Choosing a Platform
Choose one platform to focus your attention on. You can definitely use multiple social media platforms, but choose one to start with. Trying to master too many platforms at once will weaken your social media presence, which isn't what you want. Go ahead and reserve your username on multiple platforms, but wait to start developing them until you've spent time becoming proficient in your first choice. Once you feel you can easily handle the platform and are regularly posting new content, incorporate an additional platform. If you use too many social media platforms, it'll be impossible to keep up with comments and questions. Start small, and then increase your platforms as you gain more experience.
Use Instagram or a blog to focus on lifestyle and image-centered information. Writing, cooking, beauty, and fitness interests do well on these platforms because they're primarily image- and information-based. Instagram is great for fast-paced content creation, whereas a blog will allow you to dive a little more deeply into different topics. Instagram can also be a great tool to use to connect with other creators like yourself very quickly. It's easy to use hashtags to search for relatable content, and people check their accounts often, which means you will have more foot traffic than you might initially get on a blog.
Choose a fast-paced medium to showcase your humor and wit. Sites like Twitter and Reddit are constantly updating. People scroll through content quickly, pausing for mere seconds to check out a post. You can also get help from press release agencies to help get your profile on news sites that millions of people read about. These are great places to interact with others about politics, pop culture, and comedy. Twitter is used a lot for news, sports, and popular media; Reddit includes forums and deep-dives into almost any topic you can think of. Twitter and Reddit also let you post photos and interact with others easily by “liking,” retweeting, reposting, and commenting on content quickly.
Pick Facebook to promote your presence to a lot of people. In addition to sharing content with all the people you're friends with, you can also promote posts (for a fee) and reach people who aren't on your friends list. It's also a great platform to connect with businesses in your community, as most companies have Facebook pages. Facebook also provides a lot of helpful statistics about your posts and content, showing you how many people click on your posts and engage with them, what times of the day are busiest, and what demographic is interested in your content.
Use videos or podcasts to explain something at length. If you're an expert in baking, history, politics, exercise, or tutorials of some sort, creating a YouTube channel, blog, or podcast on SoundCloud or iTunes would be a great way to start sharing your information. This gives you a little more space to go into detail and could be a great resource for followers to learn something new. This is a great way to start exposing yourself to more followers. A lot of people would rather watch (or listen) than read something, so creating a dynamic video or podcast is a cool way to show your personality and reach more people.
Learn how to cross-post your content if you use several mediums. While you could create new material for each platform, you could also link your accounts so that they're always updated with the same new material (or at least a link to the new material). For example, if you primarily blog and use Instagram, you'll probably post a lot more photos to Instagram than new entries on your blog, which is totally fine. But when you do post a new blog, make an announcement on your Instagram post so your followers know there is new material! As you're starting out, try to keep things simple—learn to master a platform and post good content, and once you're doing these things, you'll have a good base on which you can build your brand.
Posting New Content
Choose a theme for your content, like beauty or education. Choose something you're passionate and knowledgable about. Maybe it's something like comedy, cooking, makeup techniques, shopping, singing, fashion, or impressions. The best way to keep yourself and others interested in your content is to be passionate about it yourself. Resist the temptation to copy other popular online presences. They're famous because of their unique views and interests, and you can be, too. It's okay to gain inspiration from someone else—just make sure to recreate that content you love so that it is uniquely yours. Settling on a niche to focus on is really important—finding a niche that works for you will help you stand out from the crowd. Gigi Hadid Gigi Hadid, Model & Fashion Influencer Build your personal brand on social media. "I feel lucky to live in the era of social media and be a working model in this time. Back in the day, models were just another face, but social media has given people a voice. You can show the world your personality."
Set aside a few hours per week to create new content. Choose one day per week that is dedicated to content creation. If you're in school, maybe one afternoon is dedicated to this. Or if you have a family, maybe Sunday mornings when everyone is sleeping in is a good time for you. Write it down in your calendar and commit to it. Use this time to create all of your content for the upcoming week. You won't post everything you create that day at once, but it'll be ready to go throughout the week. This time slot will guarantee that you have new content to post. Work on blogs, photo editing, links, videos, tutorials, and whatever else you're creating. Be prepared to invest months and months of time before your following starts to grow. Some of the most popular social media presences have been around and working on their content for years.
Spend time proofreading or viewing your work to correct errors. From grammatical errors to misreporting facts, spend about ten minutes reviewing your content before you send it out into the world. Think about how the post is going to appear to your followers—will the wording or content make sense? Is the message on brand? Is it free of major mistakes? Especially if you're doing any kind of social commentary or reporting, it's important to double-check names, dates, and facts so that you remain a trustworthy online presence.
Post 5 to 6 times per week to keep your followers engaged. Even if you schedule out your main posts and have a few things you do every week, try to engage with your audience and post something almost every day, even if it's something small like a selfie outside your favorite coffee shop or a quote from a book you're reading. If you miss a day or two here and there, that is totally okay! It can also be helpful for your mental health to take a break from social media every once in a while, too.
Schedule your posts to appear during high-traffic times of day. From Monday through Friday, Instagram is busiest from 12 pm to 1 pm, Facebook is best hit between 12 pm and 3 pm during the work week, and Twitter has the highest traffic around 3 pm. Think about the times you're most likely to check your accounts, like during midday breaks and the late evening hours. Avoid posting early in the morning. Most people are busy getting ready for work or are invested in their tasks for the day.
