What to do after you gain new followers: 5 ways to engage new community members after a successful social media marketing campaign

So you've recently seen an influx of new social media followers. Congrats! 

Maybe you ran a successful social media contest. Or one of your posts gained viral attention. Or you partnered with a content creator to reach a whole new community. 

As your campaign comes to a close, you're likely left with one pressing question . . . 

"Now what?" 

It can be tricky to figure out how to engage and retain your new community members. So we put together a list of 5 simple things social media managers should do after a successful social media marketing campaign. 

Let's get started! 

5 ways to engage and retain new social media followers post-campaign 

Here are 5 simple things you can do if you’re experiencing rapid community growth. 

1. Reevaluate your social media bio and links

What’s one of the first things users are going to take a look at when they visit your social media profile? Your bio, of course! 

If you're running social media for a globally-recognized brand, you can get away with a very short bio. For example, Netflix's bio currently features a string of boxing glove emojis. At the time of writing, Netflix is promoting a new boxing movie. 

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This style of bio is great for creating an "inside joke" with your community. But it may not be the best fit for all brands. 

If your brand is not globally recognized, you may opt for a bio that provides more context (and SEO oomph!). Here's an example of a strong bio from Woof Pack. 

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We like this social media bio because it: 

• Includes a keyword-rich company descriptor in the title: "DOG SUBSCRIPTION BOX"
• Sums up the brand in a single sentence: “A monthly box of toys, all-natural treats and chews for your dogs!” 
• Clearly defines the locations the company serves: "Shipping in Canada & USA"
• Highlights the company's branded hashtag: "#WoofPack"
• Tags any affiliated brands: "@woofshop.ca"
• Ends with a CTA complete with links: "Join the pack!"  

2. Pin an intro video to the top of your social media page

So they've checked out your bio. Now, your new community members are probably going to take a look at your content. 

Make it easy for them to get up to speed by pinning a short introductory video to the top of your social media page. 

Here's a good example from Pretty Little Marketer. 

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And here's another good example from Halifax-based cleaning service, Suds. 

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If you don't have the time or energy to whip up a video at the moment, a carousel post also works! 

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3. Maintain a regular posting schedule

To help your new community members get accustomed to seeing your content on their social media feeds, maintain your regular posting schedule. 

Your posting schedule should be unique to your brand's goals and your capacity as the social media manager. Posting 3 times per week per platform can be a good place to start. (For platform-specific recommendations, visit our social media engagement guide.)

However, it's not just your posting schedule that should be consistent. Your branding should be consistent too. Use consistent brand colours, fonts, and messaging to ensure your brand's style and voice are recognizable.

For example, Dunkin’ has an easily recognizable brand identity on social media. Here’s a look at the brand’s very pink and orange TikTok page.

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4. Educate your new community members 

Give your community value with educational content. This style of content not only builds trust but also contributes to an important engagement metric: saves! 

Instead of educating your audience on your brand and offers, however, think about educating your community with industry-related tips and tricks. This will empower your audience (and position you as an expert!). 

For example, a landscaping business might post about the best plants to grow in your area. An interior designer might post about home decor trends to adopt (and trends to pass on). And a clothing boutique might post styling advice for people in their target demographic.

At HeyOrca, we could post about our features. (And we do!) But more importantly, we dish out a ton of social media management insights. So our community members can empower themselves to be more confident social media managers, even if they're not currently in the market for a scheduling tool. 

Here's an example of one of our social media news posts. 

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5. Activate your new community members

Now it's time to get to know everyone! Use your stories and your comment section to ask questions of your community.

What do they love about your industry? What keeps them up at night? What feedback do they have for you?

For inspiration on what questions to ask, check out our list of engaging social media questions.

In addition to engaging with your community through prompts and polls, you'll want to show your appreciation for their participation! Here are some ideas to get the convo started with your team:

• Delight your community with a discount code
• Launch a free challenge for your community
• Host a social media giveaway for your community
• Offer early access to products, services, or deals
• Give out awards and gifts to celebrate active community members (we do this a lot in the HeyOrca Facebook Community) 

Bonus! Set expectations with your stakeholders

While you can – and should! – celebrate community growth with your team and clients, be sure to also set realistic expectations. Some of your newly acquired community members will unfollow your account. And that’s OK! 

Unfollows from users who don’t fit your ideal customer profile (ICP) will ultimately help your engagement rates. 

Summary 

There you have it – 5 easy ways to engage and retain your social media community members post-campaign. For more social media tips and free resources, subscribe to our free daily social media newsletter, the HeyOrca Brief.