In this day and age, who isn't on social media? Social media is perhaps the biggest opportunity of our ear. Sure it is great to connect with friends but what really makes it a great opportunity is that it has endless potential in terms of growing your business and monetizing your audience. In order to monetize, however, you must grow at least a decent-sized following. An engaged online following is now the key to running a successful business. Almost every single popular business has some sort of online presence by now which makes it vital for all new businesses to do the same. Doing this is not so easy and can take a long period of time. Even though it is difficult it can still be done by following the right steps. In this article, I will provide you with 10 ways to grow your social media audience.

The 10 ways I will be discussing in-depth in this article are;

• Hold a contest

• Upload high-quality content

• Use video

• Listen to what your audience wants

• Provide value

• Use hashtags

• Stay consistent

• Engage with your audience

• Consider paid advertisement

• Focus on what is working

Hold a Contest

Holding a giveaway or contest is something that many companies do from time to time. This is a great way to initially build your following. The giveaway does not need to be something huge, start small. I suggest you make the rules to enter that they must follow and tag 3 friends in the comment section. This has proven to be extremely effective since many people will want the chance to win something cool. By asking them to take their friends this will not only increase engagement on the post but also result in the friends giving you a follow. Overall hosting a giveaway is a great option to increase your following.

Upload High-Quality Content

During this day, quality is very important. Social media is no longer like it used to be. You can no longer post a so-so picture and receive tons of likes. Nowadays there is a ton of competition. having great quality photos and videos will encourage people to follow you. After all visually appealing media is attractive and engaging to look at.

Use Video

Depending on the social media you are using, you may already be doing this. If you are trying to grow your YouTube channel, you are obviously using video. If you are trying to grow other social media such as Instagram then you are likely not using video. Utilizing video on Instagram is a great way to engage your followers and newcomers to your page. Using video has shown to greatly improve views as well as engagement on Instagram.

Listen to What Your Audience Wants

Even when your page is small, you will likely get some feedback from your audience. If not, just take a look at your metrics and see which type of content performed well. This will show you that your audience enjoys this type of content. This way you will know what they are seeking from your page. Start uploading content that will appeal to the largest portion of your current followers. This will result in more engagement which will, in turn, grow your follower count.

Provide Value

Everyone makes the decision to follow someone for a reason. Whether they found someone's content funny, found them attractive, or learned something new. Since you are likely running a business, focus on providing value. Upload content that will help your audience and future audience feel like they have gained something by viewing your page. People who see your page will appreciate the fact that your content has somehow impacted them and will, therefore, be very likely to follow you.

Use Hashtags

This tip is mainly for growing an Instagram account, however, it still somewhat applies to other platforms like YouTube. Hashtags have been around since the start of Instagram. In the past, they were more of a trend. Nowadays they are a great way to increase your organic reach. hashtags are what allow you to appear in the view of new people that have never seen your page before. Doing proper hashtag research for your particular niche is crucial to experiencing good organic reach.

Engage With Your Audience

Once you start building an audience it is extremely important that you take the time to engage with them. This is usually done in the comment section, whether on YouTube, Instagram, or any other social media. Taking the time to respond to questions and engage with your followers will really build a relationship with these followers. Doing this will greatly increase your future chances of monetizing these particular followers.

Focus on What is Working

Going back to when I mentioned to listen to your followers, focus on what is performing the best. If you notice that a particular content piece of yours has performed surprisingly better than the erst, continue posting more of this. A viral post is usually not just luck, it usually provides greater value or is more appealing than the rest. By focusing on what is performing the best, you greatly increase your chances of more future viral posts. These will bring in a ton of new followers.

Consider Paid Advertising.

Paid advertising is a great option if you are just getting started. Paid advertising on a platform like Instagram can go a long way. There are basically 2 methods. You can either pay Instagram themselves to promote your page or you can pay influencers. Both methods work really well and will help you to get the ball rolling. then once you have reached a sizable following you should have no problem continuing to grow organically.

Stay Consistent

My final tip for you is to stay consistent. Keep up with it! Growing an audience takes time and does not happen overnight. Well, it does in some cases but is extremely unlikely. If you don't see a ton of growth at first do not feel discouraged. After all, once you reach a certain point your growth starts to really snowballs and increase exponentially.

In conclusion, social media is vital to stay competitive in 2020. Growing your following is definitely a challenge at first, however, I believe that you will have no problem successfully growing your audience if you follow the 10 steps that I discussed in this article. Hopefully, you found this informative as well as enjoyable to read!