I’ll be the first to tell you that I am not exactly a social media expert. But over the last few years I have learned a few tricks when it comes to social media. After all, most of my bookings come directly from my Instagram so I feel like that counts for something. Right? So wether you are just starting out, a timid introvert (I totally get this one) or feeling overwhelmed, I’m here to help! These are all things that I personally failed at before I figured it out or committed to doing better. And once I changed my habits, I noticed a difference. I want to share that with you so I’m sharing some of my best tips below for ways to grow your social media.

1.) Be Consistant

Oh this is advice I wish I would have followed sooner. Heck, I still struggle with this one if I am being totally honest. It’s so easy to post for a few days and then get back into work and home life and forget. But these days, posting once a week just won’t cut it. The algorithm rewards consistency so do your best to show up every day.

I realize that posting on social media once a day can sound super intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be! I use Planoly to schedule most of my posts in advance. I like to sit down and schedule several in a row so that I don’t have to stress so much about what I am going to post.

2.) Be Social

I’m sure you’re thinking “well duh” on this one. It is social media after all. But I found that I was scrolling through my social media feeds and simply favoriting images. Never commenting. And let me tell you, I had it all wrong. It’s so important to go in and actually comment on the posts that are showing up on your feed! And respond to your comments too. My best advice here to respond to your comments in a timely fashion. I try to respond as soon as I see them so that I don’t get busy doing something else and well.. forget.

Another aspect of being social is networking! Reach out to peers in your industry and see how you can learn about their business or better yet, help them! Growing your connections in real life will help with growing them on social media too!

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3.) Be Genuine

You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when someone comments something genuine and kind on one of your posts? It feels SO good right? It’s time to return the favor, friend.

When I see something in my feed that lights me up I let that person know! Is their post interesting? Is it inspiring? Did it make you laugh? Are you in awe of their talent? The world needs more kindness and being genuinely interested in and excited for others really goes a long way! But here’s the catch. You can’t expect them to return the favor. That’s not why you’re commenting. You just have to be kind and if you’re lucky it will come back to you.

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4.) Be Relevant

This one is going to be a tough one, so hang in there. Are you ready? Deep breath. Ok. Fully embracing the newest roll out on each platform is going to be your biggest help to grow you social media. It might be intimidating. It might be scary. And believe me, I am right there with you. When Reels were new on Instagram I got SO frustrated trying to figure it out. But it is WORTH IT. Remember that tricky algorithm I talked above above? It’s going to prioritize these new tools of theirs and will purposefully put you in front of new audiences which is exactly what leads to growth!

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5.) Be Yourself

Ok, yes be yourself is another obvious one. Be quirky. You can be serious. Be Batman if that’s you’re thing. Whatever it is, embrace it and put it out there. This will set you apart.

But in addition to being yourself, you also need to show your face on your feed. In your stories. In your videos. All of it. I am an introvert and if I didn’t own a small business I would likely be a hermit somewhere. But I know that if I want to be successful in my business I need to show up for my business. And that means showing my face in my feed. So I have made it my personal mission to get over the self doubt and just show up!

So what happens if you don’t have photos of yourself to share on social media? That’s easy! You need a personal branding session! With a personal branding session you can capture your brand in way that shows exactly who you are and leaves you with an entire library of images to chose from. Pretty cool, right? Learn more about personal branding sessions here.

Bonus Tip:

We all want to grow our social media following. But please remember that at the end of the day, it’s just a number. What matters in business isn’t how many followers you have, but how many bookings you have. So while we are all excited to reach new people, don’t forget to celebrate your business victories that have nothing to do with your follower count! You’ll be glad you did!

Grow Your Social Media