A strong social media presence is a must for everyone who wants to be successful in their business. No matter what industry you are a part of and whether you own a big company with thousands of employees or you are a freelancer – you simply need to be online. Big players hire social media experts to design their strategy and guide their campaigns. But, how can you build a strong social media presence as an individual? Don’t worry – it is possible. Just follow our guide and be ready to devote your time and energy to make this work.
Identify your audience
Who would you like your followers to be? If your answer is – Well, everybody! then you need to remember that the friend of all is a friend of none. Be realistic and choose a group that can truly be interested in what you are doing. Targeting everyone is equal to targeting no one. And, you do want your audience to feel special for following you, don’t you?
If you are still not sure who your followers should be, in order to build a strong social media presence as an individual, you can always spy on your competitors. By checking the brands you look up to, you will be able to identify your prospective audience and learn many more details. You will see which platforms they are most active on, for example. Or you will be able to analyze how they communicate with their followers. Taking a leaf from your competitors’ book is not a crime as long as you do not steal their content.
Choose the right platform
Now you should decide which platform(s) you will use. Being present on all of them is a total waste of your time and resources. Your target audience is definitely not using all of them, so why should you?
One or two social media platforms should be enough for you as an individual. Should you pick Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, or any other? The answer will also depend on what you are trying to achieve. Who do you want your followers to be? Here are some of the advantages of the most popular networks:
- Facebook – Some 2.5 billion people use Facebook actively. Isn’t that the largest market you can think of?
- Instagram – Instagram has moved far from being a social media platform for posting amazing filtered photos. Half a billion people watch and make Instagram Stories every day, and the good news is that almost 200 million stories are actually coming from businesses.
- YouTube – not a typical social media platform, and many people don’t even think of it as one, but it is tremendously important for your social media presence. People love watching videos, and when they like them, they share them.
- Twitter – This social network is great for sharing news in real-time and for keeping up-to-date. The best thing about it is that it has the best international reach.
Optimize your account
Optimization in terms of social media means adding images, graphics (if necessary), filling out all your contact details (if they are important for what you are doing), and of course, you should include some key phrases. Don’t forget to add a link to your homepage if you have a website (which we strongly advise you to make). Website content is easy to share on social media, so having an optimized site can only be a plus.
Set your goals
Now that you are there, let’s see what your goals are. They should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound – that’s right, they should be SMART. Your goal should sound something like: I will increase the number of active Instagram followers by 30 percent by the end of October. Of course, you will craft your goal to fit your plans, but what’s important is that you have a clear idea of what you are doing so that you can measure your success.
There is nothing wrong with deciding to be the best financial you in the New Year, but such a goal is not measurable and therefore you cannot know whether you have reached it or not.
Be human and be social
Even though social media platforms are so much more than a way to socialize with others, you shouldn’t forget that this was their primary goal. You might be building your social media presence in order to start or boost your career as an influencer or a person with a new business idea, but people want you to be personal. For example, if you are left unemployed due to coronavirus, share your story and you might inspire others to fight just like you are.
You can always buy followers, but you’ll be deceiving yourself and your genuine followers who will leave sooner or later. Relationships are more important than followers.
What you need is organic traffic and you can only reach it when your followers are genuine and active. If they like what you are doing, they’ll spread the word and you will get even more followers.
Being social is realizing that it is not all about you and your profit. Remember, in life, you only get what you give. So give your followers the value they are looking for, and they will reward you.
Be consistent
You need your overall social media presence to reflect the same style. Your profile image, just like your cover pic, should match your brand or the image you are trying to create for yourself.
Fill out your contact information and make sure that the details match if you have accounts on more than one platform. Use the same style of writing and communicating on every platform. That will help people see the true you and they will trust you more.
Post and share on a regular basis
Keep your audience entertained and let them know that they can always expect a new post from you in a day or two. Even the best influencers lose their popularity when they do not post regularly. Remember, if you want to make a living from being popular on social media, then you have to be professional about it.
Don’t make it all about yourself. Being social means sharing other people’s content too. That’s how you can expect them to do the same with your posts. You can even try newsjacking – share your opinions on breaking news stories and you might get noticed by your audience faster.
Conclusion
Building a strong social media presence as an individual can be simple if you are ready to invest your time and effort into it. Attract your audience, keep them entertained and engaged, and success will follow.
