Kristian B is a visibility strategist and infopreneur with years of experience helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow their business using social media platforms. Here are Kristian's five no-fail tips to curate a loyal following.
To be honest, social media is an extremely valuable tool to grow a loyal tribe for businesses. Having a large online community certainly has its advantages, including increased product sales and more website traffic. Sounds like a dream come true, right? However, building an engaged community is not something that happens overnight. And with all the noise on social platforms it has many wondering how it is possible to even stand out or be seen at all.
The truth is most businesses approach social media backwards. They broadcast instead of connect. They sell before they have earned the right to. The brands that succeed are the ones that treat social platforms as relationship building tools, not megaphones. Below are five strategies that actually work.
1. Identify Your Target Audience
The first step in building a loyal tribe is to zero in on one's target market or customer avatar. It is important to be very specific because it is impossible to successfully market to everyone. When you try to speak to everyone, you end up resonating with no one. Once the target audience is clearly defined, the easier it will be to market and reach them. Understanding the audience's pain points and what is valuable to them will help with earning their trust. Developing trust in the earlier stages is critical, because without it nothing else you do on social media will matter.
2. Provide Value Before Asking for Anything
The more value provided to an audience, the more they will appreciate it and interact in return. Once value is provided on a consistent basis, the easier it will be to earn more sign-ups and sales. To provide value, offer problem solving tutorials and educational content. Be sure to provide top-notch advice on topics of interest to ensure more followers, credibility, and growth. Going live on Facebook and Instagram are highly effective in building the "know, like, trust" factor because they let people see the real person behind the brand. That authenticity is what converts casual followers into loyal supporters.
3. Stay Consistent
Overall consistency is one of the biggest determining factors to successfully growing a tribe on social media. Consistency not only involves creating a schedule for posting content, but making sure there is an established theme and brand identity to avoid confusing customers. People need to know what to expect from you. Have a plan in place to remain consistent and relevant, because when you disappear for weeks at a time you are essentially starting from scratch each time you come back.
4. Speak to Them, Not at Them
There is a right way to connect with an audience on social media. Do not attempt to sell products or webinars immediately. Trying to pitch products too early will often result in failure and can actively push people away. Instead do this: leave thoughtful replies to comments. Be authentic. Ask engaging questions on posts to build up engagement. Show up daily and share helpful information, and the customers will come naturally. Social media rewards the brands that act like real people, not sales brochures.
5. Tell Your Story
Incorporating funny moments or lessons learned are unique ways to build that connection and tell an engaging story. People connect with people, not faceless companies. Another way to tell a great story is by allowing customers to participate by reposting testimonials and photos of them using products. This will encourage more audience members to do the same, creating a cycle of social proof that does your selling for you.
Growing a loyal tribe comes with challenges, but the reward is worth it. The businesses that win on social media are not the ones with the biggest budgets. They are the ones willing to put in the time, show up consistently, and genuinely care about the people they are trying to reach.
More about Kristian B can be found at: https://www.kristianb.co
