How Long Does it Take to Build an Audience on Social Media?
In the words of Gary Vaynerchuk, it takes time to build an audience. And that’s 100% true.
But how much time?
The faster your following grows, the more likely new users will discover you. Statista reports that Instagram accounts with less than 1,000 followers grow about 9.4% over a six-month period on average; meanwhile, accounts with 10K–1M followers will see even higher growth rates (up to 16%)!
Establishing your brand on social media can be a time-consuming job.
To grow an engaged audience, you must put time and effort into creating content for your social media accounts.
It may seem odd, but building an audience from scratch on social media takes less time than other online channels.
The best rule of thumb is to post regularly for a few months and then sit down and audit what works best to double down.
In this post, I will show you exactly how to build an audience on social media from the ground up. This is a no-nonsense guide for beginners.
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is a way to promote your business using social media platforms. You can use social media to create awareness for your brand, build relationships with customers and promote your products or services.
Social media marketing is about using the right mix of content, including photos, videos, and text posts, to reach your target audience on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms.
Planning before you start sharing content on any of these sites is important.
You can also use paid advertising on social media platforms if:
- You want more exposure for your business
- you want to increase engagement with people who already follow your business on social media.
What is good social media content?
Many factors go into creating good content, and they all work together to make your message more effective.
Good social media content has 👇
A unique perspective or viewpoint that your audience can connect with
Your voice makes your content stand out, so be sure you’re using it in a way that will resonate with your target audience.
If you’re unsure what your voice is, try experimenting with different styles until something clicks!
A clear call to action (CTA)
This could be as simple as asking people to comment on a post or share it with their friends on Facebook, or it could be more complex, like asking them to sign up for an email newsletter in exchange for additional resources from you and your brand.
Either way, make sure there’s a clear CTA so people know how they can engage with your content.
In this article, learn how to write an effective call to action.
The amount of time it takes to learn social media marketing
The answer to this question is not so straightforward. It depends on several factors:
- How much time you can devote to social media?
- What are your goals?
- What is your competition doing?
- How much money do you have to spend?
Some take longer than others, but all of them take time.
It’s important to understand that it’s not just about getting more followers and fans; it’s about creating a relationship with them.
You can do this over the course of years, so don’t be discouraged by slow progress.
The best advice is to maintain consistency in your efforts, even if you do not see immediate results.
How much time should businesses devote to social media strategy?
It takes about 15 minutes per day to manage social media for a small business, according to the results of a survey from Social Media Examiner. That’s about 2 hours per week.
If you’re working full-time, that leaves only 2 hours per day for everything else: a career, friends and family, hobbies and interests, exercise, sleep — everything else that makes life worth living.
So what happens when you have more than one social media account?
If you’re like most people, your personal and professional accounts are on different platforms — Facebook vs. LinkedIn vs. Twitter vs. Instagram — so managing these accounts can be quite time-consuming.
Do you want us to handle your accounts? Get in touch!
Is buying social media followers a viable option to improve your social media presence?
The short answer: it depends.
The long answer: You’ve got to remember that social media campaigns aren’t like traditional marketing.
It’s not a one-and-done deal where you spend money and get results.
Social media is all about creating relationships and building your audience over time (content marketing strategy).
So, while buying more followers is possible, the results won’t be great.
You’ll have no control over who those followers are or if they’ll actually engage with your content. That means you can’t expect them to respond to your posts, share them with their network or even remember who you are when something interesting comes up later on down the line.
Buying followers is never a good idea for business because it doesn’t build trust with real people — people who might want to work with you or buy from you one day.
And since Facebook and Twitter are cracking down on fake accounts and spammy behavior, buying more followers will only get more difficult (and risky!) as time goes on
What’s the best way to execute a social media marketing campaign?
There is no one right way to use social media channels. The key is finding what works for you and your business.
First, get educated about the tools that are available to you.
There are hundreds of different platforms out there — from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to Pinterest, LinkedIn, and more.
Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, but they all have one thing in common: they allow users to connect with each other in ways that weren’t possible before these platforms were created.
Get educated
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram offer free educational resources that teach basic skills like how to post a photo or video, create hashtags, and monitor conversations.
These resources are great for beginners who don’t know where to start!
Use free resources
Reading blogs and listening to podcasts can teach you a lot.
