Social media has evolved from a means of keeping in touch with friends and family to an attention empire. Users (across generations) spend an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone; and, a lot of that time is spent consuming content. This environment creates huge potential for digital marketing on social platforms.  

But, with a small follower count, your reach will be limited.  

Growing your follower count on social media increases your digital footprint. Not only are you exposing your brand to new potential prospects, but you are also improving your reach with your existing followers.  

Using social media, business owners like you nurture brand and product awareness, so your audience picks YOUR business (and not your competitors) when they’re ready to purchase.  

We’ve curated the top 5 most effective ways to help you grow your social media following.

How to grow your social media follower count 

#1. Create consistent content: posting frequency and branding

Our first tip is (somewhat) a no-brainer. If you want to grow your social media following, you need to post content.  

Specifically, social media platforms reward users who post consistently with greater saturation of their content (recommended to more users, appears higher up on followers’ feeds).  

Notice, we said consistently, not frequently! 

Posting every day is an incredible habit, but it won’t help you increase your follower count in the long run if the content is not relevant to your audience – or just plain boring.  

So, while the frequency you post matters, what is more important is that you post high-quality content at a regular cadence. Utilizing a social media calendar can help you stay  

What’s more, developing social media posts with a consistent aesthetic will improve your brand’s recognition. Just as one can easily spot a Picasso painting purely by style alone, consumers can immediately identify brands by color palettes, fonts, iconography, and other design and messaging attributes.  

To learn more, see our article: Do you have a brand identity?   

#2. Cross-posting 

There are a myriad of social media platforms out there, and it’s typical for most brands to have an accounts on the core bunch: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Meta products (Facebook, Threads, and Instagram). It’s also typical that one or more of these platforms is neglected, and has little content. But, there’s a simple solution to this issue, and it can help boost your following too. 

Cross-posting on social media refers to the practice of sharing the same content across multiple social media platforms. When done strategically, cross-posting can be an effective way to drive traffic on your accounts and grow your social media following.

Here are some ways it can help:

1. Reach a Wider Audience: Different social media platforms have distinct user bases. By cross-posting, you can tap into these diverse audiences and potentially expose your content to people who might not be following you on all platforms. LinkedIn, for example, recommends an account’s high-engagement posts to their network’s followers, allowing users to leverage their connections reach too.
2. Consistent Branding: Cross-posting allows you to maintain consistent branding across different platforms. When users encounter your content on various platforms and see a cohesive message and visual identity, they are more likely to recognize and trust your brand, leading to potential follows.
3. Maximize Content Exposure: Some of your followers might primarily use one platform and not actively engage on others. By cross-posting, you ensure that your content reaches all your followers, increasing the likelihood of engagement and gaining new followers. For example, cross-posting blog articles to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter will help you get the most eyes on your content as you can, and increase potential website traffic.
4. Reinforce Messaging: Repetition can reinforce your message and make it more memorable. When you share the same content across platforms, it gives users more opportunities to see and engage with your content, which can foster a stronger connection with your brand.

#3. Interaction 

Digital social interaction is the fuel of social media engines. Interaction takes several forms: following/subscribing to users; liking, commenting on, and sharing posts; tagging users; adding hashtags to posts; and responding to or messaging other users. When you actively interact with others’ content, it creates opportunities to build relationships, increase visibility, and demonstrate your brand’s personality and authenticity. 

1. Build Relationships: Interaction, or participating in online discourse, is a meaningful way to navigate social media. It allows brands to build community with users in your network. Engagement is a two-way street. Often, users will return the favor of your engagement by engaging with your content. 
2. Increase Visibility: Simultaneously, interaction increases your account’s visibility and allows you to display your brand’s voice and values. As people notice your engagement, they will develop curiosity about your brand. Twitter replies and Instagram comments, for instance, are a popular location for brand interaction; in fact, many brands added new dimension to their brand identity through their social media engagement.
3. Utilizing Hashtags and Trending Topics: Engaging with posts under relevant hashtags or trending topics can connect you with users who are interested in those subjects. This can help you reach new audiences and gain more followers who share similar interests.

#4. Remind your clients to follow you on social media 

Have you ever asked your customers to follow you on social media? They might not even know that you have a profile, but want to stay up to date with your content! You already have an audience – your clients – they just need to be nudged to join your online network. 

There are simple ways to tactfully encourage your clients to follow you that adds, not detracts, for your relationship. For example, adding your social media links to your email signature and client portals, verbally asking clients after positive conversations, linking to your accounts on digital invoices, or simply an email blast kindly asking for their engagement.

But, don’t forget to give them a reason! Express to your clients WHY they should follow you on social media, such as access to special offers, first look at new products and services, or company updates pertinent to them. 

Not only will this boost your social numbers but will strengthen your relationship with your customers by providing another touchpoint and creating informal bonds that boost customer loyalty and trust.

#5. Keep current with content trends 

Content is never as simple as it seems; it’s subject to a kaleidoscope of trends and microtrends, constantly in flux, but which determine the potential engagement content will receive. There are ‘evergreen’ forms of content, but if you want to grow your social media following, experimenting with different trends can help boost your reach and visibility. 

What does boosted mean, exactly? Basically, the algorithm will recommend preferred content to more users and place it higher up on their feeds, which generally results in greater engagement rates.  

However, keeping up with content trends requires staying informed and being actively engaged in the online community. Here are some strategies to help you stay updated with the latest content trends:

1. Format: Different platforms are built for and favor different kinds of content, and those preferences are codified into their algorithms. For example, while Twitter and LinkedIn  text and image-based content, platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok algorithms promote short-form video images and carousel still image posts. However, newer content formats primarily get boosted by the algorithm. Short-form video content is now king of Instagram (Reels), when previously still images were the exclusive format, and users who post this format will notice a bump in their posts saturation and engagement in comparison.
2. Topics/Memes: Every once in a while the entire internet is participating in one conversation. As of today, it’s “Barbenheimer,” or the mutual weekend release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, which has the internet in a chokehold – but it doesn’t take much scrolling online to notice different hot topics and memes of the moment. Embracing the microtrends of your audience is key to participating in the conversation and demonstrating to the social media world that you, in fact, “get it.”
3. Follow Industry Leaders: Maybe we should have put this first, because it is crucial. Keeping your finger on the pulse of trends is much easier when you lean on the expertise of top social media creators in your industry. Take inspiration from their social media methods, including content and engagement styles, and replicate them in a way that makes sense for your brand.

Extu helps grow your social media

Do you struggle to populate your social media with posts? We can help. Our marketing programs and platform transforms email marketing campaigns into a drip social feed. All you have to do is hit “approve.” Curious to learn more about our marketing solution? Click here.