Social media is a powerful tool that everyone from politicians and celebrities to athletes and entrepreneurs leverage every day to get their message across quickly, and to a large audience. It is as important to connect to followers through Instagram and Twitter as it is to have a traditional website — no career is complete without that connection. From young college athletes who give behind-the-scenes looks at what life is like on the road to actors goofing around on set, users voraciously consume it because it’s so personal. And that’s the first reason why social media is so valuable. 

 

Connections Create Followers 

There’s something about looking someone in the eye, even from a phone screen, that creates a personal connection. Celebrities’ pics of their dogs, kids, kitchen disasters, or dance moves is unlike any window into their lives the public has ever had access to before social media. And it works. 

Entrepreneurs use this tactic too, giving followers inside looks at how they manage their day-to-day work lives as well as personally replying to tweets or direct messages. This personal connection directly to users is what strengthens followings. And a big following opens a lot of doors. 

 

Followings Create Opportunities 

From product sponsorships to business opportunities to collaborations, a big following can open a lot of eyes, and doors. 

One doesn’t have to scroll through Instagram for very long before finding a product that is taking advantage of an influencer’s large following— they want their product to be seen by viewers who are guaranteed to be paying attention. 

A musician who’s never been played on the radio can look attractive to a record company or a venue if their social media following has the numbers. Because wherever they go, so too will their followers. 

 

Fans Follow The Journey  

It doesn’t matter that an actor has left one show to do another one, or that an athlete has changed teams. Those followers will follow them everywhere they go. So too will followers of beloved brands. 

Brands can cross promote everything that’s happening with the brand, leveraging a following to promote products across the board. And they can do it.

 

Creates a Captive Audience 

With a large social media following comes an on-demand audience that is ready to engage with every post, immediately. Not only is the engagement immediate but it’s also available 24 hours a day. 

Athletes can share personal opinions on controversial calls, giving themselves a voice to people who are willing to listen, at any hour. Brands too can leverage social media to appeal to a following who want to hear their voice in real time. 

 

Can’t Beat The Cost 

The value of social media is undeniable, but the cost is the kicker. It’s free to use social media and build a following — and a free post to an enormous following is far more valuable than most paid forms of advertising. 

You just can’t beat it. 

 

So how do you build a following that you can leverage? Organically. Start with one piece of content, and add to that every day in an authentic, honest way. Content is king and social media is its kingdom.