Strategies for social media growth

Social media has become an integral part of our personal and professional lives. For businesses, especially, having a strong presence on social media platforms has become a necessity.

But it isn't that easy.

Since every brand out there is vying for users' attention, your social media growth strategy can make or break your brand's growth on social media platforms. Therefore, effective social media strategies are key to sustainable social media growth.

In this article, we’ll be providing a deep dive into the world of effective social media growth strategies. Keep reading to find out how every like, comment and share can transform your digital aspirations into reality!

What is social media growth?

Social media growth refers to the ongoing improvement and expansion of a brand's presence on various platforms, often gauged by an increase in the number of followers and audience engagement with posted content.

For brands seeking to expedite their social media growth, the primary objectives revolve around bolstering follower counts across different platforms and enhancing the reach of their offerings. Ultimately, the expected outcomes encompass heightened brand awareness, a growing follower base, increased engagement, and a higher rate of lead conversion into loyal customers.

Certain social media metrics help you track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. These include:

• Impressions

• Likes

• Engagement rate

• Conversion rate

• Click-through rate

• Overall revenue

• Audience growth rate

The significance of authentic storytelling

Social media serves a purpose beyond simply broadcasting messages – it is a platform for cultivating authentic connections with your audience. Recognizing the value of genuine personal connections, your brand can make a meaningful and enduring impact.

At the heart of personalization lies authentic storytelling. By sharing compelling narratives, you can effectively communicate your brand’s values, purpose, and distinctive offerings in a relatable manner.

Take Airbnb for example. When the world grappled with COVID-19, Airbnb experienced a surge in cancellations and a decline in demand for their services.

As part of its social media growth strategy during this challenging period, the brand swiftly devised a unique virtual program called Online Experiences, employing a captivating storytelling approach. Hosts, who typically provide distinctive experiences to their guests in person, now adapted to the online world by offering their services through video. Viewers could partake in various experiences, from a Moroccan family teaching cooking skills to an Olympian leading HIIT workout sessions.

This ingenious move infused Airbnb's offerings with a human touch, resulting in significant engagement. Notably, some hosts earned an impressive $20,000, with one host even earning a staggering $150,000 in a single month.

Effective social media growth strategies

The primary issue that many brands encounter with their social media growth strategy is the absence of realistic goals. It's essential to keep in mind that your social media marketing strategy will only be effective if it is attainable.

Now, let's explore some valuable tips and examine how they can positively impact your brand:

1. Define your goals and target audience

Before you start putting together your social media growth strategy, you must define your goals and target audience.

• Are you looking to increase organic traffic to your website?

• Do you seek to enhance engagement on your social media platform posts?

Setting a clear end goal is key to crafting a roadmap for brand success.

Interesting Read: How to set social media goals for your business

2. Maintain consistent branding across platforms

Consistency plays a pivotal role in effective branding across social media. Ensure that your brand's visual elements, such as logos and colors, maintain a consistent appearance on all platforms. This cohesion not only fosters brand recognition but also establishes a unified identity that resonates with your audience.

Did You Know?

• Revenue can rise by up to 33% when a brand is presented consistently

• Shoppers prefer to buy from companies they trust, with 83% of millennials patronizing businesses that match their beliefs

• On average, a person needs to encounter a brand five to seven times to remember it

3. Create engaging content

Crafting engaging content lies at the core of every triumphant social media growth strategy. Develop a content plan that resonates with your target audience's interests and requirements. Experiment with diverse content formats, such as videos, images, infographics, and written posts. Aim to deliver value, entertainment, and educational content to your audience.

According to Zippia, a staggering 78% of customers feel a connection with businesses that captivate them through distinctive and valuable content.

4. Optimize hashtag use

Hashtags play a crucial role in boosting your content's visibility on social media platforms. Conduct thorough research to find and utilize relevant and popular hashtags that align with your content and target audience. Leverage industry-specific, trending, and branded hashtags to expand your reach. Consider using a hashtag management tool to identify the most suitable hashtags that will make your content more relevant to your audience.

Did you know?

Instagram witnessed a notable increase in ad content in 2021. 3.8 million posts were tagged using the #ad hashtag globally.

