Your social media accounts are the digital face of your brand, whether you’re active on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or all of the above! Each follower represents a potential advocate for your content, amplifying your reach and impact across these networks.
While paid campaigns can effectively grow your following, earning followers organically holds unique value. Organic followers engage with your content for its intrinsic value and relevance to their interests, making them crucial assets in building a strong, interactive online community.
Organic vs paid followers
Organic followers are those who choose to follow your social media profiles naturally, without the influence of paid promotions or advertisements. These followers find your content, brand message, or insights valuable and relevant, leading them to personally choose to follow your social account(s). This type of following is built through people discovering your content on their own or having your posts shared into their feed.
Organic followers are valuable! They are typically more engaged and invested in your content, as their decision to follow is based on genuine interest and an alignment with what your brand represents.
What are the benefits of organic followers?
We thought you’d never ask. Here are just a few:
Enhanced brand visibility and credibility
As your follower count increases organically, your brand gains visibility and acknowledgment across social platforms. This natural audience growth is a testament to the growing awareness and recognition of your brand among diverse users. Organic growth also nurtures trust and authority around your brand, as followers who choose to engage with your content do so because they value your expertise or offering. This endorsement is invaluable in establishing your brand as a trusted and authoritative voice in your field, essential for building long-term relationships.
Increased engagement and interaction with your content
Organic followers tend to engage more meaningfully with your content. Their genuine interest in your brand’s message leads to higher-quality interactions, including valuable insights and discussions that enrich the conversation around your brand. This engagement is a rich source of feedback, offering insights into the needs and interests of your audience, which can help refine your content strategy.
Building a community of interested and engaged individuals
An organically grown following on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok becomes a dynamic community of like-minded individuals. This natural growth attracts those genuinely interested in your brand, fostering a space where meaningful relationships and conversations can develop. This evolution into a trusted source of information and thought leadership cultivates a strong sense of community, attracting professionals and enthusiasts who share common interests and goals.
Top strategies for increasing organic followers
Complete and optimise your social media profiles
A fully optimised social media profile is key to attracting organic followers.
- Complete your profile: Fill out every section, including a comprehensive About section and up-to-date contact information.
- Be discoverable: Use relevant keywords to improve your visibility on search engines and within the platforms themselves.
- Utilise visual branding: Use high-quality images and logos that align with your brand identity.
Engage regularly with relevant content
Consistent and relevant content keeps your audience engaged and attracts new followers.
- Regular updates: Maintain a consistent posting schedule with quality content that resonates with your audience. A well planned content calendar is essential here. (Tip: need help to plan and populate a content calendar? Get in touch for help from our experienced team).
- Diverse content types: Mix up your posts with industry insights, company news, and thought leadership pieces to cater to varied interests. (Another tip: keep your content pipeline flowing with support from Content Empire).
Utilise video and visual content to stand out.
Visual content, especially videos, significantly increases engagement on social media.
- Captivating visuals: Use quality images and infographics to make your posts more engaging.
- Video content: Include videos such as behind-the-scenes insights, product demonstrations, or expert interviews to draw attention and encourage interactions.
Encourage employee and customer advocacy
Your employees and customers can be powerful advocates for your brand on social media.
- Employee involvement: Motivate your team to share and engage with your content, amplifying your reach.
- Customer engagement: Encourage your customers to interact with your posts, including sharing their success stories or testimonials.
Don’t forget tags and hashtags
Tags and hashtags are free social tools that can increase your discoverability and help you pick up new organic followers.
- Hashtags: Hashtags categorise your content, making it discoverable to a broader audience. Read more in our blog on hashtags and why they matter.
- Tagging: Don’t forget to tag clients, colleagues and team members, to give your content maximum exposure.
In a nutshell
Implementing these strategies will help you increase your organic followers across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, leading to a stronger and more engaged online community.
Get in touch
Keen to grow your social audience by building a strong organic following? We can show you how. Get in touch with the Content Empire team today