How is this even done?
I used to go online and see social media pages with millions of followers, thousands of likes, and comments and the above question pops up in my head. Like, what exactly are they doing? What’s the secret to their success?
These and many other questions used to leave me frustrated and almost at the bridge of tears. I had to give some of these pages my sole attention and focus on finding out what made them special, especially what drew people to like and follow them.
In my quest to grow my own page and followers, I have learnt some tips and secrets from these top social media accounts, and it would be very selfish of me to hoard such content to myself.
In this post, I’m going to enlighten you on tips I have gathered from carefully studying these top social media account, laying emphasis on what they do right, and what you can learn from them.
Instagram marketing
Marketing via Instagram is not as easy as you may think. Yes, it has over one billion users and I can confidently name it as one of the largest social media networks, but then it is quite complicated when it comes to marketing.
When I was still new to the application, I was practically frustrated with the low turnout of sales and followers, and this is something I am pretty sure you may also be battling with. I know how annoying it can be creating content for your products, posting them on your social media account with high expectations, and then getting overly disappointed at the low sales generated.
Over time and with the constant need for improvement, I have been able to garner knowledge from these top accounts and this has helped greatly in building my brand.
I will be taking you through a journey on how some of these social media accounts use Instagram to build their followers;
1. Striking imagery and long captions of National Geographic
I have come to realize that a lot of people think that being loud and virtually everywhere on Instagram will get them the attention and reach they crave. Unfortunately, even if it does get them the attention, it is always short-lived.
One page that has proven this narrative wrong is National Geographic. With its over 80 million followers, I have over time come to know the page for its use of photography in reporting content on wildlife, history, and a whole lot of interesting topics, and this, in turn, fits in with what Instagram is mainly for.
At a point, I tried following the page up to monitor its number of followers, and I was wowed to discover that it got over 20K followers daily on an average. Impressive, right? With such content, getting such reach wouldn’t be a problem for them.
Have you ever wondered how their station ‘NatGeo Wild’ and page keeps giving you content on wildlife? Upon research, I discovered that the page doesn’t have just a content creator, it is rather run by over 110 photographers and freelancers with the password to the account. This is rather interesting as it gives the freelancers the opportunity to take their followers through a series of specific journeys, and adds a personal touch to the page.
Do you now see why this page has massive traffic and followers?
Why don’t you try monitoring their page to learn how to take stunning images and coin great descriptions for your products and services?
2. 9Gag’s mastery of content curation
I know you must be thinking that it is very easy doing content curation. I mean, you were probably taught that it entails selecting images/videos and having them published on using your social media management tool. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but content curation goes way beyond that. In fact, curating the right content can be very difficult as it requires you to not only know your business but also have solid knowledge of your audience.
I conducted a study on 9Gag a top account on Instagram with over 42 million followers, to understand how the page fared against its counterparts. I was impressed to discover that the page curates visuals that align with its target audience, using funny memes and jokes to drive their message home. One thing I love about the page is how they effortlessly make jokes without antagonizing anyone or brand.
9Gag avoids obscure references and niche jokes. All the content they curate is designed to appeal to people, without debasing anyone.
From creating funny memes concerning the consumption of coffee to talking about printers, 9Ggag ensures that its content purpose isn’t defeated.
I have also noticed that the page shares content on a regular basis, sometimes sharing as much as 10-12 image posts daily and about 2-3 video posts.
Try observing the page closely and you will notice that these posts are spread throughout the day to ensure you see at least one whenever you come online in a day.
Pinterest marketing
Do you have a Pinterest account? If yes, how often do you use it?
I don’t know about you, but whenever I need to make a new dress or hairdo, I simply log in to the application and select from an overwhelming number of related images. The application is ideal for displaying and sharing content.
You may not know this, but there are people who have built a name and brand on the application, and these are the people I will be discussing about with you.
3. Pinterest branding mastery by L.L. Bean
I think I came across L.L. Bean’s handle while searching for sporting equipment on the Pinterest platform. With over 5 million followers and hundreds of pins spread across dozens of boards, this page makes outdoor equipment and boots, as well as displays attires mostly sweaters.
Try checking out the L.L. Bean page and you will first notice its website address and hashtag in the bio. Also, except you closely monitor the page, you may not notice it meshes its own product-focused imagery with customer-focused images.
Another thing I love about them is how puppies and cats are weaved into its pin collection. I was surprised to discover that it has two separate popular boards for dog and cat lovers with about 100K followers each.
Try doing something quite similar with your own products.
Your take home from this page should be to always curate relevant content, ensure your products align with internet trends and maintain a good flow of pins.
