You’ve seen them - those Instagram accounts with thousands of likes on every photo. Those Facebook posts with hundreds of shares. Not to mention that Twitter account that gets a million retweets.

It’s overwhelming. How did they get that many followers? What are they doing that’s so different from what you’re doing?

Well, it turns out these legendary social media accounts have a strategy behind their massive followings. And you can do it, too!

I’m going to share with you five secrets to gaining a bigger following on your social media accounts.

Optimize Your Images

In order to drive viewers to your pages, it is important to vamp up the appeal of your profile. We live in a visual society. If a follower doesn’t see something that’s attractive to them at first glance, they will be onto the next profile. That being said, your visuals are crucial to success. If you have a recognizable business logo, use that as your profile picture for brand recognition. Use high quality photos that draw your viewers in, and make sure they’re sized correctly. For example, if you are using a cover photo for Facebook you will want to follow the appropriate dimensions of 851 pixels x 315 pixels.

Quality Content

Know what your audience wants to see when it visits your page. Use the 80/20 rule when it comes to the type of content you share. This means that 80 percent of your content should be interesting topics that appeal to the interests your audience, while the other 20 percent should expose your brand. It’s okay to use humor. Make your followers laugh. This creates a friendlier relationship.  

Follow Back And Engage

Be strategic about following other accounts that are related to your industry. If you run a coffee shop, follow other coffee shops in the area or local roasters. Follow coffee lovers, returning customers and everyone who follows you—people love to be acknowledged, especially on the internet. Respond to the comments and questions they leave on your page and thank them for their likes or retweets. In addition, be sure to engage with the pages you follow. Share their posts, comment on their material and be a raving fan! 

Offer Incentives

Everyone likes the chance to win free stuff. Create incentives for your followers by promoting contests and campaigns. Not only will this encourage conversations on your feed, you can also use this method to have your posts shared on your viewers’ personal pages. This will in turn produce more followers for your business and a bigger opportunity to bring people directly to your website. Make it fun, get lots of people involved and start conversations.

Boost Your Page

Expand who your page reaches by promoting posts with advertising dollars. Promotions and “boosts” on social media allow you to target specific audiences with particular interests, in certain locations, etc. It will also give you the chance to track your engagement to see which messages are truly grabbing others’ attention. This type of social media advertising isn’t free, but if it ultimately attracts people to your services then we say it is money well spent. Plus, if you’re smart and strategic about how you target, you can keep costs down while reaching more people. 

There are countless approaches to heighten your business’s popularity through social media. Sage Island uses targeted ads, clever copy and effective social media promotions to manage and enhance our clients’ online presence and build their communities.

To learn more about how we can help you win the internet’s next popularity contest, drop us a line. In the meantime, go forth and be social.

Mike Duncan co-founded Sage Island in 1997 and since then has evolved the agency’s scope to include marketing strategy, creative design, technical development and a wide range of digital marketing services. With an integrated approach that leverages the power and measurability of the internet, the savvy Sage Island team develops strategies, builds brands, writes killer copy and delivers to clients all over the world. And they have an awesome time doing it. Sage’s collaborative working environment keeps creativity and innovation at the heart of the concept. With a 17-year history in Wilmington and beyond, Sage Island shows no signs of slowing down. To learn how Sage Island can grow your business, check us out at www.sageisland.com. To stay updated on the latest in digital marketing, follow Sage Island on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SageIsland, and on Twitter at twitter.com/Sage Island.