Ten Ways to Use Hosting to Grow Your Social Media Following

The Top Ten Ways to Use Hosting to Grow Your Social Media Following

Hosting is one of the most effective social media marketing strategies out there. It allows you to reach out to your audience and connect with them in real-time, thereby building a sense of trust and increasing their desire to buy from you in the future. With hosting, you can also gather tons of information about your target audience so that you can make your sales pitch relevant to them and generate more sales conversions down the line. But how exactly do you use hosting as a social media marketing tactic?

Giveaways

This is a really great opportunity for you, your followers and your business. When you give away something that your audience wants, the odds of them responding are higher. You're also more likely to make a sale or get people on your email list because they want what you have. A lot of bloggers use giveaways as an incentive to sign up for their email list. 

This post may not be appropriate if you don't have anything new to giveaway. In this case, consider using hosting as an incentive instead (example: free hosting when people subscribe).

Twitter Parties

If you're hosting a party, tweet about the party. If you aren't hosting a party, don't tweet about the party. In either case, remember that tweeting about your event is only effective if it's interesting and relevant content for your audience. And make sure to be timely! You should start promoting your event at least a week before it takes place.

Instagram Takeovers

Hosting an Instagram takeover is a great way to grow your following. Takeovers are when someone else takes over your account for a set period of time and posts photos and videos. If you have an amazing social media following, hosting an Instagram takeover will help grow your audience as the person taking over your account will be seen by all of their followers as well. Even if you don't have a large following, hosting a takeover is still a good idea because it'll give you more exposure. You can also make money by charging companies that want to host a takeover with you. You can also use your following on other platforms like Facebook or Twitter to promote what's going on in the takeover. For example, I could create sponsored tweets on my Twitter feed during my takeovers so that people who don't follow me on Instagram but know me from other platforms see what I'm doing and might want to follow me there too!

Facebook Live

1) To showcase your product or service ​​- Create an engaging and informative live video (live chat is also a great feature) that will help potential customers make up their minds about whether or not they want to buy from you. Showcase the features of your products, how easy it is to use, why it’s better than the competition. 

2) To interact with fans - Live videos are great for interacting with fans because there’s no delay in responses. Talk directly with them in real time about any questions they might have for you, such as future plans for your business, the best way to use a certain product, etc.

Snapchat Story

It's no secret that Snapchat is the most popular social media app for the younger generation. It's also one of the few social media apps that you can use without a smartphone. Snapchat allows you to post pictures and videos that last only 24 hours, making it an easy way to share with your friends. What if I told you there was another way to use hosting on Snapchat? By hosting on your account, not only will you get more followers but people will watch more of your content.

Google Hangouts

Hangouts are a great way to grow your following in a number of ways. You can use them for live Q&A sessions, tutorials, interviews, webinars and more. All you need is an internet connection and a webcam or smartphone camera! The hangout session can be streamed on YouTube and Google+ so that it’s accessible to anyone. It also gives those who couldn’t make it the opportunity to view the recording after the event has concluded. 

In addition, using Google+, which requires a Gmail account, as a platform will allow your followers to sign up with one click, saving time and hassle when trying to follow you on social media sites.

Podcast Interviews

I wanted to talk about hosting podcasts because I think it's one of the most underrated and underused ways of expanding your social media following. Podcasts are a great way for you to create content, provide valuable information for people, and share your voice with a new audience. Beyond that, you can use hosting a podcast as an opportunity to show off your personality, which is something that's hard for many people to do on Instagram or Facebook posts. You also have the chance to build relationships with other influencers who may not be in your niche but who you'd like to work with later down the line. The best part about podcast hosting is that there are so many different platforms where you can host your own episodes, including Anchor, SoundCloud, Google Play Music, iTunes Podcasts App (iOS), and more!

Twitter Chats

- Make sure you're following all the participants in advance so that you can follow them on the day of. You don't want any awkward I'm following! messages popping up! 

- Think about what kind of question you want participants to answer. Be clear and concise with your question. If it's too open-ended, it'll be hard for people to know what they should talk about. 

- Encourage everyone to share the chat with their followers by using a hashtag or mentioning your Twitter handle in their tweets. Again, this is another reason why planning ahead is important as you will need to create and start using these hashtags before hand.

Webinars

Host an educational webinar or series that focuses on a topic relevant to your audience. Promote your webinar on social media, sending emails, and other online channels. You can also encourage participants to share the event with their friends and followers. In addition, you can send email reminders before the date of your event. Post-event: Follow up with attendees by thanking them for participating and asking for feedback. Share any news about upcoming events as well.

Youtube Videos

YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world. It's a go-to destination for people searching for instructional, how-to, and DIY videos. The search engine is also home to popular celebrity channels, such as PewDiePie with 53 million subscribers. But YouTube isn't just another video streaming site. YouTube has taken on a life of its own with viewers coming back again and again for more content. Using hosting as a part of your social media strategy could help you grow your following exponentially. Here are some tips to get started: 1) Collaborate with other influencers and leverage their audiences. 2) Create new videos regularly (weekly or monthly). 3) Update them when necessary 4) Invite your followers to subscribe by mentioning their usernames at the beginning of each video. 5) Set up an automated system that alerts you when someone mentions or comments on one of your posts so that you can respond quickly and genuinely!