For business owners, it’s silently understood that in order to bring more customers through the door, one needs to embark on an effective online marketing campaign that will increase online visibility for your brand. This includes having a social media presence with a large number of followers.
But what if we told you that it isn’t the number of followers that counts,but the type of followers that at the end of the day brings in business?
Many of us are stuck on the belief that thousands of followers is going to lead to a large number of customers. Data shows however that this isn’t always the case, depending on your industry. It’s important to understand that you can in fact grow your business by instead catering to a smaller number of dedicated fans. Think quality, not quantity in this case.
What can you do to gain followers who care?
First things first, be sure to have a target audience in mind. If you spread your social media presence too thin over a broader audience, you don’t get many biting fish on your posts. Next, be sure to take a look at Facebook Insights to determine what time is best to post for your audience. Perhaps you cater to a younger crowd — college students, for instance; you should consider posting later in the evenings. When targeting working professionals, posts may do better at the morning and evening commute times.
Be sure to post things that are relevant to your company and broach topics that users care about. Don’t be afraid to have a two-sided conversation with your followers on Facebook — it will help with user engagement and will make your company appear more personable. Small businesses are the first to realize the importance of customers who care about the brand they follow. Large companies such as Pepsi, for instance, are learning this the hard way.
The big picture on how to gain quality followers
Using pictures to promote your brand is something that everyone should be doing. According to recent data, Instagram is growing at an average rate of 8% every month due — and a large percentage of this growth is businesses realizing that to reach a more tailored audience, they need to post relevant photos.
We encourage people to take a hard look at their social media campaign and determine how they want to target their audience in the future.