Last week on the Freddy Fixit show, Linda Stein co-host asked me to share some tips to increase our social media following with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Here are the tips I shared on air:

  Facebook Fanpage tips to increase your following:

#1 Build a list of leads… by giving something of value away and creating a fanpage optin box. You can use any contact management systems such as constant contact or aweber to do so. You can also build a list of leads by doing what I did, tell your current fans about a new group or neworking opportunity. I did that with my new Redhead Network and have received more than a dozen referrals to local redheads from my friends on Facebook since Friday. Most have already reached out to me or I to them and are now on our list…

#2 Use storytelling to drive people to your fanpage… If you have a story about how your product or service has helped other achieve what they need, other people will want to share it.

Think reality TV. Its huge! People love stories, especially when they are real, raw and relatable.  They are looking for ways to connect to others who share similar values, it’s a way for others to find their heros online and it’s how the best marketers go viral. By telling a story. Find your REAL stories by answering these questions for your audience:

Why did you start your company? Or choose the course of study you did? Any great clients you could share? Any great successes???

  Increase your Tweeple on Twitter:

#3 Quote others (as long as they are relevant to your tweeple). For instance, if you are a chef or run a restaurant, it is likely the majority of your fans are following you because they like your restaurant or because they want to be the first to know about what’s happening in your business such as a special event or a special discount.

You can increase your following by doing the same for other businesses in your community. If you know a local business is also running a special and they post on Twitter, you want to let YOUR followers also know. This does 2 things… it shows the other businesses you are paying attention to what they post AND it shows your following you are also concerned about their interests and want to help them.

#4 The other is to do what I call location-based tweeting. Tthe food trucks do this very well… tell them where you are or where you will be. For instance if you are going to be at Starbucks or Panera Bread, let your twitter fans know – several of my colleagues do this with great success and end up meeting clients and potential clients that way…

#5 And finally, see who’s following other professionals in your industry and reach out to them by following them. If they like what they see, they will follow you back and if they don’t you can decide to unfollow them or keep following. I use a great site called “just unfollow” for this very purpose.

 5 Simple Ways to Increase Your LinkedIn Following:

#6 Join groups, When you meet others in the group that you think would have similar interests or who might be potential prospects, invite them to connect.

#7 Get introduced to others using the connections you already have. Ask for introduction on LinkedIn. It is very effective and one of the most underutilized ways to increase your connections.  Unless you are looking for a job and then that’s a different story. Don’t abuse the privilege or you may find yourself being un-followed more than followed.

#8 And use the “people you may know” feature on LinkedIn in to reach others and connect. LinkedIn makes suggestions of people you can connect with. Check it out and reach out to increase your following.

#9 Participate in LinkedIn Answers. LinkedIn Answers is a great way to position yourself as an expert and increase your visibility.

#10 And finally ask your connections to write recommendations about your work. This is probably the most powerful way to build a ‘targeted’ list of followers.

Feel free to leave comments below and share how YOU increase your social media following.

Heidi Richards Mooney is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of WE Magazine for Women, a WordPress Web Designer, the author of a dozen books and a social media consultant and trainer. Heidi has interviewed hundreds of experts on Social Media Around the World. In 2003 Heidi was named one of 50 women shaping the Internet by the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2009 she was named a Twitter Woman to Follow by Only2Clicks.com. She works with solopreneurs, professionals and small businesses in ecommerce, direct sales and retail. Follow Heidi on LinkedIn