A lot of you have been lamenting the time it takes to build up your social media accounts and were wondering what you could do to kick-start everything. With that in mind, I wanted to share some tips that I’ve used to build mine.
It’s important to note, however, that building up your social media accounts does take time. It’s a slow, tedious process. If you your blog has a small following, you’ll have a small social media following. As your website grows, so will your social media following. It takes time, so just focus on the process of increasing your numbers and don’t worry about the numbers themselves — you can’t control those. Sure, you’ll make mistakes. But all you can control is what you are doing to make this numbers go in a positive direction.
So, what do you to keep the ball rolling? Here are 9 things you should be focusing on in the beginning:
Blog comments – Commenting on other blogs takes a lot of time, and as I say in the course, it is something you will eventually stop doing. The purpose of blog commenting is to build awareness of your brand. It’s a method to get other bloggers to notice you, and it’s something I would do for maybe 1-2 hours per week. In the process of doing this, make sure you click on other people’s comments and comment on their blogs, too. The more people who are aware of your blog, the more people you’ll have checking out your social media.
Facebook ads – You’ll want to put some money into boosting posts on Facebook. This is the platform where you’ll get the best results, and where I spend the most of my advertising budget. This will not only increase your Facebook numbers but it will push traffic to your blog – a double win!
Rally your friends – Invite all your friends to sign up for your Facebook page, so when you do boost posts you can increase the number of people who see them. Moreover, you’ll want to ask them all to follow your other social media accounts. Those will be your initial 100+ followers and they will help you get your foot in the door. Send emails and messages to people you know, explaining what you’re up to and that you’d appreciate their support. Chances are they will be more than happy to help!
Be consistent – The worst thing you can do is be inconsistent. If you know you can’t post every day, pick one day every week to schedule out your entire week of social media content. We spend a few days creating our social media calendar and then a day just scheduling the entire month in advance. Find quotes, interesting articles, and other stuff related to your topic. Facebook loves outside articles, so be sure to include them in your posting calendar.
Draft posts can be created and stored on Facebook, and if you use Twitter ads they can be created and scheduled there, as well. For Instagram, you can schedule posts in advance using Later or Tailwind.
Ask questions and tag friends – When you post on Facebook and Instagram, create interesting questions and ask your followers to tag their friends in their answers. This is a simple way to get more views to your page and potentially attract new followers.
You won’t always want to ask for tags, so mix in questions that entice your followers to comment. When you post a new image, ask if they have been to that destination. When you announce a new trip, ask where your followers are going next. These simple questions will increase your engagement, build your community, and slowly attract more followers.
Use better hashtags – We all know that you need to use hashtags on Instagram and Twitter. Choosing the right hashtags, however, can be tricky. To find out which hashtags you will want to use, check out larger accounts in your niche and follow their lead. Be sure to mix them up regularly, as Instagram may penalize you for repeatedly using the same hashtags on every photo.
Try to also have a mix of popular hashtags (like #travel, #vscocam) as well as more obscure hashtags related to your post (look for tags with under 500,000 hits). That way, you’ll appear in the mix when people search the large tags, and you’ll also be at the top of the pile on those lesser-searched tags.
Write articles people want to share – People love a good story, but on social media what people really love is something that is either funny or helpful. People love that cornerstone content that gives them a laugh or makes them go, “Wow, this is an amazingly useful!” Examples of informative posts are my guide to Paris or tips for buying travel insurance. This is content that really adds value to the reader and is the kind of thing they appreciate and share.
Conversely, share something that really hits people emotionally, like this post on running away. These articles are highly shareable, the kind that go viral. Focus on articles like these and you’ll bring added attention to your website as well as your social media.
Work on your SEO and guest-posting – While everything we talked about is great, what will grow your social media the most is growing your overall audience. That means growing your website and your brand and letting people know it exists. To do that, focus on guest-posting on other websites and making sure you write SEO-friendly articles. The more you grow your website, the more your social media will follow!
While the first six points will help you optimize your social media, what will really supercharge it are the last points: creating good content with solid SEO and guest-posting. I am always thinking about how can I grow my site, not my social media. Because growing one will naturally grow the other.
If you really want to go above and beyond and step up your social media game, here are a couple resources worth checking out:
- How to Grow and Monetize Your Instagram by Anna Everywhere
- Instagram with Intention by Dean Street Society
- Every Single Thing I Know About Instagram from This Battered Suitcase
Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint! If you focus on growing your website, you’ll grow your social media as well. It’s a slow process, with many valleys and peaks, but as long as you follow these guidelines you’ll make progress!