Whether you’re an individual wanting to give their social media accounts a boost or working in digital marketing, you’re definitely connected to social media. Most of you check it daily because you care about the image you present on the platforms, and even procrastinate on the apps from time to time. This is because social media is quite addicting. The ease of finding entertaining content immediately and having it at your disposal anytime is very alluring. And the stats prove it. As of 2022, the average person spends nearly three hours a day on social media. It is an increase of two minutes from the year prior, and while that probably doesn’t seem much at all, it shows that the tendency is towards an increase in time spent on social media. Taking that into account, it’s natural that you’d want to have a strong social media presence. And if you don’t know where to start, we’ve got some tips.

Engage with your online community

As the world becomes more connected, there are changes in our interpersonal relationships. While our parents or grandparents wouldn’t have considered that they have any type of relationship with the people they saw on TV, social media creates a different kind of environment. On social media, you get the feeling that the people you follow are much closer to you and that the barrier separating you is not uncrossable. And because they think of you as a friend. Being open with your followers, responding to their questions and requests and plainly talking to them is the best way to make sure your followers stay happy. Hold Q&As and live sessions and respond to as many questions as possible in real-time. This way, you ensure that your online community feels heard. Unresponsiveness can destroy your engagement, so don’t fall into the trap of ignoring your followers.

Create authentic content

There’s a huge number of social media influencers and brand advertising online out there. You need to adopt strategies to set yourself apart from the rest. And the best way to do that is to rely on your originality. That may sound like a scary prospect. You may be wondering if the content you create won’t be rejected by your target audience or simply ignored. So if you have an idea you think could work that you haven’t really seen done before, go for it. You may just create the newest great trend. People will follow you if you stand out with something. Think about what you’re offering that will make people want to stay by your side. Don’t resort to generic tactics, and definitely don’t do tasteless things like getting involved with NGOs and volunteering for social issues purely for clout. It’s cynical and inappropriate, and when your followers inevitably realize your true intentions, you may not be able to recover from the way it’ll tarnish your image.

Seek ways to gain followers

The most obvious way to gain followers is to keep your existing followers happy. Your followers recommend you to their friends, and this way, you earn new followers. Your community acts as your loyal ambassador in this way. Another way to go about it is to post share-worthy content. When your work is shared with people outside your following, there’s a high chance someone will press that “Follow” button if they like your page. So keep your posts interesting. Both opinions and cute or humorous content are surefire ways to get many shares.

If you want to ensure that your follower count receives the boost you want, consider purchasing some of your likes to lift your popularity. When you buy real Facebook likes, you increase the likelihood that people will look at what you’re posting. Positive feedback lets people know that you have something to say and it’s worth following your page. The high number of likes will manifest as an increase in your follower count and give you a smoother path toward success.

Develop strategies to be found

Growing your own platform depends on how well you can reach new niches. You probably can’t create something that will go viral on the spot (it’s very difficult to anticipate what goes viral anyway), but that doesn’t mean there are no ways to put yourself out there. Use tagging, but make sure it doesn’t look forced. You should only use it when it’s relevant; otherwise, it will rightfully look like you’re fishing for attention. If your content targets a particular demographic, whether young women who love organic tea or young brothers obsessed with video games, encourage your followers to tag the person they think fits the topic. Hashtags are great too. Just like with tagging, use them sparingly. You can add hashtags for what’s trending that day and current events to ensure a maximum number of viewers.

Focus on the trends

If you don’t stay connected to the latest trends, you’ll miss out on a lot. The internet is incredibly fast-paced, and it can be very difficult to monitor all the fresh things that people are going wild over. For some of them, you may not even get the hype. But it’s essential to know them. Even if you don’t actively participate in what’s going on, you should be aware that something is happening there. Knowing the trends also gives you the edge when crafting your content. You can try to tailor the trends to fit your own style so that you can be both trendy and genuine. It can also help you get ahead of the existing trends and create new ones if you see the direction in which popular content is going and can anticipate the next big thing based on that. And remember that, no matter what kind of content you’re creating, there are classic topics that never go out of style. For example, people who follow fashion pages never get tired of seeing shopping haul videos. And those following video game pages can never get enough reviews.

Work with brands

Working with brands will give you the feeling that you’re a social media professional. When considering a brand, examine whether it properly fits your image and message. Are you being in any way inconsistent or contradicting things you’ve stood for or done in the past by associating with said brand? If you have to think about the answer, or you’d answer with a “maybe”, don’t do it. We live in a constantly changing world, but people still like reliability and knowing what to expect from others. Think about whether you’d want to work with a big brand or if you’re more inclined to choose something smaller. And don’t forget that your name becomes connected with it. So choose something that isn’t likely to damage your reputation.

It can seem like building a highly visible social media presence is akin to a chess game. With a bit of practice, you can play like a Grandmaster.