Whether you’re just starting your own business or you’re looking to grow your customers, one surefire way to market your company is through social media. A successful social media account involves continuous engagement and constructing authentic relationships between you and your customers. What do you do when you don’t have any followers, though? It’s kind of difficult to interact with your customers on social media if they aren’t even following you, right? Not to worry! There are many ways in which your company’s social media profile can flourish and attract followers. You’ve already completed step one and set up an account to market your business. The new question becomes, now that you’re marketing your business on social media, how do you then market your social media?  

Advertise Your Account

The first and perhaps easiest way to start to get your social media out to your customers is to advertise your account! People can’t follow you if they don’t know you’re on social media. Include links on your website to all your social media profiles and think about showcasing some of your social posts at the bottom of your web page so that visitors can get a taste of what they’ll find on your accounts. If you send newsletters or emails to your customers on a regular basis, attach your social handles and make a quick note to tell them that you’re now on social media. Don’t overload them as that can have the opposite effect but don’t be afraid to drop a line and inform them that you can now be found on whatever platform you’ve chosen and encourage them to follow you. 

If you don’t already have them and you’re financially able to, go ahead and invest in some quality business cards.  Include your new social media profile along with your standard phone and email so that when you distribute the cards you’re ensuring that the recipient will have the resources needed to check you out.  Having business cards with you can come in handy when you’re out and about but still looking to meet new customers. 

Exclusive Offers

Another great way to advertise your social media accounts is to offer discounts, giveaways, and hold contests that only those following you can participate in. The guidelines are easy: simply follow you on social media, like or share one of your posts, and they’re immediately entered to win a prize. This not only engages your audience, it also allows you to subtly plug your social accounts and ensure that customers are aware of your presence and actively following you. 

The contest rules are ultimately up to you but it is recommended that you encourage your followers to share the post so that you have a greater chance of being seen. As we’ll see below, there are a variety of benefits that come with your followers sharing your content. The more people that see your content, the more followers (and hopefully customers) you’re potentially getting.

Follow and Engage

As a new or smaller account, it is vital that you reach out to others in your field. Following other accounts and engaging them is a great way to introduce yourself to the community and make a splash. This also allows you to cultivate relationships with other professionals in your field that can turn into recommendations and general word-of-mouth positivity for your business. 

It’s easy to see competitors as adversaries when in reality the benefits to befriending others in your field far outweigh the negatives. By linking up on social media, you’re opening a direct line of communication that can be used to share insider tips, new trends, market analysis, and a wide variety of other useful conversations.  Try to keep a consistent form of engagement with other professionals as well as your customers. An active presence on social media will help to solidify your business as one that cares about interacting with followers and others in your field.

Research Content Sharing

There have been several studies done in regards to what type of content is most often shared. Depending on your brand, you might want to look into the data surrounding shared content and base your profile on your findings. For example, humorous posts are very likely to be shared from follower to follower.  In general, people like to laugh and will typically share content that they find funny or comical. How does this help market your business’s social media account? Simple! If one person shares your content for whatever reason (they find it funny, educational, uplifting, etc.) then they are, by extension, sharing your profile with other potential customers. Your content might prompt others to check out your page and your business which can then potentially turn them into loyal followers and customers. 

Take a look at the types of content studies available and see what lines up with your brand and your business. Perhaps all you need is a little humor to bring in some fresh followers.  If you’re having trouble finding specific content, don’t forget about the relationships formed with other accounts in your field and your own followers. Retweeting or reposting content (with credit) is a great way to interact with your followers while still supplying posts for your page. If you consistently highlight and share content from your followers and professionals in your field, it is likely that they will return the favor by sharing your content on their page as well. As mentioned, sharing leads to more eyes on your profile which leads to more followers and customers.

Perfect Your Bio

Another way to ensure your profile is marketable is to make sure that your biography or ‘about’ sections are completely filled out. Include company phone numbers, website links, emails, and whatever else you feel is appropriate.  This ensures that customers have a way to contact you should they have questions about your product or service.  You should also include a brief description of your business so that those not familiar with you can quickly see who you are and what you offer. Even a one or two-sentence description is acceptable, you don’t have to go overboard here. If you feel you have more to share, simply direct followers to check out your website where they can find more information about you and your business. 

You want your profile to be as polished as possible. Having missing information or no links to your website can turn away potential customers. If you’re just starting out on social media, it is understandable if your content is sparse. This can be changed over time with a consistent posting schedule. However, the one thing you can perfect right away is your biography. Take the time to choose an appropriate profile picture and link the necessary pages and you’re already ahead of a lot of businesses that choose to leave their bio section blank or insubstantial. 

Conclusion

It can be difficult growing a following on social media. The important thing to remember is that patience and enthusiasm will pay off for you in the long run. Chances are that your account won’t shoot to popularity overnight and that’s perfectly fine! Take your time, focus on your brand, reach out to others, and don’t stress too much about your numbers. Success looks different for every business and what works for others might not work for you and vice versa. As long as you maintain engagement with your followers and remain active in your field you’re sure to have a growing social media account for your business in no time!