Today’s content fueled internet climate can feel like a schizophrenic nightmare. Every which way you look seems like an information overload. Taking it all in can feel like an all you can eat buffet at Golden Coral. Maybe I’m just speaking from personal experience, but I always eat way more than I can handle and leave just a little less satisfied with my life.

            Scrollingthrough social media is equal proportions mindlessly self-indulgent. There’sjust too much information to truly digest it all. As a result, our brains gointo auto-pilot, scrolling aimlessly and not really internalizing anything.Sort of like how going to that all you can eat buffet isn’t really nourishinganyone, physically or spiritually. Consumption for the sake of consumption isreally just an addiction, an attempt to fill a void with a less thansubstantial solution.

            Now,there’s nothing wrong with self-indulgence. Everyone needs to take a break fromthe world for a while, but to stand out in this overwhelming sea of content,it’s important to understand the mindset of your viewers. They are chilling!So, to stand out, you’ve got to wake them up! Let’s take a look at somestrategies that will set you apart from the rest.

Images that Pop

            As statedpreviously, viewers are largely scrolling unconsciously. In order to catchpeople’s attention, it is important to use bright and compelling photos. Makeyour content impossible to ignore with an artistic touch.

            Especiallywith Twitter, text can easily get overlooked. Most people scroll through tofind their favorite tweeters and will skim over anything else without a secondthought. Including pictures can boost engagement and retweet by 50%.

            With photoheavy platforms like Instagram, it is even more important to pay attention todetail. Flat, uninteresting pictures will get the scroll. Make sure to taketime editing your pictures before posting. Don’t be lazy and please stopposting stock images with text slapped over the whole thing. People want to seeorganic interaction, not whatever quote you ripped off from Pinterest.

Crowd Control

            What iscommonly overlooked, a sea of content means a sea of people that will forgetabout you. Unless, of course, you keep up with your engagement. Don’t expect tojust post a picture and suddenly go viral. People are more likely to engagewith content that regularly engages with them.

            Make sureto be spending time on your page every day liking, commenting, and interactingwith your audience. And not that lame fire emoji half attempt at a comment.People can spot disingenuous interaction from a mile away. You’re a realperson, so don’t act like a twitter bot. Give real and authentic feedback onother people’s post and your efforts will eventually be requited.

            Also, don’tforget to be following new people every single day. Overtime, this willseriously help to increase your engagement. Specifically, follow pages withinyour same field because it will help increase your brand awareness and lumpyour page in the suggested follow list with similar businesses and pages.

Pay Up

            I know,this isn’t the most fun part of creating a follower base. The truth is though,Facebook and other social media platform algorithms HEAVILY favor pay to playcontent. Don’t worry, this isn’t going to break your bank. Even putting a fewdollars behind one of your posts could make the difference between getting someeyes on it and a baron wasteland of 0 likes.

            Seriously,a few bucks won’t kill you at least until you get some of your own momentum. So,go look under the couch cushions for some change and throw it Zuckerberg’s way.He doesn’t need the change, but unfortunately, you need the attention. Pay up.

So What?

            Okay,you’ve implemented these strategies to boost your follower engagement andnothing is happening. What now?

            I know, Istruggle with instant gratification too. Nothing happens overnight, so you’vejust got to keep at it. Time is the ultimate decider of your fate. It can befrustrating to realize that your social media presence is beginning to feelmore like a job. Well, it is. That’s why people pay social media influencersthousands of dollars to sponsor their posts.

Getting followers isn’t easy, but with time, patience, and hard work, it will eventually pay off. Don’t worry, your effort isn’t being wasted. Keep calm and keep posting.

For more information on branding, read: A Cult Following