New Ways To Gain Social Media Reach, Interaction and Followers in 2018

04 Jan New Ways To Gain Social Media Reach, Interaction and Followers in 2018

 

Happy New Year everyone! As we head into 2018 I wanted to share and remind you of a few tips to gain social media reach, interaction and followers.

General Tips:

 

Tell A Story

People are tired of just getting spoken to, so as part of your 2018 social media strategy make sure to tell a story. I know I brought this up last year but this tip still stands. When you develop your posts or campaigns think about the story behind your brand or the specific campaign. This should help you craft ideas about content and messaging for your channels.

Incorporate Video And Live Videos

Videos are still getting so much reach and interaction! I suggest adding more videos to your 2018 social media strategy to gain more reach, interaction and followers. You don’t have to get too crazy, simple videos still deliver great impact. I’ve been camera shy, but live videos will definitely be in the mix for my strategy this year. If you need a little help, here are 8 Tips For Creating Better Live Videos. You can go live on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and all social media networks now allow video uploads.

Not sure what to even do on a live steam? Read:

• 4 Ways to Use Live Video on Instagram Twitter and Facebook
• 3 Ways to Use Live Videos After They’ve Gone Live

 

Create A Feeling Of Community

in 2018 I think we’ll see a longing for people wanting to connect online to offline. Creating a feeling of community will be important. This can be offering physical products that connect to online products, creating Facebook Groups (more about this later in this article) or even going as far as to creating in person meet ups and events.

Test Social Media Ads

If you haven’t tried social media ads, 2018 is the time to start. Boost your popular Facebook posts, try promoted pins on Pinterest, and take a stab at LinkedIn’s robust ad platform. You don’t have to have huge budgets to see results from social ads- just remember that your audience targeting is key in driving favorable results.

Retargeting

Along with social media ads, take a dive into re-tarteging those who have visited your website as a segment to advertise to.

…and a few of the classic tips:

 

Use high quality images: Keep your images as high quality as possible or use stock imagery where appropriate.

Keep Consistent: Remember that consistency is key and letting an account go dormant or not posting enough will not help your presence grow. My rule of thumb is to post at least 3 times a week.

Have fun and test new features! Surprise and delight your audience (and show them you know how to use the network) by not being afraid to test new features that roll out. They may not always work out for your business, but if you can use them effectively they add an extra element to your social media presence.

Some Network Specific Tips for Social Media Success in 2018

 

INSTAGRAM:

 

Strategically Comment On Posts

To gain exposure and gain social media followers organically I always mention getting out there and interacting with social media accounts from other brands, and your audience. Choose 5 brand accounts that are similar to yours and leave one genuine comment on their 3 recent photos every week. Commenting will expose your account to people who are interacting with content that is similar to yours.

Like Post Comments

Instagram recently rolled out an update that lets you like comments – just like on Facebook. This adds an extra (and easy) opportunity to get some more interaction going for your account. Popular accounts can get hundreds of comments! Remember that list I suggested you make for the tip above? Look for a posts on those target accounts that resonate with your audience and go through and like the good comments. This will bring visibility to your account and help you gain social media followers organically. Don’t forget to like comments left on your own photos as well.

Use Instagram Stories and Live stories

Instagram Stories and Live Stories can seem a little scary, but they should absolutely be part of your 2017 social media strategy. Not only will you be able to give more context about you, your posts or your business, but creating this kind of content can also push you to be featured in Instagram’s Explore section – imagine all the exposure you can gain from that! Check out 4 Ways to Use Instagram Stories for Business for a few ideas.

Instagram Stories Highlights

2017 brought us Instagram Stories Highlights. With the Instagram Stories Highlight feature you can now extend the life of your Instagram Stories for – forever AND they live at the top of your profile! This opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to telling your brand story, getting a little more traction from your Instagram Stories or giving your followers some more value.  For some ideas on how to use Instagram Stories Highlights read: 7 Easy Ways Use Instagram Stories Highlights For Your Brand

      

 

Follow Hashtags

Another new Instagram feature we got in late 2017 is the ability to follow hashtags. This makes it so much easier to not only keep track of how many people are using your hashtag, but the feature can be used to bring more visibility to your hashtag as well!

 

Facebook:

 

Use Live Video

Again, video is a big deal and Live Videos get the most reach by far compared to other content formats. There are so many ways to use Facebook Live Videos – click on that link for a few ideas you can tailor to your business. Facebook also lets you upload 360 degree videos and photos.

Facebook Groups

Like I mentioned earlier in the article, creating a sense of community will be of more importance in 2018. Facebook groups are such a great way to connect more directly with your audience and let them interact with each other. Facebook Groups got a few new features in 2017 including group insights (so you keep track of the performance of your group – yay!) and the ability to schedule group posts.

Twitter:

 

Use live video

Tired of reading that yet? Live videos add a layer of personality and an element of surprise and delight for your fans. You can create a live video on Twitter directly from the app and the video will stream on your Periscope account as well (which will only help your following on that platform simultaneously). Twitter just launched the ability to post Live 360 degree videos to the mix for those of you more advanced content creators out there. If you need the link to my live video post, here it is again: 4 Ways to Use Live Video on Instagram Twitter and Facebook

Take advantage of the 280 Character update

Last year we got the 140 character update, this past year Twitter released the 280 Character update. So much more room for your tweets! Take advantage of this new update to tweet lists, multiple links and more! For more ways to take advantage of Twitter’s 280 character update read this post: 8 Tweet Ideas for Twitter’s 280 Character Limit.

Participate in Twitter Chats

Twitter chats are the best! They are a great way to create a feeling of community, interact with your audience, grow your following, and show expertise in your field – all in one. Research any chats in your industry or start one of your own. After participating in Madalyn Sklar’s #TwitterSmarter chat I saw a big boost in my impressions and overall account stats.

In case you missed it! Catch up on the #Twitter Dos and Don'ts To Help You Succeed chat…

⚡️ “#TwitterSmarter Chat Recap: Twitter Dos and Don'ts To Help You Succeed” by @MadalynSklarhttps://t.co/lsRihvFI0f

— Dhariana Lozano (@DhariLo) December 29, 2017

And last but not least keep going!

It can be frustrating to try things and not get the results you want right away but keep going! Consistency really is the key to seeing improvement.

 

Here’s to a successful 2018!

<3 DhariLo

 

P.S. I have so many new things coming for you in the new year, including the re-launch of Building Your Brand On Social Media. Get in now before the price goes up!