[San Francisco, CA, May 31, 2023] – Is it still possible to grow your social media followers? Most options have been discovered, tried, and then tried again. There are many philosophies on acquiring new followers including buying them from services that promise real users and no bots to hash-tagging everything. But are those actual followers that can ever be monetized? It’s still original content that attracts the interest of possible followers. The challenge is reaching those that aren’t familiar with your brand. Brands need to know themselves who they want to attract with a post.
It’s no secret that content needs to be unique to acquire new followers, but that content should still be specific to your business model. Collaborating with other influencers and brands can be a good option to expand your reach by tapping into their audience while still engaging your existing one. Begin by conducting research to find those brands or influencers that have an audience that might benefit by seeing your post or benefit simply by discovering your business. Consider factors such as their engagement rate, number of followers, and content style before joining forces.
Many influencers and digital creators offer paid sponsorships to support themselves and their business. For individuals, that might work well, but for brands it may not. Their product or service must be complimentary to yours - a true cross-promotion. Collaborate with relevant influencers in your industry by leveraging their audience.
To begin this process, reach out with a personalized pitch that establishes the benefits for both parties. Propose several ideas - whether it’s a simple post to Instagram or Facebook, a video, a live session, or an interview-type production. Plan the logistics and distribution strategy together. Create the content and leverage each other’s expertise and unique perspectives to create something that resonates with your audiences. Decide who will post, post simultaneously, or use a tool like Instagram’s “invite collaborator” feature. This process will be more than just one email in most cases. You might actually have to speak with someone on the phone to move the process along efficiently and to have all questions answered.
The final step is to promote the collaboration when the content is ready to be posted or released. Cross-promote via multiple platforms to get the attention that your content deserves. Simple hashtags are not enough to promote a post beyond existing followers. The need is still there to promote the content on Instagram and Facebook, your website, blogs, emails, or offline marketing materials. Using social media ads can also boost a post but your content must be effective to see any ROI. When the post has completed its life cycle review the results and take note of the results.
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Jim Burkhart is the Senior Director of Business Operations at #FutureCommPR. Located in San Francisco, FutureCommPR is a PR group providing PR services with a focus on small businesses and startups.