There’s lots of good advice and tips on how to get more followers and fans. Yet it all boils down to one principle:
Don’t ask people to follow, friend or like you
unless you give them a reason why!
So whether it’s building your nonprofit email list, or building your social media networks … give us a good reason for adding ourselves to your lists.
If you want us to say “yes” to your request to like, follow or subscribe; then you must first answer our WHY question.
I suppose movie stars and famous athletes can safely ignore this principle.They can build lists based on their “star aura.”
But for the rest of us, building a strong list with the desired audience (i.e., people who will donate, join, sign your petition, and keep coming back to do it all again), makes this principle a necessity. In other words, your lists can build faster when you start with a solid foundation … a solid reason WHY.
Because even if you do something fun and clever to get more people to like, follow or subscribe … they won’t stay with you unless you deliver on that promise with relevant and valuable content.
So to get to the reason “why,” map out the valuable content and messaging you’ll be sharing over the next several months, or year. Sum it up in a sentence or two and there you have it.
Again, the foundation on which to build is a reason why we should do what you ask. Next you can use all the advice and tips to build your networks upon that foundation. And the relevant and valuable reader-centric content is the mortar that keeps your networks united and strongly supporting your mission over time.
Build it correctly, and they’ll not only come to you … but they’ll also stay.
Related posts:
Who are your most loyal supporters? … Find them in social media