How To Effectively Network On Social Media
Networking online is more important than ever. Social Media transformed networking, and sites like LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook can be amazing tools for expanding your network. Networking on social media requires effort and consistency. The truth is that building an impactful social presence and strong network isn’t easy and takes time, but its very do-able.
These are some ways that you can network effectively on social media.
Build Your Social Presence
Before you do anything else, decide where you want to focus your effort. Choose one or two sites where your ideal network hangs out and create your business and/or personal accounts. Then as your network grows, and you gain experience you can add more sites. An easy way to start building your network is by inviting people that you already know to connect with you like friends and family and encourage them to share your content.
Authenticity Matters
There may be about a billion people on Instagram but there is only one you. So don’t try to be like everyone else online. You need to stand out not blend in with everyone else. Own who you are, and you will attract the right people.
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Focus On Quality Over Quantity
Your network should grow naturally over time, so it is a marathon not a sprint. What matters most is the quality of social interactions on your account not the number of followers you are so don’t get caught up in a numbers game.
Concentrate of posting quality content and try different ways to drive engagement with your audience. Likes, comments, shares and saves are far more important than your follower count.
Post Engaging Content
Brainstorm engaging content to post on your social media sites. Your goal is to foster a community of like-minded people who will interact with you and share your content. Plan your content ahead and publish your posts at optimal times.
Think of a handful of topics that you can consistently share content about. An easy way to do this is to think of up to 9 to 12 categories that are a mix of who you are/things you love, your business/services, educational topics, and behind the scenes of your life or your business. Consistently share fresh content to your audience. Monitor the performance on your accounts and keep track of what types of content is resonating with your audience so that you can add more of it. You could also look at other people’s accounts for inspiration.
Also, do not just post on your own pages, engage with people on other social pages as well by getting involved in conversations and sharing content.
Don’t Be A Pushy Salesperson
Avoid lots of hard sell content about you and your business online as it will come across as pushy, sleazy and it will push people away from your network. So don’t focus all of your social media content on your business and selling your products or services. An ideal mix of content is about 80/20 where 20% of your content is on your business and promotions and the rest is a mix of who you are, educational topics, behind the scenes etc.
Be Present & Sociable
Make an effort to interact with other people online. Don’t just post your content online and disappear. Spend some time once or twice a day engaging with other people’s content.
Join online communities like Facebook groups, introduce yourself and engage with people. Don’t just post about your business or try to get sales. Focus on getting to know people and providing value by helping people when you can.
