1,000+ new followers from a single post
Many aspire to go viral on social media and gain more followers. But to succeed, it's not enough to post often or create visually appealing content. Organic growth requires a well-thought-out strategy.
Over the past few weeks, we've focused on developing our company's Instagram account with a clear strategy for organic growth. The result has been several posts that generated hundreds of new followers. The latest post gained over 1000 new followers – entirely without advertising or paid promotion.
This is no coincidence. The result is based on a strategy designed to create content that people want to share and save, leading to increased organic reach. In this article, we share the three most important principles behind the strategy and how you can use them to grow your own account.
Start with a persona
Competition on social media is greater than ever. To capture users' attention, you need to be relevant. The goal is for the recipient to feel: "That's exactly what I've been thinking about" or "That describes me perfectly." When you succeed in creating that feeling, you spark curiosity and increase the chance that the person will choose to follow your account.
To be relevant, you must first know who you are talking to. You cannot communicate with everyone. Therefore, start by developing a persona.
Your persona should answer the following questions:
- Who is your ideal customer? How old are they? Where do they live and what characteristics or interests define them?
- What problems or challenges do they face?
- What drives and motivates them? What goals do they want to achieve?
Once you have defined your persona, every post you publish should be created with that person in mind. Highlight the challenges they face, show that you understand their situation, and provide concrete advice or solutions. When the recipient feels seen and gains value from your content, the likelihood of both engagement and follower growth increases.
Provide value before expecting anything in return
Perhaps the most common mistake companies make on social media is that almost all content is about their own product or service. The problem is that your potential followers are not primarily interested in your company. They are interested in themselves and their own needs.
For someone to choose to follow your account, there must be clear value. Simply offering a good product or service is rarely enough. People follow accounts that inspire, educate, or entertain.
For example, we share content that helps our followers improve their marketing skills. Here are some examples of how this can be applied to other types of businesses:
Fashion Brand
Share styling tips, guides for different fits and body types, or advice on how customers can best care for their garments.
Accounting Firm
Publish common accounting mistakes, tax tips, financial advice, or checklists before year-end closing.
Skincare Brand
Teach how different ingredients work, how to build an effective skincare routine, and how to prevent or treat common skin problems.
Recruitment Company
Provide tips on how to write a strong resume, prepare for an interview, and become more attractive in the job market.
Work data-driven
Many companies and marketers rely on gut feeling when deciding what to publish on social media. The problem is that such a strategy makes it difficult to predict results – and even harder to develop and improve content over time.
An effective growth strategy is instead built on data. Start by analyzing content in your niche that has already gained wide distribution. What hooks are used? How is the video or post structured? What format, pace, and message seem to get the best response?
Then use these insights as inspiration and create your own version of the concept.
Continue to test, measure, and analyze the results. Over time, you will see which types of content work best for your particular account. Analyze your best posts and try to create more of what already works. In this way, you build a strategy that grows stronger with each publication, instead of starting from scratch every time.
Do you need help with your social media?
Would you like our help to create a strategy and content for your social media? Please write to us at info@emimarketing.se, and we'll see how we can help you!