As an aspiring author, creator, blogger or writer starting to build your brand and following from zero might feel tough and, at times, even impossible. However, The SHERO Team is here to tell you: it’s not. If you set a strategy, stay true to your niche and pick up on certain tricks and habits, you’ll be well on your way. We’ve collected five tips on how to grow your audience from 0.
1.) Respond to & engage with your audience
This is the alpha and omega of growing a loyal audience. Try to see your followers as not only a number which you’re aiming to grow, but as relationships you need to maintain. People want to be seen and heard, and interaction and meaningful conversation become more and more important. Make it a habit replying to comments and responding to messages. You’ll probably get more out of this than you think.
Never underestimate the art of being human and authentic. Being human among a sea of filters and facades might be the thing that makes you stand out in the crowd. People want to be able to relate to the influencers and channels they follow. Don’t hide your personality – highlight it.
2.) Host a competition
There are a lot of smart ways to engage and grow your audience. Hosting a contest is just one of them. The good thing about having a competition is that there are so many clever little ways to make it a win-win for you and your followers.
You could ask followers to comment to take part in the competition, tag their friends or re-share your content, start a hashtag trend related to you or your products or have them produce something in exchange for exposure or a prize. You grow your following and engage your audience at the same time as they get exposure and potential new followers or win a sweet prize.
3.) Choose images and titles wisely
Your cover photos and profile photos are the elements that get the most exposure on your social profile. In light of this, why not use these to showcase your work or even highlight the products or services that you offer? On platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch, a good rule of thumb is to update your cover images around four times a year. You’d want your followers to recognize your brand and channel, but you still want to get some variety happening. And where possible, don’t forget to add a catchy caption.
Don’t forget to personalize and customize the image according to the different channels. No one wants a stretched-out or pixelated version of a logo or image. There are lots of great tools to create nice images for social media. Canva is a great place to start. You can start with a free version of Canva that comes equipped with thousands of templates that you can edit to create a polished image.
4.) Customize your content for each platform
When it comes to content and different platforms, it’s not a ‘one size fits all’. It is important that you are tailoring your content to the different channels. This includes cover photos, video format, and even video length, background music, theme, mood, and much more.
Learning which social media platforms work best for you and understanding how to best leverage them enables you to craft strategic and engaging content that is impactful and draws readers, clients and buyers to you.
5.) Use tags & hashtags smartly
Hashtags are a great way to be found and seen, but also to take part in trends and stay engaged in the community. If you’re lacking inspiration or feel a bit out of the loop, check out Hashtags.org or Hashtagify.me to find hashtags that are relevant to your audience and your content.
