Distiller magazine

44 distiller Do you feel like you're doing everything to gain more followers on social media but your numbers aren't growing? If so, you aren't alone. is is a common problem that plagues many brands. At the end of the day, social media plat- forms want you to pay to gain followers. But there are a few tactics you can implement to organically grow your social media following without a budget. ese organic follower-growth tactics are best employed on Instagram and LinkedIn. Facebook makes it a challenge to grow your following organically. Keep posting and engag- ing on that platform, but it might be best as an extension of your website for customer engage- ment, distillery hours and information. Consistent Posting Consistency is key. It is true. To grow your social media following without a budget, you have to post content consistently. For most of us, we're posting once a week when we remem- ber or have something to share. Posting with consistency though, means creating a posting schedule between 3–5 posts per week on your social media channels. When a potential follower visits your page and they see your last post was three weeks ago, they will be less inclined to follow. If they see you post on a weekly or daily basis, it signals to them that your brand is engaged and worth following for regular content. e caveat to this is that you should be sharing quality content instead of posting just to post. Quality Over Quantity Now that you're posting content on a regular basis, it's important to assess the type of content you are sharing. Is it valuable? Are you posting quality images and videos that people want to see and engage with? A potential follower needs a reason to follow your brand. You can give them reason through the type of content you share. Ask yourself a few questions before building out your content calendar: What will a fol- lower learn or gain from this post? What is the call to action? Are the visuals I am using the best quality I can produce? If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, then it might be time to rethink the type of content you are sharing on your social media channels. Use the Instagram Story polls and questions, use the highlights, share beautiful images of your product and distillery to inspire customers and educate them on your process, your people and your brand. You might want to consider hiring a photographer or videographer to shoot a bank of quality product and distillery content to share across your channels. It's an investment but worth it when the content can be distributed across your social channels, website and even print materials. Engagement Engagement might be the most time-con- suming of all these tasks, and possibly a good reason to hire an agency or social media man- ager to help. Constant engagement is a neces- sary tool for growing your following organically. But what does engagement mean exactly?   ¡ Respond to messages and comments on your page in a friendly and relatable way, i.e., don't talk to your potential customers like a corporate robot.   ¡ Repost Instagram Stories that you are tagged in by customers.   ¡ Like and comment on other popular or related accounts.   ¡ Like, comment and message potential cus- tomers and valuable people or brands that can help amplify your voice. e key to implementing all of these engage- ments and turning them into likes and follows How to Increase Your Social Media Following without a Budget by Karen Locke High Proof Creative

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