To get, get, get more social media followers, you first must give, Give, GIVE. It’s not that many consumers are looking for what they can get for free. What matters more is that your business provides meaningful information and incentives to the people you serve.

In any respect, a business will be more prosperous when it shifts its focus from taking and receiving to giving good information, providing stellar customer service and offering sweet incentives. Implement these 3Gs on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and wherever else you interact with your prospective clients. These are surefire ways to increase your social media followers.

1. Give good information

Post things on social media that users would find practical. Give them advice they can implement in their everyday lives. For example, if you represent a credit card company, give your followers tips on how to keep their credit scores strong, where they can get free credit reports, or what steps they should take after paying a bill late. Make sure to include contact information, hours and a link to your website in the About feature on Facebook, for example. Wherever they run into your brand, consumers need to know you’ve got their backs and that you will be there for them when they need you.

2. Give good customer service

It can be challenging to get in the habit of answering people’s inquiries via social media. But it is a habit worth picking up. It is easy for your followers to send you Facebook messages and write on your wall. Did someone just mention you on Twitter? Designate someone to respond to all of these messages. When a follower has a question, compliment or complaint, respond quickly and tactfully. Social media is always on, and others are always watching how you resolve or don’t resolve customers’ issues. Remember, social media gives people the power to share their opinion about you, for better or for worse.

3. Give good incentives for “liking” and following you

The use of promotions and contests can work extremely well when you are looking to, say, garner more “likes” on Facebook. Recently Facebook has made it even easier for businesses to do contests, as winners can now be chosen directly from your business’ Facebook page.

You should implement a Facebook contest only with advance planning. First decide what your followers would want to win. For example, in light of the upcoming holiday season, you could plan a contest around Black Friday and give away a popular item hitting stores that weekend. Finding a way to tie the prize back to your business is always a plus. Then make sure to promote the giveaway far enough in advance via every channel open to you. Post notices on your website and in printed materials and advertisements. Send emails and schedule multiple posts using all of your social media channels. Facebook also offers paid promotion tools that will guarantee your posts reach a targeted set of consumers. Next, how will you pick the winners? Via page likes, comments or shares? One online tool, Woobox.com, will do the work for you by picking winners from your page’s Facebook “likes,” comments, posts, etc.

A few housekeeping items: you must draft clear contest rules and post them somewhere visible. And make sure you track your followers before, during and after the contest or promotion to see what posts were popular, from where your new followers came, and how many followers you gained during the promotion period.

The moral here? Life is about cycles. When you give socially, you’ll receive more social media followers.

Need help implementing the 3Gs? We can craft clever posts and come up with stunning visuals for your social media pages. Or contact us and let us run your next campaign.

INSPIRATION CORNER: Want more proof that businesses fare better when they give more? Check out the Wall Street Journal bestseller “Give and Take” by Adam Grant.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to check out these others:

Greeting Cards: Are They a Thing of The Past?
4 Ways To Grow Your Business Using LinkedIn
How To Amp Up Your Visibility With Facebook
Everything You Need to Know About Mobile Advertising
10 Surprising Social Media Statistics [Infographic]
15 Statistics That Prove You Need Mobile Email Optimization

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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