Social media growth reached a new high in 2023, with 4.88 billion <\/a>total active social media user identities, representing 60.6% of the world\u2019s population.<\/p>\n How do brands grow their own social presence to reach that ever-increasing audience base? We\u2019ve got 10 strategic tips (and 3 tools) for optimum social growth in 2024.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Bonus: <\/strong>Get a free social media strategy template<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>to quickly and easily plan your own strategy. Also use it to track results and present the plan to your boss, teammates, and clients.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Social media growth is an umbrella term that includes many different types of social success. How you define social media growth depends on the most important goals<\/a> and metrics<\/a> for your particular organization. Some of the most common ways to measure social media growth include:<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFree 30-Day Trial<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n You can create as many (or as few) social accounts as you like. But your audience will only connect with you on the social networks they\u2019re already actively using. You need to put your brand where they can find you easily, rather than expecting them to seek you out.<\/p>\n There are two components to this strategy:<\/p>\n For effective organic social media growth, you need to understand both.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t already know exactly who your target audience is, this is where you need to start. Fortunately, we\u2019ve got a whole blog post on finding your target market<\/a> that can point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n Once you understand your target audience, you can get even more detailed by creating audience personas<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now that you understand who you want to connect with on social, you can figure out where to find them. Our blog post on the demographics of the major social platforms<\/a> is a good place to start your research. You should also do some testing<\/a> to confirm any assumptions.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that different segments of your audience may be active on different social media sites. Or, people might follow you on multiple platforms but expect a different relationship on each. That means you need to optimize your content for each platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n For example, look at how differently the Washington Post approached this news story on Twitter and TikTok:<\/p>\n Plans for a Northern Virginia sports arena that could move the Washington Capitals and Wizards out of D.C. have drawn questions from residents and officials from how it might affect the District\u2019s struggling downtown to how much taxpayers may have to pay. https:\/\/t.co\/UtINbfcTzH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 15, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Humans are creatures of habit. When you post social content on a consistent schedule, your audience knows what to expect. They understand how often to expect new content, and when to anticipate your posts in their social feeds.<\/p>\n This consistency makes it feel less burdensome for new people who find your content through a search or suggestion to click the follow button. Conversely, it encourages fans to seek out your new content on your profile if the algorithm doesn\u2019t serve it up in their feed.<\/p>\n Just like deciding where to post based on your audience\u2019s preferences, you need to let their social activity guide your plan for when<\/em> to post too.<\/p>\n Posting when your audience is most likely to be on the platform increases your chances for early engagement, which is a key value signal to virtually all social algorithms<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hootsuite can show you exactly when your audience is online with customized heatmaps for each platform. You can also find recommended times to post in Hootsuite Analytics based on your specific growth goals.<\/p>\n Try Hootsuite for free<\/a><\/p>\n Short social video \u2013 think Reels and TikToks \u2013 has become a crucial component of social growth. Creating this type of content is the easiest way to achieve social media follower growth. Why? Because it\u2019s the content that\u2019s most likely to reach people who don\u2019t already follow you.<\/p>\n Instagram specifically says<\/a> that for Reels, \u201cthe majority of what you see is from accounts you don\u2019t follow.\u201d Likewise, Facebook describes<\/a> Reels as, \u201ccontent you may be interested in from creators you may not follow.\u201d And TikTok is designed to surface content a user will find interesting, not just content from accounts they follow.<\/p>\n Your short video content needs to align with your overall social strategy and your brand voice. But, it\u2019s a completely different kind of content than you\u2019re creating for feed posts or even Stories.<\/p>\n To get started, check out our guide to making effective short-form videos<\/a>.<\/p>\n For platform-specific strategies, take a look at :<\/p>\n We\u2019ve mentioned algorithms a few times already. But when you\u2019re focused on social media follower growth, social search engine optimization<\/a> may be even more important.<\/p>\n Social SEO is all about optimizing your content using SEO tactics like keyword research, captions, and effective alt text to help the search features built into each social platform understand what your content is about.<\/p>\n That means people who are actively searching for content like yours are more likely to find you<\/p>\n And there\u2019s a bonus: TikTok search results are indexed by search engines, so you can drive new eyeballs to your social content from people who are starting their search outside of social social.<\/p>\nWhat is social media growth?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t#1 Social Media Tool\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n10 effective social media growth strategies<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Be active on your target audience\u2019s favorite platforms<\/h3>\n
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2. Create a consistent posting schedule<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n3. Post short video<\/h3>\n
4. Embrace social SEO<\/h3>\n