4. Educational content of Petplan
Have you ever tried selling Insurance online? I can tell you for free that it is one of the most difficult services to sell online, especially as there is no physical product to advertise.
I know a marketer with an insurance company who gives me an idea of what selling insurance entails, and it truly a difficult task to defeat especially if you aren’t marketing inclined.
If you have ever tried procuring an insurance policy, you must have noticed how companies give different rates just to sell their policies and stay in the market. This brings us to a site called Petplan, which helps defeat all these issues using its Pinterest boards.
From my research, I have deduced that Petplan aims to differentiate itself from other sellers of pet insurance by being informative and entertaining. Try checking out their site, you will notice their usage of lengthy descriptions and beautiful imagery to educate its readers on dogs.
To further harness patronization, it also educates its readers on pet health tips as it concerns pet insurance.
Try creating pictures directly on Pinterest, sharing pictures of your team, and also create topic specific boards.
Twitter marketing
I don’t know about you but for me, Twitter remains one of the most popular social networks. It currently has over 330 million monthly users and remains a great site for getting firsthand information about trends in my society and the world at large.
Should I tell a little secret? I almost gave up on the application. Like, I downloaded and deleted it thrice just because I didn’t really understand what it was all about. I knew the popular pages, but I was oblivious of the method used to drive traffic to these pages, not until I began studying them closely paying attention to the kind of content they posted.
One thing I can tell you for free is that for you to drive traffic through Twitter, you’ll need to create valuable content, consistently make posts, and interact with your followers to build relationships.
Why don’t we take a look at some successful Twitter accounts that have excelled using the method aforementioned?
5. User engagement and Branding of Coca-Cola
Like I said earlier on, Twitter is the go-to source for current events and trending topics, something brands like Coca-Cola have leveraged on.
Try monitoring Coca-Cola’s handle, you will notice that they mostly use hashtags to make content on trending topics and events. Check out their post on memorable days like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, you will notice that they use images that depict the celebration at hand.
Another amazing thing about this handle is that it engages with its audience by replying messages and mentions, as well as sharing content related to them, thus earning the love and respect of its audience.
Have you checked out their colour themes? Always breathtaking!
I strongly believe this is to increase their online presence and visibility. Try checking out their page for more tips.
6. Use of images and frequent updates by UberFacts
Ever heard of the Twitter handle called UberFacts? If you haven’t, login to your Twitter account and search for it. One thing that amazes me about this handle is the fact that it was created by a then 19years old college student. Today, it has about 13.8 million followers.
Amazing, right?
I used to wonder why a simple page that offered its followers random facts could garner such huge traffic but when I began monitoring the page, I discovered that its tweets follow a specific pattern of posting facts as either an image or infographic, always includes its logo, and also a plain text tweet on the fact.
Do you know one good thing I have learnt from adding a logo? It ensures that my shared images subtly become an advertising agent.
Another thing I find interesting is the fact that they regularly make updates, sometimes making as much as 5+ updates/hour to ensure that their audience stays entertained.
I strongly suggest you look up this Twitter handle.
Facebook marketing
I can’t stop overemphasizing on how Facebook has greatly helped my online business. With the knowledge I gathered from top business pages on the application, I have not only made tremendous sales, but also increased my followers and reach.
I always advise anyone seeking to make an impact and drive large amounts of traffic to their website to be on this platform.
There are some accounts on Facebook that are greatly successful and have built their brands to their current positions. Some of them are:
7. Use of Visual media by Red Bull
If there is anything I love about Red Bull, it should be their marketing strategy. Take a look at its Facebook page, and you may likely feel you are looking at a sports brand and not a caffeinated energy drink.
Try checking out the page and you will be amazed at their use of athletes engaged in different sports to portray what the product does. They retain their fans’ attention by ensuring they use short captions, thus having them focused on the video or image attached.
You will also notice that just like Coca Cola, they engage with fans and reply comments, sometimes using funny GIFs.
Willing to try this?
8. Use of unique partnerships and contests by Oreo
If you are a lover of biscuits, then you must know Oreo.
I was opportune to conduct a research on this company and discovered that its over 42 million Facebook likes were gotten as a result of its use of fun contests and unique partnerships to relate with its target audience.
You must have also seen them use popular influencers to promote their product. This is great as it widely increases their reach, thanks to shares by these influencers on their pages.
Try including this in your page for maximum results.
Conclusion
I advise you ensure your content is relevant to your audience, using the tactics I mentioned to grow and promote your own social media channels.
Try being friendly and approachable by engaging your followers in your comment section.
Also, ensure that your Twitter design matches your brand guidelines.
In conclusion, I strongly advise you use these ideas to create a good strategy to utilize your goals.