5. Engage actively with your audience

Social media is more than just a one-way channel. To achieve success on social media, brands must actively engage with their audience by responding promptly to comments, messages, and mentions. Establishing authentic connections with your audience not only enhances brand loyalty but also fuels organic growth.

The fast-food giant, Burger King, certainly knows how to add spice to its Instagram game! Instead of solely posting mouthwatering burger pictures, it employs diverse formats, such as quizzes, polls, and memes, to actively engage its audience.

Source

6. Leverage influencer marketing

According to a report by Forbes, over 50% of millennials trust products recommended by influencers.

Influencer marketing undoubtedly stands as a powerful tool for social media growth. Influencers amass dedicated followings through consistent effort. When these influencers endorse your product, their followers trust your brand, viewing it as a genuine recommendation.

Identify influencers in your industry or niche who boast a substantial following. Collaborate with them to create sponsored content.

For example, ButcherBox, the Boston-based meat subscription service, partnered with health influencer Chris Kresser to promote grass-fed beef. This influencer marketing campaign ignited a wave of sign-ups and generated significant buzz for the startup. Presently, over 10,000 customers savor meals made from ButcherBox's high-quality meats. This devoted customer base has played a pivotal role in catapulting the company's annual revenue to an impressive $20 million.

Also Read: Influencer marketing strategy: a comprehensive guide

7. Analyze and optimize your strategies

Analyze your social media performance to determine what works effectively and what requires improvement.

Most platforms offer analytics tools that provide valuable insights into key metrics, such as reach, engagement, and demographics. Use this data to evaluate the success of your content strategy.

Experiment with various posting times, formats, and topics to optimize your content and maximize audience engagement. Continuous monitoring and optimization are vital to adapt to evolving trends.

Discover the AI-powered reporting and analytics tool, Sprinklr Smart Insights, to further enhance your social media analysis capabilities.

8. Leverage paid advertising

Paid advertising campaigns entail targeted ads on social media platforms to reach specific demographics and enhance brand visibility. By utilizing various targeting options, you can ensure that the right audience sees your ads, leading to increased engagement, website traffic, and conversions.

Paid advertising opens up opportunities to expand your reach, target specific audiences, and achieve tangible results on social media platforms.

9. Cross-promote and collaborate

Cross-promotion and collaboration stand as powerful social media growth strategies. Cross-promotion involves partnering with other brands to gain exposure to a new audience.

Brands can leverage each other's networks to reach relevant audiences. By cross-promoting trusted partners, you not only enhance your visibility but also boost credibility.

An excellent example of cross-promotion is the airline company JetBlue promoting RIU Hotels and Resorts on its website. This strategic collaboration helps both JetBlue and RIU Hotels gain visibility among new audiences.

Case Study

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) games reveal serves as a remarkable case study of a highly successful social media growth strategy. Sony launched the campaign in June 2020, effectively capturing the gaming community's excitement. It adeptly harnessed the power of social media to build anticipation and strategically showcased visually arresting software leaps.

The campaign generated an astounding 172.9 million views on YouTube, which includes response videos from content creators.

Source

Here are the social media growth strategies that proved successful for Sony:

• The video kicked off with a bang, enticing gamers with an irresistible offer - the most played PS4 game for free upon upgrading to PS5.

• It capitalized on the ongoing community divide between disc lovers and digital enthusiasts by offering two PS5 versions. This ignited a frenzy of speculation and debates among users.

• It kept gamers on the edge of their seats by withholding the crucial details of the PS5's price and release date.

The combination of authentic expectations, impressive visuals, and carefully planned game lineup created a perfect storm of engagement. This approach garnered widespread critical acclaim and generated immense interest and views, solidifying the PS5's position as a dominant force in the gaming industry.

Ramp up your social media game today

With a large number of brands transitioning online to leave a mark, an effective social media growth strategy is now more critical than ever. Offering valuable and meaningful content, collaborating with the right influencers, and launching effective campaigns are among the most potent tools that can leave a positive impression on your audience.

To further fortify your social media strategy, brands are now harnessing the power of AI-driven social media insights. This aids brands in monitoring responses to their campaigns and focusing their efforts on effectively engaging their audience.

Discover more about Sprinklr Social and how it can revolutionize your brand's success.