why it can get frustrating when it seems that your social media efforts aren’t getting enough attention. After all, you’ve embraced tweeting, you have a great Facebook page, and you recently offered a Groupon – you’re doing everything right. So why don’t you have more followers and fans?

Don’t worry, and don’t give up. You’re definitely on the right track – you just need a little review to take it the next level. Follow these some simple steps to make your social projects shine, and get your business the attention it deserves.

Are your profiles complete?

It sounds obvious, but sometimes we rush through the set-up, intending to come back, and forget to add the little things that make all the  difference. Do you have a profile photo? It doesn’t have to be a personal photo – your company logo is a great substitute. Have you provided links to your website, or your other social media channels? Don’t be embarrassed if you forgot these, even though they seem like an obvious addition – you wouldn’t be the first. But it’s worth taking the time to make sure your profiles are completely filled in; not only will your followers get all the information that they need, but search engines love a complete, optimized profile.

Are you following enough users?

Do they know that you follow them? While you may want to carefully curate who you follow, or just keep it to your customers and your friends, finding Facebook or Twitter users to follow that best reflect your brand or your industry will increase your reach. Not only are there always users who will follow or like you back automatically, but, more importantly, if you make a point to seek out new influencers to follow every day, it keeps your feeds active, and provides you with more opportunities to connect with other users. You don’t want to follow or like too aggressively, so you’re not mistaken for a spambot, but by using directories that allow you to search for relevant users, you can find other companies and influencers that are worth following on a regular basis.

It’s also important to remember that once you add, follow, or like someone that you engage with them. It could be something as simple as saying hello, sharing their posts or tweets with your own community, or asking them for their expertise. Making the effort to interact with the users you follow will not only get you noticed, but will make them want to interact with you in return.

Are you updating enough?

Life can get hectic, and sometimes writing a Facebook post can fall right to the bottom of your to-do list. It happens, and it’s understandable, but infrequent updates can cost you a larger audience. It’s a simple principle: active profiles generate interest. If your feeds haven’t been updated in weeks, or months, users might just assume that your profile is inactive, and inactive profiles don’t offer the engagement that your potential customers are seeking out. Prepare several posts in advance during a quiet stretch, collect articles that your community would find interesting, or use a scheduler for your tweets to help you get your content out during your busy periods. You don’t want to work too far in advance – after all, being spontaneous keeps your content topical and fresh – but a little preparation can keep your profile, and your customers, active and engaged.

Do you have a Call-to-Action?

This one is simple – are you asking your audience to subscribe, follow, or like you? Sometimes our customers need a gentle reminder, and that’s where the Call-to-Action comes into the picture. You’ve seen those infomercials that tell you to ‘buy now?’ Asking your in-store or online customers to follow you can be just as effective, and not nearly as abrasive. Add a Call-to-Action to your pages, or your promotional material, and you just might see that increase you’re looking for.

It can get disheartening when you start to feel like your social media efforts are going unnoticed, but it doesn’t have to be that way. By keeping your feeds active, adding new businesses and influencers to your own networks, and engaging with the users that you follow, you’ll find that your number of subscribers will increase steadily over time – and if it doesn’t, remember that it never hurts to ask.