The first step to any form of marketing is to identify your target audience. That is the number one starting point in all aspects. In order to do this, you must first identify the need that you are trying to fill and the people who have this need. Once you figure out your niche, you can start growing your following.

Step 1: Discovering Your Competition

Find out who your competition is. Your followers are a part of a certain niche, and you are not the only one trying to fill their needs. Once you find your competition, scope out their active followers. Finding active followers on other accounts similar to yours and following them can help you gain engaged followers for yourself. You do not just want to follow random users, you should follow people who are engaging with other accounts. Doing this will help to ensure engagement on your pages.

Step 2: Hop On Multiple Platforms

The best way to reach as many people as possible is to have accounts on multiple platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Not only should you have other platforms, but you should promote them on each other. Cross-promotion is a great way to ensure viewers on all different types of social media. In doing this, you must know which type of audience you are hitting on each platform. For example, Facebook users tend to be adults over the age of 35, while Twitter tends to be used mostly by people ages 18 to 24. This is why knowing your target market can help you choose which platform to spend the most time and effort on, ensuring a greater following. Also, make sure that you put social media icons on your website. That way, if people find your website before your platforms, then it encourages them to check out your other pages.

Step 3: Share, Share, Share!

This may be an obvious one, but share your social media with everyone you already know. Your network is as big as you make it, so start with personal connections. From there, your network will grow and reach well beyond your acquaintances.

Step 4: Content Is Key

You should be producing valuable content. Your target audience has needs, which you seek to address, so make sure that your content shows them that you are doing that. Half the battle is obtaining followers, but the other half is keeping them.

Step 5: Engagement

A large part of keeping followers is engaging with them. Like their comments and reply to what they are saying because this shows them that you care. If you have engaged followers, then chances are their network of followers is learning about you. As mentioned before, networking is a key factor in social media. All platforms are like a web and everyone is attached.

Step 6: Hashtags

Use the #Hashtag to your advantage. Hashtags are useful because that is how people can easily find your posts and pages. An important thing to note about using hashtags is that you should use ones that are relevant to your target audience. Find hashtags that you know they respond to. You can do this by looking at your competition’s pages and seeing which ones they use. Not only can you use hashtags on your post, but you can click on hashtags and follow people who are engaging with them in order to gain a following. Create hashtags that are unique, but still have enough popularity to have viewers. If you use a hashtag with millions of posts then yours will probably just be another face in the crowd.

Step 7: Believe

If you believe in your brand, then show that through your social media. Once your followers see that you care and you are striving for more and more then they will see how you are fulfilling their needs and want to keep following and keep engaging with your pages.

Finally, the number one way to grow your social media following is to work hard. The followers that you need and want will come to you if you show them that you care about them and their needs.