A large social media following means a wide potential reach online, which is why so many businesses are busting their humps to increase their number of followers and fans. However, too many folks lose sight of what’s important, which is to encourage these followers to engage with your brand. As with most other things SEO, a social media following is more about quality than quantity. In his article on Search Engine Journal, Samir Balwani offers five tips for growing your social media following without sacrificing the quality of your community.
Embed the Facebook Widget on Your Website
If you have a Facebook presence, you should definitely consider using the Facebook widget on your company website. The widget, once embedded, allows users to “Like” your Facebook page without ever leaving your site. They can also see additional information about your Facebook page, such as which of their friends are already fans. Says Balwani, “This extra information may be enough to turn an interested follower into a brand evangelist.”
Add the Twitter “Follow” and “Tweet” Buttons to Your Website
Twitter has two widgets that you can embed on your company website. The first (and most useful) is the “Follow” button, which gives visitors to your site the ability to follow your Twitter account without leaving. The second is the “Tweet” button, which is particularly useful for companies that have their own blog. The “Tweet” button lets readers tweet posts directly from your website, which is great for spreading content. The “Tweet” button is also helpful for gathering followers, as it can be programmed to give those tweeting your content the opportunity to follow your Twitter account.
Create a “Friends” Page
The landing page is an important tool in the marketer’s arsenal, as it creates a focused environment for users and limits their options to those you wish them to have. Most of the time, landing pages are used for things like lead generation, newsletter signups, etc. However, not many people bother to use them for social media.
Balwani recommends creating a landing page for the purpose of converting your readers into social media fans and followers. Outline your major social presences on this page, and explain to your users what they’ll get for connecting with you. Finally, make sure you explain to them just how to go about doing it. “Creating a ‘Friends’ page allows you to send targeted traffic to a specific page on your website to grow your social media following.”
Convert Commenters
A blog is great for connecting with customers, but you can always take it one step forward and attempt to recruit the folks who comment as social media fans. After all, if they’ve actually taken the trouble to comment on your site, you could probably convince them to become a fan with minimal effort.
Balwani suggests using an app such as the Yoast Comment Redirect plugin to redirect first-time posters to a special landing page that thanks them for commenting and gives them instructions on how to connect with you through social media.
Use Your Email List
If you have a list of subscribers, then you have at your disposal one of the best tools available to a small business—one capable of generating a significant number of leads and return business. In addition to using it for sales, you can use this email list for cross-promotion. For example, if you have a new blog post you want folks to read, you can email them and let them know about it. You can also use an autoresponder to prompt new subscribers to follow you on Twitter and Facebook.
Growing your social media following doesn’t have to be a difficult or resource intensive process. All you have to do is integrate your social media presence with your company website and throughout your various marketing channels. This will allow you to expand your social media reach while maintaining the quality of your current community.
“Your social media community won’t grow on its own,” write Balwani. “However, when supported by your website and your newsletter list, the dividends can be great.”
