A little more than a decade ago, social media used to be just websites for friends to connect. But now, it has become a part of marketing strategies for businesses worldwide, regardless of their size. And with that comes the requirement for strategic planning and execution to build connections and an online community. 

As brands need social media to thrive in this day and era, having a large following has been associated with success for most people. But, hey, what’s the point of having a large following that doesn’t engage with you? Instead of obsessing over your following number, you need to start nurturing your current audience, which will later help your business to gain quality, organic growth.

But getting organic social media growth can’t happen overnight as it takes a lot of consistent effort and creativity to foster a meaningful digital relationship. Here you will find seven effective ways to grow your following organically on social media. But first thing first…

What are organic followers?

The term “organic followers” refer to those who choose to follow your account after they found you through search engines, explore pages, or shares. These followers are not robots or paid followers and are genuinely interested in the type of content you’re sharing. And because they enjoy your content, they are likely to participate in engaging activities like liking, commenting, and sharing that eventually will increase the spread of your brand messaging.

Why are organic followers important?

With over five billion active internet users around the world and almost 744 million internet users in Europe alone, you want to make sure that you’re growing the right followers for your business account. When you have a higher number of organic followers, you are also growing a community of people who appreciate what you do and are looking forward to your content. They are the kind of followers that can turn into loyal customers as time goes by. 

Now here comes the main question…

How can you gain more organic followers?

If you’re ready to grow your social media following organically, the following tips will help you increase your social media following organically.

1. Get to know your audience

Knowing who your audience are—as well as their needs, goals, and common values—is critical to developing your social media strategy. Businesses need to make sure that they are speaking directly to their audience and broadcasting messages to people who are actually listening. 

2. Make memorable content

Making memorable content is key to a successful online presence. If you don’t have great content to share, your content will just be another ignored post on the internet. Once you’ve known your audience better, you can tailor content that speak to them, thus it will get easier for you to have a conversation with them. The more interesting your content is, the more likely your audience will share it. If you’re wondering where to start, you can try utilizing more video content, sharing your take on viral topics, or creating content series that are visually pleasing and interesting enough to look forward to.

3. Offer tangible value

Instead of promoting your business, the foundation of your content should be about providing value to your audience. When your audience feel like they have something to gain from your account, they will keep coming back for more. You can do a whole lot of different things from sharing unique insights, tutorials, case studies, and exclusive discounts. 

4. Write great captions

Copywriting plays such a huge role in social media marketing because the best captions not only provide context to the visual you are sharing, but also show your business’ story and personality, and compel the audience to take action. So, the next time you’re writing captions for your business social media account, try to deliver what you want to say as if you’re holding a conversation with a friend. Make them interesting and worth their while! Remember to also utilize relevant hashtags while you’re at it.

5. Find out the best times to post

Posting during peak times can help you connect with more of your followers. But the optimal time to post is ever-changing and unique to your audience. When you’re looking for “the best time to post on social media” on the search engine, you will find results that tell you to post during midweek mornings. But as your account grows, you’ll want to review your analytics and adjust your posting schedule to match the behavior of your specific audience. 

6. Engage with your audience

For businesses to build digital connections with their audience, they need to be intentional with what they are posting to boost their connection with their audience. We can’t highlight this enough, but one of the best ways to actually connect better with your audience is by proactively engaging with them. With recent research reporting that 64% of customers want brands that actually connect with them, it’s becoming obvious that engagement is an integral part of building an organic reach. Furthermore, a customer service statistic says that 89% of consumers are more likely to make repeat purchase after a positive customer service experience. Therefore, whether it’s through the comment sections, DMs, or the like button, make sure you are actively interacting with your audience.

7. Be consistent

Many factors contribute to a successful social media appearance. But when it comes to giving a boost to your social media account, slow and steady wins the race. For your audience to recognize your business and your business to gain organic social media growth, you can’t just rely on a couple of good content. Consistency is key as it helps you build momentum, communicate your value, build trust, and most importantly, stand out from your competitors. Imagine if your tone of voice, content quality, scheduling time, or even visuals were inconsistent. Wouldn’t they be confused about who they were following?

In summary, social media is beneficial for businesses to grow, but at the same time, it can be a tough platform to break into. But now that you know how to organically grow your social media following, you can start implementing these tips in your social media strategy. But remember, growing your social media following takes time. Even when there are so many tips and tricks to follow, don't get discouraged if your first few attempts are not successful. We are learning, trying, and figuring this out as we go along. Keep showing up consistently and have fun posting!