7 key questions to ask before following someone on social media

meti

August 1, 2023

Metigy Learning

Do you have a who-to-follow strategy for social media? Part of any smart social media strategy should involve a methodology of who to follow on social media. Because who you and your company follow will affect how others perceive your brand. And a targeted who-to-follow strategy will give your social team direction and purpose when performing outreach and growing your social network. Don’t worry if you haven’t put a strategy in place yet. This article will give you all the questions you need to ask before following someone.

1. Is this user’s content both shareable and relevant for my users?

Ask yourself: is this person is going to be a great source of content for your users? There is a lot of excellent content published on social networks, perfect for sharing with your own network. So try to find users that are both relevant to your industry, to your users, and who regularly either produce or share great content. Sharing informative content relevant to your users rather than producing everything yourself will greatly reduce your workload. Caveat: But make sure that the social account you are thinking about following is not competitive (selling rival products) or a direct competitor. Also, use your judgement to make sure your users will actually benefit. Is this user’s content informative and helpful or just promotional and spammy?

2. Is the account a partner company?

Reach out to partners and look for win-win cross-promotional opportunities. If you have an online store, then following the brands you sell could be a great move. Offer to promote your partners’ content if they will promote yours.

3. Is this person a brand ambassador?

Try to find and follow brand ambassadors. These are active customers who love your brand and can be one of the biggest weapons in your social media marketing arsenal. Reach out and see if they would be happy to amplify how great your product is on their social accounts. If they need some convincing, you can offer them some perks (coupons/offers/exclusive content) as a reward for their loyalty to your brand.

4. Is this person a thought leader?

Your users expect you to be an oracle of knowledge in your market segment. One great way of staying in the know is following industry leaders. Thought leaders often share great articles, podcasts and key news updates or game-changing information. Following them will also help boost your credibility in the market.

5. Is the account a source for inspiration?

Instagram and Pinterest are highly visual platforms. Search for accounts that inspire users. What type of post creates this inspiration? Bookmark these posts so you can recreate similar inspirational posts later on.

Will this negatively impact my following:follower ratio?

The following: follower ratio is simply the number of people you follow compared to the number that follows you. Keep an eye on this ratio as it affects your brand perception. How? If you are following more accounts than users follow you then your brand may appear unpopular or untrustworthy. Try and keep the ratio in your favour by following fewer people than you have followers. But when you’re just starting out, don’t worry if your ratio is a little weaker. It should even out over time.

Does it seem like a legitimate follow?

Fake social media accounts are a booming business. Mediakix’s recent Influencer Marketing Survey found that fake followers are the top concern amongst influencer marketers in 2019. Brands don’t want to artificially inflate their numbers and waste influencer spends on fake accounts. Instagram has responded by actively removing inauthentic content and too much fake activity will get your account flagged. Look for generic responses, questionable followers and very low engagement to spot the fakes. Fake accounts are a top concern for social platforms. According to research from Ghost Data, almost 1 in 10 Instagram accounts is fake. Facebook, on the other hand, estimates that 5% of their accounts are bots. Even last-generation social sites like Tik Tok have a problem with fake and bot accounts.

Use tools to create a targeted who-to-follow strategy

Who you follow on social media is critical for your success. Follow the wrong people and you risk not growing your organic reach and missing your targets. Find the right people to follow and social networks become a golden marketing opportunity for your business. Get started following the right people today by asking these 7 questions before you click follow. Or better yet, learn how Metigy can help you find who to follow automatically.

content marketing & strategy, digital marketing channels, sme marketing