The social media buzz these days is often about creating “great” engaging content.

Content creation is certainly a major part of the social media marketing equation. Once a business has established an audience, it takes a tremendous amount of creativity to keep followers engaged. Just as important as content development, though much less discussed, is how to drive traffic to recently launched social media pages. A social channel can have all the “great” content in the world, but if no one knows it’s there, like a tree falling in the woods with no one around, it won’t make any sound.

The question for businesses today is: how does a business build its inaugural social audience that can drive fan base growth in the first place?

Five tactics to drive traffic to your social media channels:

1. Cross-channel sharing. Let’s say you already have one social media channel, for example Twitter, and want to build an audience on a new one such as Facebook. Post content to the new Facebook page and share via the established Twitter account. Occasional posts on the established page can alert audience members to the fact that your company has launched a new social channel.
2. Link your online profiles to your business channels. Several platforms allow space to list social networks on which the user is active.
3. Advertise. Ads on most social platforms are extremely cost-effective, simple to create, and allow you to target the demographics you are seeking to reach.
4. Email Signature. Adding social icons to your email signature serves as a reminder to your contacts that you have a social presence. Hyperlinking channel icons allows email readers quick access and easy sign-up for long-term follows. It is wise to add the information to all types of marketing collateral, but email allows easy sign-up.
5. Engage, Engage, Engage. Read posts on complementary organizations’ pages and “like” or comment on posts. Be active and show you have a voice. Create content that is shareable and timely that speaks to emotions.

Building a relevant, loyal base of social media followers takes thought and concentrated effort. You’re not only building “fans” or a base of “followers,” but also brand advocates and providing them with the tools they need to share.