Many businesses using social media get caught up in quantity over quality. They’re posting incessantly and following others even more frequently to try and increase the number of page ‘likes’ or account ‘follows’ displayed at the top of their profile. However this can lead to several concerning issues – and most importantly of all, it doesn’t benefit your business or secure fresh revenue from online users. So why should you concentrate on growing a quality follower base, and how can you do so?
Questionable social media tactics can be risky
Often businesses employ an ‘any follow is a good follow’ theory with social media, following back everyone who follows them without assessing whether that person is worth following or not. A recent survey estimated that over 23 million ‘users’ on Twitter alone are robots – so it’s well worth checking to see how many of your several thousand followers are human beings. Twitter is working to take these down – and simultaneously it’s also working to minimise suspicious activity and illegal practice. This means that you need to be careful when fraternising with dodgy accounts – which are usually distinguishable by their inexplicably high follower number, generic profile photo and equally generic post content which usually promotes gallery sites or slimming aids.
It’s also worth noting that paying for followers in any shape or form is a massive no-no – and again, this is unlikely to bring you the quality engagement you need. Frantic following without checking credentials can inadvertently get your account suspended or taken down completely and deleted for good. This means that all the hard work you’ve done to date is lost, and you’ll need to start from scratch.
Bots and phoney accounts won’t effectively promote your business – or buy from you
Aside from any penalties or punishment you may suffer at the hands of social network giants, the real (and most important) reason to employ a ‘quality over quantity’ strategy is financial. Real people using social media could potentially engage with your business and go on to buy from you. Bots and fake accounts however may re-tweet your tweets to a host of other empty users – but they will never make a purchase. This is another thing to consider when blindly following people – profile them first to ensure that they fit your target demographic or engage with others who do.
Real users care about what you share online
It’s tempting to just post ‘anything’ on social media to tick the daily posting box – but this is a sure-fire way to render your efforts online completely ineffective. The content you share must be targeted to users – it must speak to them in a way that makes them want to see more from you. You’ll need to consider the types of things they connect with already and filter the information you share to ensure that it’s interesting for them. Relevancy is also key – as whilst kitten videos and inspirational quotes are popular online they’re also ten a penny – and are likely to have nothing to do with what you offer as a business.
For more advice on building a customer base successfully online, head over to our Services pages or read our related articles here.
