03 May How To Get More Social Media Followers
People ask me how to get more followers on a daily basis.
I completely understand why. As the blogging world continues to grow it’s getting more and more difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Without readers blogging quickly gets lonely. It’s almost like you’re talking to yourself at the bus stop – being very articulate and saying all sorts of poignant things, mind you – and the few strangers that look your way avert their eyes and walk away.
But building a dedicated audience is far from impossible. With enough hard work, dedication and guidance I believe anyone can make it as a blogger.
So when Icelolly asked me to speak at their #BlogAtTheBeach event, I immediately knew that showing the attendees how to get more followers would be a popular topic.
But how could I answer that beast of a question in less than an hour, in a way that would leave the audience feeling inspired? It took me a while to figure it out because something about that phrase didn’t sit right with me.
I don’t believe in judging people’s quality on numbers. No one is superior to you just because they have more followers, less body fat or a bigger bank account.
If you feel like you or your blog don’t matter, please re-read that previous sentence seven times. I’ll wait.
No one is superior to you, but some people are better at building a social following. And I’m not talking about numbers here – I’m talking about building a thriving, engaged community.
The question you should be asking yourself isn’t how to get more followers. The better question is how can I turn my readers into followers and then turn those followers into a community?
I’m blessed to have built a wonderful community around my blog, connected through a Girls vs Globe Facebook group (join us!) with nearly 4,000 members a few of whom are pictured in the photo above at last year’s #BlogAtTheBeach event.
All that has helped me come up with a three-part formula which will help you find an audience that loves you, get more followers on social media and turn them into loyal fans.
I am sharing a condensed version below, but if you’d like to get the full 60 minute lesson you should attend my free live webinar next Thursday, 19 May 2016.
To sign up, sign up to my newsletter here and check the “Blogging Tips” box. I’ll be sending out an email with more details very soon.
If you’re already signed up enter your details into the form and once it prompts you – saying you’re on the list already – click “update preferences”. You’ll receive an email through which you’ll be able to access a form where you can check the “Blogging Tips” box as well 🙂
I will not be sharing platform-specific social media building techniques this time. Although there’s value in learning how to grow your followers on Instagram or Facebook, this advice quickly becomes outdated as algorithms change.
What I’m offering here is an evergreen strategy that will never become outdated and work across all platforms, regardless of how they change. Sounds good? Let’s do this.
How To Get More Followers
Although figures vary, there are now more than 150 million blogs out there and 4 million posts published every day. That’s crazy!
How could you possibly stand out in that blogging jungle? My three-step FIG formula will give you the blue print. Fig what?! Don’t worry, it will all make sense in a minute.
I’ll be sharing actionable tips on how to do better at each of these (from optimising your content to tweaking your writing style) in my free live webinar next Thursday, 19 May 2016, so don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter here and check the “Blogging Tips” box.
F is for Friend
When I need advice on anything from shoes to relationships, I immediately turn to my friends. There’s something reassuring about confiding in a person close to you and hearing their advice.
That’s exactly who you should aspire to be as a blogger – your readers’ friend. If they feel like they know you and can trust you, they will keep coming back for me.
But how do you go about becoming someone’s friend when you’re separated by computer screens and potentially hundreds of miles? It might be simpler than you think and can be done in three steps.
Reveal your personality, communicate your likes and dislikes, and openly share your story. Doing this will help your readers feel like they know you and it will help them decide whether you’re the kind of person they’d like to get to know better.
The thing is this – you can’t be everyone’s friend in real life so don’t expect this to happen online. We all like different kinds of people and you will not be everyone’s cup of tea.
But that’s ok. Birds of a feather flock together, so be yourself on your blog and you will attract exactly the kind of fans you want.
I is for Inspiration
Originally I wanted I to stand for ‘idol’ but that seemed a little too egocentric. Even to me, the girl who makes a living talking about her life on the Internet.
But the truth is, if your visitors don’t admire the life you lead – or the way you live it – they will have no reason to come back to your website.
Don’t worry if your initial reaction is: “But my life is completely ordinary!” I spend 70% of my time sitting on the couch in PJs, staring at a laptop screen, yet you’re still here and so are thousands other readers.
Why? When I’m not working I make a concerted effort to step outside my comfort zone and do exciting stuff. I travel around the world, I eat foods whose names I can’t pronounce and I say yes to pretty much any new experience that scares me.
Not only does this make me more appealing to my readers – it also makes my life more enjoyable, so it’s definitely a win-win.
That doesn’t mean every day will be incredible. Maybe you’re going through a rough patch with your partner. Maybe you’re struggling to pay rent. Maybe you’re be so depressed that you don’t want to leave bed for a week.
For better or worse, all those things are a natural part of being human. My best advice for those time is… be open with your readers. Let them know what you’re going through.
Those spur of the moment ‘rants’ often become bloggers’ most popular posts. There’s beauty in transparency – and although you might feel like a complete failure, that honesty will prove inspiring to your readers.
G is for Guide
If you got this far, congratulations. Your readers now feel like they’re your friend and are inspired by you… but something is missing!
Don’t just show your readers how awesome your life is – show them how their lives can be just as awesome. Your blog shouldn’t be a source of jealousy, it should be a useful resource aimed at making those who read it better off.
What am I doing right now? I’m sharing my best tips on how to grow a social following with you. If you enjoy them you will (hopefully) come back to my blog for more.
It’s important not to be stingy. Don’t save your best tips for that book you want to write, like, next year, or maybe the year after, once you finally have a little more free time. Like nope.
Share your top tips for the world to see, share them now and make them free. Yes, that rhymes… and so it must be true.
You may feel like giving all your best advice away for free will leave you with nothing interesting to share but I guarantee that’s not the case.
The more you write the more your expertise will grow and soon you’ll have plenty of new material. The best thing? Your new material will likely be ten times better than what you once considered your best.
Want an example? One of my first posts about blogging was “How To Get Over 1k Facebook Fans With Your Blog” and I shared everything I knew on the topic. Did that hinder my growth?
Hardly. I now have over 11,000 fans on Facebook alone and the family continues to grow faster than ever before.
When I ask people why they like my blog, most of them cite my honesty and transparency. I’m also totally hilarious, in case you haven’t noticed…
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TL;DR? Be friendly, be inspirational and show your readers how to live life to the fullest. This simple FIG formula will keep them coming back!
Do you agree with my advice on how to get more followers? Do you have any questions you’d like me to answer or tips you’d like to share? Comment below and let me know!
PS: Sign up to my newsletter here and check “Blogging Tips” to make sure you get the link to the webinar!
If you’re already signed up enter your details into the form and once it prompts you – saying you’re on the list already – click “update preferences”. You’ll receive an email through which you’ll be able to access a form where you can check the “Blogging Tips” box as well.