If you want your social media marketing campaign and online brand to thrive, you need to build a powerful community of subscribers, also known as fans. Subscribers are a key ingredient to the success of popular websites because they allow you to extend the reach of your online communications. Here are some of the main reasons why building a subscriber base is such a vital component to your social media marketing success.
RSS feed users are often web publishers themselves:
Did you know that eleven percent or less of Internet users know how to use RSS? It makes sense that those who are smart enough to use RSS are also the ones who produce and share information on the web. When you build your RSS subscribers, you are building relationships with influencers who are the movers and shakers of the web. As long as you do a great job of providing quality content worth spreading, your subscribers will surely help you get your message out to more people, who in turn can spread your message even more.
Subscribers build community:
Social media communities are what attract users. Compelling communities that flourish attract more people and make sites worth visiting. For example, as the community on Facebook grew and attracted people from all walks of life, people slowly moved away from Myspace and onto Facebook.
The more subscribers you have, the more inbound links you get:
As your subscriber base grows, more and more of them will look to you as a source of linkable content. Many web publishers are constantly looking for great content that they can link to or refer to in their own posts. If you consistently provide high-quality content, they will consider you a resource. The more times your content is linked, the more SEO benefits you get from Link Juice. You can achieve this simply by making an effort to consistently provide great content. The occasional link bait wouldn’t hurt either.
Your subscribers will motivate you to produce better content:
The more your subscriber base grows, the more comments you will receive on your content. The feedback you receive will allow you to learn more about your niche and how you can better serve your subscribers. When you know your reach is growing, you’ll inevitably put more effort into producing great content that gets people talking. As a result, you will improve your work in many ways and become an authority in your niche.
Social proof benefits:
Subscribers serve as social proof. When new visitors to your site see that you have a lot of subscribers/fans, they are more likely to believe that your site is worth visiting and subscribing to. When new visitors see your subscriber list, they’ll give you the time of day and are more likely to join your community right then and there.
Less reliance on traditional public relations:
Traditional public relations methods like pitching ads to the media and other bloggers will no longer be a necessity if you have a large subscriber base. When you grow your subscriber base, you’ll see increasing returns for your communications. Media coverage will come naturally, without you having to ask for it.
No matter what kind of online business you have, you will be in a better position than your competitors if you build a targeted audience around your content. When you build that audience and connect with them on a personal level, your social media marketing campaign levels up, allowing you to grow your brand online.
How to grow your subscriber base:
Now that you understand why growing your online subscriber base is so important to you, here are some tips on how you can accomplish the task. First of all, you need to create content that grabs people’s attention. You should have a built-in network and encourage people to share it with others. Your content should also contain multiple hooks for more visitors to join. Great content is often the biggest draw, but you should also use other methods to attract new subscribers.
Make sure your content is focused on your niche. Your goal should be to consistently meet the expectations of your subscribers. People will come to your site expecting certain types of content, so try not to get too off topic and you’ll build a stronger, more cohesive community.
Surely there are already many other communities in your niche. To attract more subscribers, study existing communities and try to do things differently from them. When you focus on topics or details that existing communities in your niche don’t touch on, you can achieve much faster online growth.