You can have the best website, content or product in the world, but if no one knows it exists, you won’t get very far. To be successful, you have to connect with people — your target audience a.k.a. ideal customer a.k.a. avatar.
The key to getting followers
Make your content the best in your niche. Then, once you connect with followers, they’ll have a reason to stick around.
Places to get followers
Search engines
Search engine optimization (SEO) means making your website attractive to search engines (like Google) so they will recommend it more. Understand SEO. Watch The Complete Guide to SEO in 2020. But don’t stress about it. Search engines like Google want humans to be happy, so if your content makes people happy, you’re golden.
Social media
Sign up for social media accounts on all the platforms using the same username everywhere. Ideally this will match your website name. Then use social media in 2 ways:
- Hang out where your ideal customer hangs out. Interact. Participate in Facebook Groups. Jump into conversations. Offer genuine, no-strings-attached help. Give it time. The goal is to build relationships. Establish yourself as a non-spammy go-to person. Then, when people need help, you will be top of mind.
- Promote your content on social media. Create a schedule and share your content across social media after posting. Then do it repeatedly, especially your evergreen content. The goal is to get traffic back to your content.
Some of my go-to experts on social media:
- Facebook. Rachel Miller is a people-collecting genius. Join her free Facebook Group. Take her 100 Perfect People challenge when it’s available.
- Pinterest. Kate Ahl. Start with her roundup of Pinterest tutorials.
- Instagram. Natalie Ellis
- Twitter. Matt Navarra
- YouTube. Trena Little
Other people
Sometimes others share your content with their people. Build relationships with other content creators in your niche.
Idea: Join or start a mastermind group with others who are like-minded and at a similar stage. Find an easy way to communicate. (We use Voxer.) Set expectations.
Don’t think of it as competition but collaboration. These relationships often lead to exposure to audiences like yours but not yours exactly. Give it time.
Tip: When reaching out to others, especially influencers, be brief. What is your main question? Make it clear and easy for them to answer. Above all, make it a win-win.
Ways to reach followers
Whether you use search engines or social media, you can reach followers in 2 ways:
- Organic. Slow but free. Focus on search engine traffic and organic promotion.
- Paid. Fast but costs. Use Facebook Ads, Google Ads and other social media ads.
Both work when done right. They can be done at the same time.
Next step? Make money
FAQ
Should I sign up for all social media platforms even if I don’t use them?
Yes. That way you can make sure to get the username in case you want to use it later.
How do I link to a specific social media post?
Use the share icon when available. On a web browser, click the timestamp of the post. Copy the URL in your browser address bar. Paste to share.
Is guest posting effective?
Guest posting is a good way to build your brand, not for SEO (as it once was). Guest post on sites with a similar audience and don’t only talk about yourself but make your post helpful on its own.
How do I handle negative feedback?
You are not alone. We all get negative feedback. Use it to catapult you to new growth. When the constructive (or not-so constructive) criticism comes, don’t melt into a puddle of despair. Find the nuggets of gold hiding within and leave the rest.