Vary your content to keep it engaging. Rather than just posting how-to videos, if you're a beauty blogger, for example, try also posting some reviews of new products or interviews with other fashion and beauty bloggers. Fun facts, inspiration, memes, contests, throwbacks, FAQ sessions, polls, tours, and travel content can all work toward keeping your content fresh and exciting. Try tracking what kind of content you post for one month, and then look at what areas you could expand upon to diversify your posts.
Gaining Followers
Use hashtags to help new followers find your content. Pay attention to the hashtags that other personalities use. For example, if you have a bookstagram (an Instagram that features photos of books and reviews), you'll notice #bookstagram, #bookworm, #bibliophile, #amreading, and #shelfiesunday. For any given category, you can search online for the most popular hashtags to end your post with. Sites like Instagram will also make hashtag suggestions once you start typing, and they will show you how many other posts are using that hashtag. The higher the number, the more likely someone will find your post when they search that tag. Use specific hashtags that are tailored to your content rather than super popular, vague ones like #beauty or #fashion. It will be easier for people to find you that way.
Be genuine to draw in more followers. Followers can tell if you're being fake or pretending to be interested in something. That's why it's important to post content that you're truly interested in. And the great thing about the internet is that there is space for everybody, from Star Wars fanatics to beauty experts. Be true to yourself! Don't forget that what your peers in real life think is cool might be really different from what people online think. The best way to find online popularity is to start by being yourself.
Interact with followers and ask questions to boost your social media presence. Avoid just posting content without checking back on any responses. Spend 15-30 minutes per day looking back at notifications and responding to people's questions or comments. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions of your followers to get them talking or simply to learn something new. For example, if you make a post about a new recipe, you could ask, “What are some of your favorite cookie baking tips, readers? I'd love to know!” Thank your followers when they say something nice or share your content. If you're using Instagram, replying to your followers' DMs is a great way to directly interact with them. EXPERT TIP Melissa McDermott Melissa McDermott Designer & Social Media Manager Melissa McDermott is a Musician and accomplished Social Media Manager at coBranding Studio based in New York City. She has over seven years of experience teaching piano and music theory, she currently works as a Piano Instructor at O DiBella Music Inc. Additionally, she specializes in creating meaningful, informative, and quality social media content for health and wellness brands and musicians. Melissa received her B.A. in popular music studies from William Paterson University. Melissa McDermott Melissa McDermott Designer & Social Media Manager Commenting on social media content that's related to your account will draw in new followers. Actively commenting meaningful thoughts on relevant niche social content can attract followers to your profile. Participating in discussions raises your visibility so users from those communities find your page, expanding your network and follower base.
Follow people who have similar content to you. This works on two levels: you will be inspired by their content and hopefully will create more new material, and people who follow them will be more likely to find your content, too, because of your shared interests. Remember to not copy or plagiarize anyone else's content. You can let it inspire you to create something new, but copying it outright is a form of intellectual property theft.
Network in real life to make connections and grow your following. Your online presence is important, but meeting new people at events is another great way to get inspiration and become a bigger personality online. Attend events that pertain to your interests—if you're a baker, take some cooking classes; if you're a musician, attend open mic events; if you're a fashion blogger, go to fashion shows. You could even create business cards that have your social media handles on them so you can hand them out to new contacts.
Consider paying to promote your content. A lot of sites will allow you to advertise your posts to a targeted demographic for a really small amount of money. For example, Facebook lets your promote posts to hundreds of people for as little as $5. Instagram provides a similar feature. If this is something you're interested in, check out your social media sites to find out what options are available to you. You definitely don't have to pay money to become popular on social media, but it can help you reach a wider audience.
Keeping Your Brand Consistent
Use the same username across all social media platforms if you can. This makes it easy for followers to find you. For example, let's say your name is Katy Smith and you have a baking and crafting blog called Katy's Creations, then make your handles for all your accounts read @KatysCreations. This is also a good way to make sure no one else gets a hold of your great name! If you can't use the same username across all platforms, try to make them as similar as possible.
Create a consistent schedule for posting. Rather than taking your social media popularity day-by-day, plan ahead for success. Set time on your calendar to create and post new content. For example, let's say you have a baking blog—on Mondays you could always post a new recipe, on Wednesdays you could do a giveaway, and on Saturdays you could do a live feed. Decide what kind of content you want to be sharing, and find a repeatable way to work. You can research lots of different popular bloggers and social media persons who share how they create and manage new content. A lot of them plan out their posts several weeks to a month in advance.
Automate your posts and manage all your accounts from one place. There are quite a few apps out there (some of which are free and some which aren't) that will let you manage all your accounts and set a posting schedule from one place. This saves you time and ensures that your new content is being posted consistently. It also frees up some of your time so you can focus on interacting with followers. Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, Agorapulse, Sendible, and Social Pilot are all popular management tools. Look at the abilities and reviews for each one to find the best one for your content.
Remember what your theme is and don't stray far from it. Chances are, your followers are like-minded people. If you switch what your message is all about, you'll disorient them and probably lose followers. For example, if you have a movie-reviewing blog, people might not be as interested in reading about fashion tips. It's okay to be interested in multiple things and to show your varied interests, but try to keep the main thing the main thing.
Implement brand changes gradually and explain your decisions. For example, if you've primarily written blog posts but have decided to start a podcast, communicate with your followers why this change is happening and what they can expect from your content over time. Chances are, the changes you make will be to bolster your online presence, so make sure to share how you intend for these changes to be good for everyone as a whole. If you're making a big change, try to announce it 4-6 weeks ahead of time and make it feel like a celebration! This way, your followers will be excited and look forward to your new content.
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