You need an audience for any social media strategy to work. The good news is, because of the “network effect,” attracting a few followers can often increase your potential audience exponentially -- the very nature of social media makes it easy for your friends to spread the word to their own networks of friends, and so on.

So how do you attract people to “like” your Facebook page, follow your Twitter feed or subscribe to your blog? Post something they’ll find useful and relevant. If you’re launching a new blog or Twitter account, start out by posting a few interesting things to show the audience you hope to gain that your resources might interest them. Find a good representative sample of your desired audience and start a discussion with them to learn about what kinds of posts they’d like to read.

Even with brilliant content, it’s difficult to attract supporters to a site that no one else is following. Reach out to your staff and other core supporters of your organization and ask them to follow your tweets, or “like” your Facebook page --and to invite their personal friends.

Get them to post comments or reply to your posts to show an active community. Then open the doors to the general public. Add your social media profile information anywhere your contact information is given. A Facebook or Twitter logo on your website can link people directly to your pages.

People who already know you are more likely to join your social media communities than strangers, and you can reach people who already support your organization through email, print newsletters and other social media channels.

Social media is meant to be social. Participating honestly in the online conversation about topics of interest to your organization will build an audience more successfully than any other tip or trick.

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