Try Google or YouTube for tutorials and read books like:
- The Social Media Bible: Tactics
- Tools for Success in the Web 2.0 World by Joel Comm and Michael Stelzner (2011, John Wiley & Sons)
- The Social Media Marketing Workbook: 100 Exercises to Get You Started by David Meerman Scott (2010, John Wiley & Sons)
If you’re just starting out with social media marketing, consider using only one platform first so that you don’t get overwhelmed by having too many accounts to manage.
Take a free course on social media marketing
I recommend checking out Social Media Examiner’s free course on social media marketing.
It’s an eight-week course covering everything from setting up profiles on sites like Facebook and Twitter to creating engaging content to help build your brand’s reputation online.
Alternatively, here you have 17 free social media marketing courses to try.
Hootsuite’s 18-Minute-a-Day Social Media Plan
Hootsuite’s 18-Minute-a-Day Social Media Plan is a great way to start your social media marketing efforts. You can easily use this plan to grow your follower count and engage with your target audience on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
The plan is simple and easy to follow. It starts with an editorial calendar that allows you to plan content ahead of time and schedule it across multiple social networks at once. This will save you time and allow you to be more efficient with your time on social media.
You’ll also learn how to find relevant influencers in your industry who can help promote your content and boost engagement with potential customers.
In addition, Hootsuite provides tips for creating shareable content that people want to read or watch (like infographics), as well as how to optimize each post for maximum reach and engagement
Learn about the foundational social media strategy skills
The world of social media is constantly evolving, and it’s so important that you stay up to date with the latest trends.
If you’re looking to build an audience on social media, you must know what makes a good social media post and how to create content that will resonate with your audience.
Here are some foundational skills that will help you build an audience on social media:
- Content creation: knowing your audience and what to write about
- Tech-savvy: understanding the ins and outs of all the different social platforms and tools
- Social Media Analytics: learning to make sense of the data to pivot towards best-performing actions
- Psychology: How people think and act online
- Sociology: How groups of people behave on social sites
- Marketing principles: What makes people buy things or take action?
- Statistics: How do we measure what works and what doesn’t?
- People skills: How do I interact with my audience and respond to their needs?
How do I start using social networking websites?
Social media is a great digital marketing strategy to get your message out. It’s free, and it’s easy. But the trick is knowing how to use social networking sites to develop an audience.
Here are some tips for getting started on social channels:
- Choose appropriate sites
- Be yourself
- Post regularly
- Give people a reason to follow you
- Follow others and engage with them.
How long does it take to build a social media following?
There’s no single right answer.
It depends on the type of content you’re publishing, your audience, and how much time you’re willing to invest in it.
If you want to build a following quickly, there are some simple things you can do. For example:
Improve your social media presence by posting often
The more often you post, the more opportunities there are for people to see your posts.
If you publish just once weekly, that’s only 52 posts per year — not enough for anyone to notice your account or follow it regularly.
Adapt your strategy by posting relevant content
People don’t want to follow accounts that only post about themselves or their business; they want real content from people interested in similar things.
You’ll probably need at least 100 followers before any real benefits start rolling in.
And if you’re hoping for a big boost in traffic or sales from social media marketing, expect it to take years before those benefits start showing up consistently in your results
How long does it take for social media ads to work?
The best way to determine how long it will take for your social media ads to work is by testing them out and seeing what happens.
False expectations are your worst enemy. Strong campaigns take between three to twelve months to develop, and you should give yourself at least six months before expecting solid results.
Digital marketing TIP: If you’re running ad campaigns, split-test different ad images and copy to see what works best.
If you have multiple products or services, test them against each other.
Look at your analytics and see which ads are getting clicks and conversions. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different approaches.
Social media strategy: Other things to keep in mind
As you build your following, remember that content with a short shelf life tends to work better than long-form pieces.
Posts that are too long or complicated can be difficult to read on mobile or shared via text or email.
Short and shareable takes time
The best content for social media is short and easy to share. It’s not easy to produce this type of content regularly, especially when you’re just starting out.
You’ll have to experiment with different types of content (video, text, images) until you find what works best for your new audience.
Strategy matters to enhance your social media presence
Take time to develop a strategy before jumping into social media.
Your strategy should include the types of content you will post and when and where it will appear.
For example, if your audience uses Instagram at lunchtime and Twitter during their commute home from work, schedule social media posts accordingly.
Understand viral content
Understanding viral content is key when building a social media audience.
