13 Ways to Grow Your Social Media Audience

These are some of the most effective ways to boost your social media audience, incorporating some of the key 2016 updates into the mix to keep you up to speed on what's working right now.

  
Instagram

Strategically comment on posts

To gain exposure and gain social media followers organically I always recommend getting out there and interacting with social media accounts from other brands, as well as your own your audience. I know, it’s time consuming, but in 2017 getting organized and strategic can help you with this task. Choose five brand accounts that are similar to yours and leave one genuine comment on their three most recent photos every week. Commenting will expose your account to people who are interacting with material that's similar to your own.

Like post comments

Instagram recently rolled out an update which enables you like specific comments – just as you can on Facebook. This adds an extra (and easy) opportunity to get some more interaction going for your account.
Popular accounts can get hundreds of comments. Remember that list I suggested you make for the tip above? Look for a posts on those target accounts that resonate with your audience and go through and like the good comments. This will bring visibility to your account and help you gain social media followers organically.
Don’t forget to like comments left on your own photos as well.

Use Instagram Stories and Live stories

Instagram Stories and live-streaming can seem a little scary, but they should absolutely be part of your 2017 social media strategy. Not only will you be able to give more context about you, your posts or your business, but creating this kind of content can also see you featured in Instagram’s Explore section. Imagine all the exposure you can gain from that.

Facebook

Use Live Video

Again, video is a big deal and Live videos get the most reach by far compared to other content formats. There are so many ways to use Facebook Live Videos - you're only limited by your own creativity.
Facebook is also rolling out 360 degree live videos and audio-only broadcasts.

Invite Post Likers to Like Your Page

A feature which has been around for a while (but not everyone knows about) is the option to invite folks who've Liked your posts to also Like Page. We’ve used this method with my clients and it’s an easy way to get some quick wins in 2017.
To do this navigate to your Facebook Page, click on the post Likers listing on any post and a light box will pop up. Next to each person’s name will be a little wheel, clicking on the wheel will give you the option to invite the person to like the Page if they haven’t already. Easy peasy.
(Note: This option only works for Pages with fewer than 100,000 total Page Likes)

Twitter

Use live video

Tired of reading that yet? Live videos add a layer of personality and an element of surprise and delight for your fans. You can create a live video on Twitter directly from the app and the video will stream on your Periscope account as well, which will help your following on that platform simultaneously.
Twitter's also just launched the ability to post Live 360 degree videos to the mix for those of you more advanced content creators out there. 

Take advantage of the 140 Character update

This past year Twitter released an update to their 140 character limit, meaning you can now use all of your 140 characters, even when including a link or photo.
The new update gives you more wiggle room to add hashtags, or just get a full thought out. 

General Tips

Incorporate video

Since videos are getting so much reach and interaction I suggest adding more videos to your 2017 social media strategy. Don’t be nervous, you can create simple videos that still deliver great impact. Here are a few ways on how to easily create great video content.

Use high quality images

Keep your images as high quality as possible or use stock imagery where appropriate.

Keep Consistent

Remember that consistency is key and letting an account go dormant or not posting enough will not help your presence grow. My rule of thumb is to post at least three times a week.

Think about your story

When you develop your posts or campaigns think about the story you want to tell. This should help you craft ideas about content and messaging for you channels.

Have fun and test new features

Surprise and delight your audience (and show them you know how to use the network) by not being afraid to test new features that roll out. They may not always work out for your business, but if you can use them effectively they add an extra element to your social media presence.

Keep interacting

This is the most time consuming, but most effective way to get in front of new followers. Interact with brands similar to you, related brands, influencers, and folks from your target audience.

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/13-ways-grow-your-social-media-audience-2017