If social media is a part of your marketing or personal branding strategy, then increasing your following is probably one of your targets.
In this post we’re going to talk the good, the bad, the slow and the fast ways to increase your social media follower count. But first, some (boring, we know) caveats:
- More followers doesn’t always equate to more engagement. It’s follower quality that people with marketing centric social media goals are typically more concerned with than number, whether that’s on Instagram, Tiktok or any other platform
- That said, there are a number of reasons you might want higher social followings. Some might argue that people associate a higher follower count with perceived credibility and trust, for example
We’re not telling you that you should increase your follower count. This article is, instead, focussed on some ways to do it if that is indeed one of your goals.
So, let’s look at some methods.
1. Buy Followers (Controversial, We Know)
Controversial one to start with here. But you can buy followers often very cost effectively. You can buy Instagram followers for as little as $2.99 per 100. Some online selling services may use bots – essentially semi automated or fully automated social media accounts without real people behind them. In other words, they’re accounts just set up for the sole purpose of following people buying follows.
Other sellers promise that you can buy real Instagram followers – but read the terms before you make the purchase. What does “real,” mean?
Buying followers is something that most social media platforms are really keen to do away with. So if you do plan to buy, check the reviews of any prospective sellers and ask questions about the way in which they deliver their followers.
Are bought followers likely to engage with you like loyal customers on social? Almost certainly not.
But if your goals are centred around quantity or you’re looking for increased followings for perception, then it might be an option for you.
2. Engage With Relevant Accounts
Want to build your own following? Get into online conversations with other relevant accounts.
Engage with others’ content in a meaningful way to enhance your own chance of opening conversation and winning followers who are now interested in what you are saying.
3. Engage With Your Existing Followers
Wining the follow is the beginning of the job for many social media professionals.
Engage with your existing followers. If they post on your profile or mention you, chat! Engage.
Opening discussions with followers can ultimately mean your content ends up visible to their friends and social contacts too, exposing you to a larger audience.
And people are likelier to want to follow a brand or social account that they can see has two way conversations with its followers.
4. Post Content People Care About
Please don’t treat your social media accounts as a billboard advertising space.
People are not on Instagram or Tiktok to be constantly advertised at. As consumers, we go to social media for information, fun content, escapism or, frankly, cat videos. We’re accustomed to seeing the odd advertisement. But would we actively go out of our way to follow social media accounts that just spawn ads constantly?
Think about it from your own perspective. Do you want a stream of ads in your timeline?
On the other hand, if you post engaging content that you know your audience really cares about, chances of having your followers sharing that with their own friends and contacts are, it’s fair to assume, higher.
5. Consider When You Post
So what you post is vital. But when you post it might matter too.
As you start to build up content, you’ll also get data about what type of content gets engaged with and when.
Start to look for patterns, not just in content types, but times of posting. If your audience is all in the UK, for example, posting in the middle of the night UK time might mean it goes unseen more than if you post it at lunchtime. That’s not to say that is the case. But look for patterns in the data and adapt your content calendar accordingly.
6. Work With Influencers and Micro Influencers to Amplify Your Profiles
Influencer marketing is big business. And whatever your views on it, working with genuine influencers and micro influencers (those who genuinely do influence as opposed to those who simply have a large follower count) could give you access to their audience too.
The right influencer, with a relevant audience and an appropriate message/collaboration is vital here.
7. Follower Exchanges
Much like buying followers, this might be controversial. But there are plenty of groups where you can engage in “follow exchanges,” where you follow a page or profile in return for someone else to do the same thing for you or your profile.
Again, there’s a question mark here over the value of a follow where the user has only followed because they want you to do the same. But if count is important to you for whatever reason, this might be one to consider.
Side Note: Which social platforms?
Trying to have a massively active audience on every single social media platform is hard going. There’s a risk of spreading your activity too thinly. Instead, do some research into which platforms your audience is on and hone in on a handful, depending on your resource.
