The world of social media has in many ways made the internet a popularity contest. However, there are tremendous benefits to be had for those willing to invest time into learning how it works. Regardless of what you may do for a living, increasing your social media knowledge can open doors for you. In fact, it can even become an alternative to a full-time job if you get good enough at it.

If you run a business, the benefits are numerous. Utilizing social media as a marketing tool allows for a highly favorable ratio of cost to benefit. If you’ve already established a following, a wide audience can be reached for no cost at all, while additional promotion is usually offered if desired on an a la carte basis.

Even if you don’t currently run a business, amassing a sufficiently large following can be a life-changer for people in search of a career change. Many people start an Instagram that showcases other other businesses, like restaurants or breweries. If these accounts prove their worth and people take a liking to it, these businesses will often be grateful for the press you are giving them, and offer you perks in return.

This article will aim to offer guidance for those interested in improving their social media popularity.

Set Goals, Objectives, and Expectations

To attain any type of success on social media, you need to define what your goals are. Whether it’s a fitness, food, or lifestyle-oriented account, you need to be clear about what you are offering should you expect people to want to follow you. People will naturally reward accounts that offer something of true value. Whether it’s a personal or business-related account, make sure it exudes personality.

If your plan is to get a million followers, that may seem like an insurmountable task when taken at face value. It’s good to aim high, but make sure that you break the goal down into manageable chunks, and set benchmarks for yourself. This will most likely take a bit of trial and error. Each type of social media also entails a certain set of rules to master, so what works on Instagram doesn’t necessarily translate to getting likes on Facebook.

Humanize Yourself

People are inherently untrustworthy of entities in the marketplace, which is undoubtedly justified in many cases. Nonetheless, it is important to build trust amongst an audience for them to see you as anything other than a profiteering shyster. People can be very acute to picking up on a disingenuous presentation, so perhaps you should consider being honest and truly believing in the cause you are pushing.

To build a rapport with your intended audience, be interactive. Message and like other people’s posts, and respond to messages that you receive. This will help illustrate you as something more than a cold, unfeeling avatar. In addition, there more people become familiar with you or your brand, the more they will be receptive to you thanks to the psychological phenomenon known as the “Mere Exposure effect”. This postulates that exposure breeds familiarity and thus preference.

Don’t Be Afraid To Emulate

While finding your own niche is important and should occur naturally over time, there’s no shame in taking a page or two from people who have crafted a social media presence that you admire. Certain approaches or aesthetics work better than others, so copying those who have mastered these aspects can be an important education.

In addition, connecting and interacting with these inspiring entities can offer you a unique opportunity to cross-pollinate, and mutually benefit both parties. Creating a relationship or alliance can help bolster your reaching power and find people with similar interests. Competition can be a powerful motivating force, but ultimately there is always room for you too if your social media is compelling and properly maintained.

Deciding The Platform For You

If your brand is a relatively small-scale operation like most people’s, you might want to opt for one or two platforms that work best for you. If you run a real estate or flower business, for example, Instagram’s image-based format might work better than something like Twitter’s emphasis on dialogue and interaction.

Generally, more platforms are better, but it’s better to have one or two well-curated accounts as opposed to spreading yourself too thin across multiple platforms. As your enterprise continues to grow, you can allocate more manpower to multi-platform cultivation. Hiring a competent person whose responsibility is social media can also be money well-spent, so consider this as an option if you find yourself struggling to commandeer the ship all by yourself.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a tried-and-true method of increasing your online brand awareness. It helps to keep consumers remembering your brand as well as an opportunity to get feedback from both satisfied and unsatisfied customers alike. This may come in the form of surveys or other litmus tests that measure their level of satisfaction with their exchange.