How To Create An Authentic and Active Following

Business

26 Feb

Pippa Akram, aka “SocialPip” is a Social Media consultant and a fabulous one at that! Our paths crossed over a couple of years ago now and I knew somewhere along the lines we would become friends and business buddies.
It’s no secret that I have attended a few of Pip’s workshops - She shares her knowledge and expertise in such a digestible manner it’s easy (and fun) to learn, which leads me nicely to say this guest post about how to create an authentic and active following is definitely one to read, save and share….

Over to you Pip…

Let’s cut to the chase, you NEED followers on social media because without them you’re basically just shouting into a void but do you really know what you should be ‘doing’ with them? If you find yourself asking, “how do I get more followers?’ first ask yourself ‘am I doing enough with/for the followers I have?’. The former question means you’re focussed only on collecting followers, the latter on connecting with them and the success of your social media will be dictated by the question you’re concentrating on.

What is an authentic and active following?

An active following is better known as a ‘social media community’ and means much the same as in the real world. Internet strangers are attracted to you through shared experiences, interests and values (and are most definitely not fake or bought) and become followers. By building strong relationships with your followers and truly connecting with them via meaningful interactions they become valued members of your online community.

Why do I need one?

An engaged social media community is integral to your success on your chosen platforms. If your followers aren’t interested in your content and don’t convert into sales/clients then you’re simply wasting your time. By building an active community you can be sure they will help promote you on and offline, support you when you need them to and basically become your biggest advocates.

So how do you turn an online stranger into a community member?

Here’s 8 key tips:

1 | Accept it’s going to take time:

Social media is a marathon, not a sprint and you will need an abundance of patience. Patience to plan; to create content and to engage and build those relationships.

2 | Understand your audience:

What interests them, where they like to hang out online, what they love to talk about, what they struggle with etc. The better you know your followers the more you’ll be able to talk to them genuinely and create content they love.

3 | Have conversations:

Every single day in real life we have conversations with people. Conversations build connections, connections turn into relationships and relationships drive an active community so apply the ‘in real life’ approach to your social media. This means proactively seeking the connections yourself as well as encouraging engagement via the content you create.
Creating content that encourages engagement and conversations doesn’t always have to be pre-planned, sometimes just giving your followers the opportunity to see the ‘real you’ (and a classic crisp sandwich) might be all that’s needed to create a moment of connection.

4 | Involve your followers:

Make them laugh, inspire them, go behind the scenes and make them feel a bit VIP; if you have a decision to make, business or otherwise, asking them for their opinions and acting on the responses is a really powerful way to make them feel valued.

5 | Show you care:

Say hello when someone follows you, thank them when they share your content or recommend you. If it’s someone’s birthday, say happy birthday; if they’re starting a new job wish them good luck or if they are off for a hospital appointment ask how it went. If you care, they’ll care about you. It’s the small stuff that has a big impact.

6 | Promote and support them:

If they’re doing amazing things, shout about it, if someone needs help, step in and support them or if you’re unable to help them but know someone who can, connect them. Sharing the love and showing support is, more often than not, reciprocated.

7 | Be human, be you:

Share the highs and lows, mix some personal in with the business content and be exactly who you are 100% of the time.

8 | Get your community together:

While offline meetups are off the agenda (thanks Covid) there are still ways to bring community members together via tweetups, Facebook groups, online conferences, Zoom hangouts, Messenger Rooms, group DMs etc.

5 questions you can ask yourself to help you transform your followers into a community

If you’re fired up to transform your followers into a community here are 5 questions you can ask yourself to help you get started :

Are you focussed on collecting or connecting with your followers?
How well do you know your followers?
What opportunities are you giving your followers to connect with the ‘real you’?
How are making your current followers feel involved and valued and what can you do better?
What would you like to do to create/enhance your community?

If you love community as much as me or need a hand with your social media you can find me hanging out on Instagram at www.instagram.com/socialpip, why not come and join me!