Are you new to social media marketing? Do you want to build followers on your page but have no clue on where to start? Well, “if it was easy, everyone would do it”. However, here at SENAME we beat the odds and actually make it simple for individuals who are new to social media to build online followers. Why would you want to build your follower list on social media? Does it have any material benefit when you have a large number of followers? Is your online presence crucial to creating a strong brand image? The story of a Liberian human activist and politician, James, speaks for itself.
James is from a humble background where dining with kings was just a fantasy. But he kept his dream burning with hard work in school and being involved in humanitarian activities and voluntary work in public areas. This paid off in a big way, as he was recognized by many. However, this was not enough to get him on the right platform. He needed to build a firm band image on a long term basis. Helping the needy in his village was not enough exposure in terms of covering the target market. Yes, he was bound to be a politician and a respected leader in the society and with his usual visits to different villages which which always earned him a warm welcome, James was popular locally, but this was not sufficient for the impact he wanted to have.
After college, where he graduated with a major in political science, it was time to put theory to practice: how to make himself known throughout Liberia. In the digital age, just about everyone is crazy about social media and a helpful tip from a friend gave James a great idea of how to make his brand image grow. James identified his target audience as the youth and went to work. How did he gain recognition on social media? What criteria did he use to build his large number of followers? Are you new to social media and want to build your online following? James’ checklist of how to build your brand image on social media might be of use to you.
Layout Your Profile in a Professional Manner
A serious contender will be judged on how well they prepare to succeed. Does your profile fully describe who you are? Have you stated your profession and your achievements clearly? You should make this as clear as you would in a professional resumé . Make sure you have complete profiles for all your social media accounts. A professional-looking profile picture or business logo will come in handy for a worthy brand image. Optimize keywords that will be relevant to your profession or business as this will be detected by search engines and build more followers in the process.
Direct All Social Media Traffic To Your Blog Or Website
Do you have a blog site or website of your own? Do you have a business card? If yes, then you have a fantastic platform and opportunity to show people that you know your subject. Use your blog or website to grow followers on your social media pages. Direct traffic to your blog or website anytime you appear online. Whether on Twitter, Facebook, or Google plus you will be able to get a considerable number of followers who visit your blog or website. When they get there, present them with valuable content such as a rich blog post, or a free gift that allows them to solve an immediate problem.
If you don’t have a blog yet, consider joining our blog challenge, where I teach you how to get a beautiful blog up and running in just 5 days.
Show your Worth
Why should anyone follow you? What do you have to offer? Is the content you post relevant or educational? Readers or followers will always want to follow a page that has useful or relevant content. Your tweets or updates on LinkedIn should be helpful to your followers. For example, James made it clear he was an activist by engaging and mobilizing people online who had similar objectives as he did within Liberia. This included sharing information on recent developments within the government and how they would benefit the common man; as well as being candid about events that would be detrimental to the people. Through is honesty and openness, he was able to build a large number of followers for his brand image on social media.
Include “Share” Buttons at the Bottom of Your Content
After posting important content for your followers, you should include “share” buttons or options for readers who might like your page. Remember that your content will be detected by search engines.This means that more shares, invites more visitors who will click to like your page and hence attract a larger number of other followers.
Get Cozy with Your Followers
Show your followers that you are one of them by engaging them in insightful discussions and trending topics that excite them and not just material you are interested in. Followers need to feel appreciated and by taking time to chat and converse with them, you show that you are interesting, interested and willing to spend your time with them. James, being a man of the people, made this a priority. His Facebook family grew in numbers with more people sharing his content and liking his page because they knew he would respond when engaged in conversation.
A brand image that is firm will constitute a strong presence in social media platforms. This is not only for personal brand image. Businesses can use social media to reach a wider target market for their products and services.
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