Viral content is defined as something that spreads quickly through word-of-mouth marketing; it’s often a combination of humor and relatability — something that people share because they want others to see their laughter or empathy with the story being told.
Learn about peak time for social media
If you’re posting at the wrong time, you’ll miss out on your audience’s biggest engagement potential.
Peak times vary by social platform.
- On Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, peak time is between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
- However, on Snapchat and Tumblr, peak time is between 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM because social media users tend to stay up late using these platforms.
- On YouTube, peak time is around 11:00 AM because many people watch videos during their morning routine or lunch break.
Tips for growing your account organically
When you’re starting out, it can seem overwhelming to grow your account organically. But there are some simple steps you can take that will help you attract new followers and improve social listening.
Here are some tips for growing your following on social media:
Complete your profiles
Make sure that all of your social media accounts are complete and up-to-date.
If you’re unsure what information to include, check out our guide on filling out your social media profiles.
Create a content calendar
Creating regular posts is one of the best ways to attract new followers and keep existing ones engaged.
You don’t need to post every day; just make sure that you’re posting regularly enough so that people know when they can expect new content from you.
You might want to create a blog or write articles for other websites, as well as post regularly on social media if possible.
You may also like: How to schedule and use your content for maximum synergy among distribution channels
Continue reading
If there’s something interesting going on in your industry or something new happening with one of your products, don’t hesitate to write about it!
Just make sure that whatever you’re sharing is relevant to your followers and will interest them enough to click through and read more.
Use hashtags
Using hashtags is a great way to get discovered by new people who are interested in similar topics as you — but don’t abuse them!
Only use hashtags when they’re relevant or if they help someone find your content.
Connect with other industry leaders
Connecting with other businesses in your industry is important if you’re a small business owner.
You can do this by following them on social media and commenting on their posts.
When you comment on their posts, ensure you’re providing value to their audience.
For example:
- If they post about a new product release, ask them how it would benefit customers and how it could potentially affect their business.
- If they post about a new marketing strategy, ask them what they think worked well and what could have been improved upon.
Who uses each network?
Social media is a great way to connect with people and build your brand. In order to get started, you need to know which networks are best for your business.
Here’s a breakdown of the top social media sites and who uses them:
Facebook is the largest social network in the world, with 2 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
It’s also the most widely used platform by marketers, with 80% of marketers using Facebook for at least one marketing campaign.
Facebook has three main subsets: people who use it just for connecting with friends, those who use it for business purposes, and people who use both.
Twitter has 330 million MAUs and is used primarily for news updates and information sharing.
It’s also used as a content marketing tool by 70% of marketers on social media platforms.
Twitter has two subsets: people who use it just to connect with friends or family and those who use it as a professional platform.
Here’re 8 benefits of posting Twitter content for your brand.
LinkedIn serves as an online resume that includes your work history, education history, skillset, etc., so people can find professionals like themselves (or like their friends) to network with them professionally or personally (depending on what they’re looking for).
Learn more: benefits of publishing content on LinkedIn for your brand.
Pinterest has more than 500 million MAUs worldwide and is growing rapidly — it added over 100 million new users in 2018 alone!
About half of all Pinterest users are women between the ages of 25-44; however, men make up almost 40% of users between 18-24 years old.
In terms of demographics, Pinterest users tend to be more affluent than average, with households earning around $100k per year.
Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users and growing quickly; it added over 100 million new users in 2018 alone! About 80% of Instagram’s users are outside the U.S., making it a prime platform for reaching international audiences.
There is also a large user base of young consumers — about 70% of Instagram users are between 18-34 years old.
Benefits of hiring a marketing agency
If you’re a small business owner, your time is precious. You can’t afford to spend hours figuring out how to use social media marketing platforms.
The benefits of hiring a content marketing agency to help you with social media include the following:
Agency expertise
Marketing agencies have been using social media for years and have built up an audience that trusts their advice. An agency can advise you on the best way to use Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms.
Time savings
You don’t have time to learn all the ins and outs of different platforms, but an agency does.
They’ll understand the nuances of each platform, so they can quickly tell which ones are right for your business and how best to use them.
Support when you need it most
Marketing agencies provide ongoing support after they’ve helped you set up your new accounts and build your social media presence.
This can include answering questions about how best to use each platform and giving guidance on how often content should be posted or changed, so it does not become stale or boring for your fans or followers
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