How to Grow Social Media Followers for Your Brand with Influencers
With a total of 3.68 billion social media users worldwide, social media marketing should be a universal strategy for brands, no matter their industry.
But it’s not always a piece of cake to dominate the social scene. Platforms are saturated, and if you’re starting from scratch or your follower growth has been stagnant recently, you might feel a bit frustrated. It’s totally normal for this to happen, though.
When this happens, it’s time to bring in reinforcements. Yes, you heard right. It’s time to add some content creators to your team.
What does ‘social media presence’ mean?
Social media presence is the umbrella term for anything an entity (like a creator or a brand) does on a social media platform. This includes managing an account, posting content, commenting and engaging with other users, and so much more.
To create a strong social media presence, users should be active. Post frequently, engage with commenters on your post, go out and interact with other users, and keep your branding (whether personal or business) consistent.
How to build a social media presence from scratch
It can be overwhelming to start on a new social platform with zero followers and see brands with major audiences. You may think, “How will I ever get to that level?”
Don’t worry. We’ve all been there.
Here are a few steps you can take to start building your follower count up:
Post frequently. If you have very little content or post every other week, people may be less likely to follow you. Develop a social calendar to keep yourself on track.
Use hashtags, location tags, and more. These simple tags can make it so much easier for people to discover your content.
Engage with other brands and users. Comment on posts you like and show your genuine interest. This will help get your name (and account) out there a little more.
Consider promoting your content. Putting some spend behind your high-performing posts can help them reach new audiences within key demographics, building brand awareness and your follower count.
Work with creators. We’ll get more into this in a second, but—long story short—doing so can help you tap into new audiences, drive interest, and more.
See also: How to Build a Brand from Scratch: Your Complete Guide
Why partnering with content creators is key to growing your social media presence
1. You can tap into influencer audiences.
When you partner with a content creator, you gain access to a whole new audience of people. And as cookies go away and targeting unique groups of people becomes harder, creators can help your ads reach the right groups.
For example, if your target audience is teenage and young adult women who like vegan cooking, you could look for a creator who provides content for that niche. Once you find a few who seem like a good fit, dig a little deeper. Take a sample of their audience and see what age and gender they appear to be. If it seems like a good fit, it’s time to take a look at their metrics to see if they are truly engaging their audience.
Learn more: How to Evaluate Your Influencer’s Audience
2. Content creators can help branded content go viral.
There’s no better driver of follower growth than a viral post, but balancing your other marketing duties and trying to go viral at the same time can be, well, exhausting. For many content creators, going viral and connecting with their audience are their main goals, and they may have more time to brainstorm the next attention-grabbing photo or video.
If you want to go viral, look for creators who take a very creative approach to their content. After all, a post is more likely to garner massive amounts of attention if it is different than anything else anyone has ever seen.
3. You can build brand awareness.
Let’s face it: It’s hard to gain followers if people don’t know about you. That’s why creators are essential for brands looking to build their fanbase. Not only can creators introduce your brand to their audiences, but they can do so in a way that drives interest and, eventually, brand love.
4. You get repurposable content.
If you negotiate with your creators for content usage rights, you can repurpose their images and videos on your own social media channels. Having access to creator content can save you a ton in production costs since working with influencers is often much cheaper than hiring an entire production crew of photographers, videographers, editors, and more.
You can do this organically by posting it to your profile and tagging the creator, or you can use it within a paid social ad to reach new audiences, which brings us to our next point …
5. You can partner with content creators for engagement-driving ads.
There are two main ways a brand can partner with creators for engaging social media ads:
Traditional paid ad: This involves repurposing creator content and using it to create a compelling ad from your branded account.
Creator licensing: This involves a special agreement with your creators where they give you limited access to run ads from their account. This means your brand is funding the ad, but it appears to come from the creator. This helps you tap into their audience insights as well as create an ad that seems much more authentic.
What types of influencer content will lead to more brand followers?
The answer to this question really depends on your brand, product, industry, and target audience.
In general, though, any kind of content that draws interest and leaves viewers wanting to learn more will drive follower growth since they’ll be heading to your account to learn more about your brand.
And no matter your industry or audience, a giveaway is one of the best types of content to help you earn followers. Partner with a creator to offer free products or services to one or more lucky winners. The requirements for entry for these contests typically include:
Following the creator and the brand on social media. This can fuel major follower growth for your account.
Tagging a friend or two. This helps more people learn about your brand, and if they’re interested in winning the products, too, you can earn even more followers!
No matter the type of content you agree on, be sure to have your creator tag your brand account in their post so that users can find you easily. Another great way to stand out is to engage with the creator’s branded content after they post. You can answer questions commenters leave and show how great your brand truly is, driving more people to look at your account.
How to connect with content creators to drive your social media growth
Sending an outreach message to a creator you want to work with can be nerve-wracking, but here are some tips for a smooth experience:
Find the best outreach method. Some creators share their email addresses in their bios. If they do, use email to contact them. If they don’t have one listed, send them a DM!
Keep it short and sweet. We’re all super busy, and we don’t have time to read a novel-length message from someone we don’t know. Stick to a max of three or four short paragraphs.
Introduce yourself. If you have a smaller brand, it can be helpful to share a little bit about your brand and your products so the creator can become more familiar with you.
Personalize it. Use their name, and share why you like their content. It’s also super helpful to tell them why you think they’d be a good fit for your brand.
Add a clear call to action. Let them know what they should do if they’re interested in partnering. Most often, it will be to send a message back with some info, but if it’s something else, give clear instructions.
See also: GRIN's Email Template & Sequences Best Practices and Homemade Social's Social Media Influencer Pitch Template
Once they respond and you begin negotiations, it’s time to really focus on nurturing a relationship with your creators. Respond quickly whenever they have a question, and take some time to get to know them. Share all relevant details for the campaigns, but give them enough creative freedom to develop the content they know will resonate.
As the campaign rolls on, take some time to update them on the progress. Thank them for their exceptional work, and if you have things you’d like them to change, share this info gently and constructively.
Keep in mind that everything you do, from sending the first outreach message and onward, is all about managing a positive creator relationship. And you may be thinking, “I know this is essential, but where will I find the time?” That’s where a great creator management platform comes in. It can help you manage creator communications, ship out products, create custom discount codes and affiliate links, aggregate content, and track the results of your campaigns, saving you time and energy.
Key takeaway: Influencers are essential for helping you build your follower count quickly.
Ready to experience follower growth like you’ve never seen before? Then it’s time to start partnering with creators. Together, you can create engagement-driving content that builds brand awareness, drives social account growth, and encourages sales.
If you think adding creator management to your marketing strategy is the right move for your brand, find everything you need to get started with GRIN's free Creator Management Guidebook.
About GRIN
GRIN is the pioneer behind the world’s first Creator Management platform built to support every brand’s journey to connecting with consumers through authentic creator relationships. Thousands of the world’s fastest-growing brands—including SKIMS, Warby Parker, Allbirds, Mejuri, and MVMT—use GRIN to make creators feel like trusted, empowered partners and work with them to build their brands into household names.
Visit grin.co for additional resources and more information on the world’s leading Creator Management platform.