Did you know that there is a way to grow your audience on social media for free? It’s true! And when it is done correctly, it can result in an audience that is more active and engaged than one that you grow through paid ads. This secret tool is called social media outreach. Want to learn more? In this article, I am going to explain what social outreach is, why it is important, and offer some tips on how to do it.
What is social media outreach?
Social media outreach is part of your marketing strategy where you reach out to others on social platforms. When you comment on other posts or pages as a representative of your company or brand, you are doing social media outreach. Cold and warm direct messages are another aspect of this technique. When used in a non-spammy way, social outreach is a great way to drive brand awareness for free.
Is outreach an important part of social media marketing?
Social outreach is a major way to build brand awareness and a vital component of successful social media marketing strategies. Participating in outreach shows the personality of your brand while establishing authority in your niche.
Whether you are a new company just starting on social media, or you are already well established, outreach will help you to grow your audience.
How do you do it?
The way you use this technique is going to look different on every platform. It also changes as platforms evolve. It also depends on what your goals are on each social media platform. Because of this, it is hard to outline specific steps a business can take to start including this in their overall social media strategy. While I can’t provide specific strategies, here are some tips to get you started!
To start a campaign, you need to consider where your target audience is spending their time. Are you a local retail business or restaurant? Join your town Facebook group. Do you offer B2B services? Become an active participant in some LinkedIn small business forums. If you have spent some time truly researching your ideal customer, this will help a lot.
In addition, the goal is to generate brand awareness, not to be spammy. How can you help potential customers so they will want to turn to you when they decide to buy? If you spend all of your time asking people to buy from you, they will start to see your business in a negative light, so keep the selling to a minimum. Focus on adding value and the leads will follow naturally.
Social media outreach is often tricky to get right, and finding where your audience is spending their time often requires a bit of trial and error. But once you hit the sweet spot, you will see your audience, and your sales, start to grow. Combined with regular follower interaction, it is a great way to get your engagement metrics up.
At The Social Expansion Project, all of our packages come with social outreach and follower interactions. Check out what else they come with here.