Social media growth reached a new high last year, with over 4.8 billion active user identities. That represents 60.6 percent of the world’s population! Given the unparalleled reach of this audience, social media is a great way for brands to reach consumers. But how do you cut through the noise to grow your following and reach your most likely customer base?

Before we dig in, let’s review the definition of social media growth.

Social media growth is an umbrella term that covers various metrics and goals related to your social media presence. How you define growth depends on what success looks like for your business. Some common systems of measurement include:

• Follower growth, or how many new followers you gain per month or quarter
• Engagement rate, or how many people interact with your content compared to the total number of people who see it
• Social media sales, or how much revenue you bring in from social commerce activities
• Conversions from social media accounts, or how many people come to your website based on your social media efforts and complete an action like making a purchase or signing up for your newsletter
• Web traffic from social media account, or how many visits to your website are from social media referrals

Now, let’s talk social media strategy. Your old approach won’t cut it in 2024! 

Here are a few outdated tactics we’re leaving behind in 2023:

1. Relying on trending audio to boost reels.

There’s so much more that goes into a viral reel, including content, watch time, length of video, keywords, and more. Using this 360-approach to Instagram Reels will boost your chances of visibility.

2. The mindset that blindly following the next social trend will result in exponential growth.

While it’s true that this outcome may occur, the growth will usually be short-lived or an irrelevant audience. Standing out in your industry and providing truly valuable content will result in real growth over the next 12 months.

3. Not diversifying between platforms enough. 

Diversifying the tone of your posts between platforms in addition to logistics will help grow a loyal audience on each platform. For instance, think about your target audience on Instagram versus Facebook and keep those differences in mind as you plan your posts.

4. Focusing on the quantity rather than the quality of followers.

Quality, loyal customers matter more to the longevity of your business than your follower count. Spend more time targeting a niche audience rather than trying to grab a large number of users not in your target market.

To close, here are three tips that apply directly to social media growth.

1. Be consistent.

It’s no secret that we’re creatures of habit. For instance, you may check Instagram and TikTok first thing every morning. Or maybe you know that one of your favorite accounts posts every Thursday at 10 a.m., so you’re always ready to check it out. Following a set schedule helps your existing followers know what to expect and your new followers get to know you and your brand easier. Plus, if the algorithm doesn’t push it out to your fans, they’ll still know when to check your profile and engage with your content. 

2. Post short videos.

We often check social media when we have a bit of free time or need a brain break — so our scrolling may be limited to a 20-minute commute or 10 minutes between client calls. With that thought in mind, keep your content short and easy to consume. Additionally, the current algorithms for both Instagram and Facebook push out your video content to people who don’t follow you, making this approach an easy way to reach new customers.

3. Take advantage of social SEO!

We talk a lot about search engine optimization (SEO) for your website content, but did you know that there’s social SEO too? Social SEO refers to optimizing your social media content with keyword research, well-written captions, and image alt text. These efforts help the search features of each platform better understand your content, making it more likely for users to connect with you. As an added bonus, TikTok search results are indexed by search engines, allowing people who are looking for similar content on the Internet to find your posts as well.

If you’re looking to develop a digital marketing strategy and expand your online reach, please reach out to our team today.