Social media is inarguably one of the biggest developments in social and consumer culture. Sure, many people solely use social media to view and post memes. However, many driven people and business owners use social media to maximize their brands’ potential.
You may not have years of cybersecurity research experience, but you can probably guess that social media carries many risks. Beyond cybersecurity risks, you also risk misrepresenting yourself and your brand if you don’t build your pages with a plan. Not only are similar brands your competitors, but every other page on Instagram and X is a competitor.
People have short attention spans and no shortage of content to view, so you must make your social media pages undeniably interesting. Follow along as we explore how to scale your social media presence without triggering platform risks.
Focus on Engagement
Whether you want to build a personal or brand social media presence, you must focus on engagement. Many misconceptions have muddied the waters of what can boost your engagement on Instagram and other platforms. For example, some people post several times each day hoping to boost engagement on their profiles.
Realistically, you should only post 3-5 times per week, but only if those posts are meaningful. Shallow, pointless posts are unlikely to boost engagement, which means the platform won’t circulate them. Some people mistakenly believe that buying followers will boost engagement, but that’s not true.
Sure, you can buy bot comments, but doing so will damage you and your brand’s credibility. Instead, you must organically encourage engagement by posting informative content with trending audio clips. It also helps to include a poll or a call to action to encourage comments.
Prioritize Organic Growth
Just as fake comments are bad, so too are fake followers. Many people buy bot followers to grow their brand’s social media pages as quickly as possible. Earning followers takes a while, but you should start by interacting with your existing followers.
For example, you can like and reply to their comments to encourage further engagement to help your profile in a couple of ways. First, doing so can encourage your existing followers to spread the word and share your page. Second, the extra engagement will help ensure the algorithm picks up on your page and promotes it.
It’s also important to focus on meaningful content that represents your brand. Pick an aesthetic and format that suits your brand and burn an image into your followers’ minds. This will encourage people to check back in, which will then help others find your brand’s page, no matter how long it takes.
Embrace Influencers
While buying followers isn’t a great idea, you can organically earn followers by partnering with influencers. Influencers are among the biggest celebrities today, and you must use them to your advantage. You can pay an influencer to repost your page or record a reel promoting your brand.
That way, the influencer will drive their own followers toward your page, thus growing your platform. This is quite helpful, but it does carry some risks. That’s why you must carefully research influencers to ensure their followers will actually appreciate your page.
For example, don’t hire a vegan scuba diving influencer to promote your smokeless grill company. It’s also important to background check the influencer to ensure they aren’t associated with any controversies. Social media users hold people accountable for such things, so you only want to associate positive people with your brand.
Protect Your DMs
Your direct messages (DMs) inbox may not be full right now, but it will grow alongside your page. As your page grows, however, you will open yourself and your brand up to more cybersecurity risks. That’s why you must be careful and protect your DM inbox on Instagram and other platforms.
For example, you should never open a random link sent by one of your followers. Phishing scams are among the oldest tricks in the book, but many social media novices don’t know that. Scammers send fraudulent links hoping that the recipient will open them.
Upon opening the link, the scammer will install malware on your device, expose your data, or redirect you to a fraudulent website. That doesn’t mean you should fear every DM, but you should think twice before welcoming all of them. Revoke third-party access and avoid opening unknown links, as doing so can put your brand at risk.
Use Links Wisely
Many people will discover your brand through social media, but that doesn’t mean they’ll buy your products or services. That’s especially true if they can only discover your brand on one social media platform. Ideally, you should link all your social media pages together to maximize your visibility.
If you have an online store, you must link to it in your pages’ bio sections. That’s especially true if you use big e-commerce platforms, like Amazon. People respect reputable e-commerce platforms, and linking to them can help validate your social media presence.
That’s especially true if you optimize your bio and post captions with relevant keywords.
Manage Your Expectations
It’s easy to look at other social media pages and wish that your brand had that reach. Countless people feel that way, and many try to mimic what their favorite pages do. Sometimes that works, but it’s risky and not always the case.
The last thing you want to do is mimic another brand’s pages when your brands have nothing in common. Your competitors’ social media pages work well because they suit them. You should instead focus on growing your social media presence in a way that supports your brand’s ethos and size.
If you own a small fashion boutique, you shouldn’t mimic everything that the official Kohl’s account does. They have many followers because Kohl’s has been around since 1962, long before social media. Comparing your brand to others can make you feel inadequate, and that’s as risky as falling for cybersecurity scams. Trust yourself and your brand’s power, regardless of how quickly you earn followers.
Social Media is Equally Risky and Exciting
Far too many brand owners have bought followers and comments and automated their content just to get buried by the algorithm. Their intentions are good, but brand owners will only succeed if they cultivate an organic social media presence. It may start slowly, but finding, catering to, and engaging with your core audience will result in progress.
Throughout the journey, you must also consider the cybersecurity risks of modern online life. Enable two-factor authentication and avoid opening strange links. Most importantly, keep your content positive and don’t rush, as the algorithm
About the Author
Ryan Ayers is a researcher and consultant within multiple industries, including information technology, blockchain, and business development. Always up for a challenge, Ayers enjoys working with startups as well as Fortune 500 companies. When not at work, Ayers loves reading science fiction novels and watching the LA Clippers.
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