Written by: Emma Tessler, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In 2021, no one’s social media accounts are growing by chance. The days when your account could magically grow from zero to 10,000 followers in a matter of weeks are a thing of the past (unless you’re going viral, which is a discussion for another day). There’s now a science to making your brand stand out on these social platforms - but these unspoken rules aren’t often discussed.
As the algorithms have gotten smarter, brands like yours have had to evolve to these quick changes. You’ve had to get more intentional with your marketing in order to stand out and reach your target audience. And yet, you may still not be seeing the results you’re looking for - asking yourself “HOW are other brands doing this?”.
The answer is simple: Engagement.
Hearing this term, you may have once thought of a large diamond ring. But today, “engagement” refers to the way in which we connect and build trust with our target audience on social media platforms. Engagement is the number one way to grow your brand’s visibility and awareness.
The consumer market is changing more rapidly than ever - and what your audience is looking for from you is as well. With the emergence and quick rise of the Creator Economy, your audience is valuing brands that build deeper connections and relationships with their audience over brands who blatantly care just about the numbers.
Rather than focusing on “how fast can I grow?”, begin to consider “how can I deepen the trust with our existing audience?”. One way you can begin to do this is through daily, intentional engagement. Here is one method brands adore because they see massive results fast.
With that being said, there are 2 different types of engagement that you need to know. Inbound and Outbound - both serve an important purpose for your brand. Let’s break it down:
Inbound Engagement
While replying with a short “thanks” to a comment on your post may be a quick way to connect with your followers, it won’t drive the ROI you’re looking for. Inbound engagement is all about nurturing the leads that are finding you. It’s starting the conversation - and then continuing it to build a genuine relationship. This is all about nurturing the audience you’ve worked so hard to build - and is often the type of engagement that is neglected.
Outbound Engagement
Equally as important, Outbound Engagement is all about getting out there and bringing new people to your online brand presence. This is where you get to be proactive, strategic, and intentional about who you engage with. You don’t want just anyone in your audience (big mistake most brands are doing). You only want to bring back people who are actually interested in buying what your brand has to offer. Begin by going into the hashtags you’ve used on today’s post and find your potential new audience there.
While there’s no one size fits all for growing an audience, if you invest time to connect with your followers - or potential audience members - you’ll be sure to see growth sooner than you may think. The way you may have approached digital marketing even one year ago is different from how you need to be approaching it now. Stay current and, more than anything, nurture your audience before thinking about the sale. This is how you will begin monetizing your Social Media presence.
Emma Tessler, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Emma Tessler is the founder and CEO of Ninety Five Media, a new-age Digital Marketing Agency. After discovering digital marketing at a college internship and falling in love with it, Emma put this on the back burner to pursue her major of Interior Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. However, just a few years later, she left this career to form her own Digital Marketing business, Ninety Five Media. Today, Ninety Five Media works with scaling brands to monetize their online presence on social media platforms using strategic, current marketing strategies - this is their signature Ninety Five Media Method. This Method helps their clients connect with ideal customers, build community, and convert audience members into paying clients. As a former Designer, Emma brings both creativity and strategy to her clients accounts to exponentially scale their online brand awareness.
