Social media can feel like a bit of a playground at times. The ever-expanding list of features and compatibilities that can be enjoyed across social media platforms today allow users of all ages to seriously flex their creative muscles.
But experimentation is one thing and creating an impactful social media presence is another. Whilst it definitely does take some time to find your footing as a digital content creator or social media blogger/influencer, knowing what skills to develop and how you can express yourself is the key to elevating your profiles and growing your follower base.
To help, we’ll be outlining 5 easy ways that you can organically grow your own social media presence alongside developing your digital skills. Read on to unearth our favourite tips and tricks for helping your social profiles reach greater heights.
1. Dabble with creative tools
The best thing you can do as a digital creator is play with a range of different creative tools. For instance, while everyone else may be using Bitmoji or Instagram’s own avatar tool, you can use another avatar maker to give your content its own signature touch. It’s all about making sure your social media presence is immediately recognisable.
On that same note, other tools like photo editors can also help you personalise your social media content and perhaps even develop your own style of posting. You could use these design tools to create a dynamic colour palette for your personal brand or even to create a style guide for arranging your social media posts.
All it takes is a little tinkering to create a style that not only represents you, but also complements your content to a tee.
2. Work with a few different mediums
When it comes to digital artistry, you don’t need to limit yourself to using just one medium in order to become a master. The benefit of creative technologies is that you can find new and innovative ways to be creative across a wide range of different mediums.
A great example here is audio mixing technology. There are a range of different audio editing platforms available nowadays, so learning how to make music can be as easy as finding software that you can use with ease.
There are also new mediums or artistic disciplines that are emerging thanks to digital technologies. This includes mediums like 3D printing or even UX design. Whatever piques your interest today, there’s guaranteed to be platforms and software that you can use to work within those disciplines and build up your own skill sets. And when you have these skills under your belt, you can easily use them to create more dynamic content for your social media profiles.
3. Stay on top of social media trends
There are communities across the globe that share your interests, so elevating your social media presence can be as easy as finding those communities and sharing your passions with them. This technique is even more impactful if your passions may even align with current online trends.
Again, 3D printing is a great example here. This new-age creative outlet has amassed a large community of makers and creators who are looking to leverage the power of 3D printing to revolutionise a range of different crafts. There are 3D printing niches across many different online communities, including cosplay, DIY crafters, figurine collectors, and even engineering and STEM enthusiasts.
And it goes without saying that staying on top of online trends must also involve keeping in the loop with trending topics. Using social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Tiktok, and other influential platforms like Reddit can help you easily keep up with trends as they emerge. From here, all you need to do is respond to a trend in time and take advantage of the higher viewer engagement that comes from jumping on social media trends.
Just make sure that you’re adding your own take or your own framing onto any trends you participate in. That way, you can represent yourself as a creator and changemaker rather than just as another participant in the digital wave.
4. Hone your storytelling skills
Have you ever found yourself becoming randomly engrossed in an Instagram story? If you have, then it’s highly likely that the story you found yourself frantically tapping through actually possessed a compelling narrative arc, or was (again) topically relevant. Or both!
That’s because the human brain craves following narratives. Following the path of a good story provides exceptional stimulation and perhaps even prompts deep thought. That’s why following storylines on social media is usually what gets us out of doom-scrolling sessions.
With that, one of the best measures you can take when looking to elevate your own social media presence is to think about the types of stories you want to tell. Are you looking to create ‘slice of life’ content, or delve deep into more personal subject matter that may help start up some valuable conversations? Knowing what types of stories you’d like to tell can help you start creating content that attracts your target audience in droves.
5. Take advantage of social media analytics tools
Finally, the best way of measuring your success on social media is to keep track of your engagement metrics. Whilst this may sound like a daunting task, it’s actually simpler than it’s ever been, thanks in part to integrated analytics features on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Nowadays, creators can easily look up their average likes and comments per post and keep track of their follower counts using a range of both internal and external (or third party) analytics tools.
Some tools that you can start using today include Google Analytics, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, HubSpot, and Tweet Deck (for anyone who wants to start seriously curating their X Feed!). Try playing around with the social media analytics tools that are available to you. Playing around with these analytics tools can help you better understand the numbers behind social media success, and how best you can improve on your own metrics moving forward.
All in all, the key to elevating your social media presence lies in your ability to share often and share openly. Building a rapport with your digital audience and thus establishing a name for yourself as a content creator, is paramount to developing your following. And once your profiles begin to grow, then you can really start to have some fun!