How to Build a Social Media Following: Tips from Veteran Marketer Lisa Sicard

Building an active and engaged social media following can feel like one of those impossible 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzles if you’ve never done it before. There are so many platforms and strategies—it’s easy to get lost wondering where to start and how to keep up.

In this conversation from our RightBlogger Customer Spotlight series, we’re chatting with veteran blogger & social media marketer, Lisa Sicard from Inspire to Thrive. Tune in right here:

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Lisa’s got over a decade of experience building her own social channels, managing content creation & social growth for a wide range of clients from real estate to eCommerce businesses and beyond. She even worked for one of the first newspapers to jump online back in the 1990s.

So, if you’re trying to figure out how to build a strong social media following, Lisa’s insights here today will have you covered—no fluff, just practical advice.

I’ve used our Video to Blog Post Generator Tool to break down all of Lisa’s best advice into actionable takeaways here below (in just a few clicks), so you can get an assist on growing & engaging your audience on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more.

The Challenges of Growing a Social Media Following (Today)

If you’re struggling to grow your social media presence, you’re not alone.

Most content creators, bloggers, and small businesses face challenges like:

• Figuring out which platforms to focus on (there are so many options)
• Getting seen in a sea of content—algorithms often seem out to get you
• Finding time to stay consistent across platforms
• Building real engagement rather than just followers

It’s easy to feel stuck, especially with pressure to “be everywhere” and “post all the time.” But Lisa shares ways to simplify this process. With her years of experience, she’s honed strategies that focus on engaging the right audience and creating strong connections.

Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms (Where Your Audience Spends Time)

Before you start bombarding the Internet with content, it’s important to know where your audience hangs out. There’s no need to be on every platform—it’s way more effective to focus on the ones that actually make sense for your niche and goals.

Ask yourself these 2 key questions to figure out which platforms you should invest your time on:

• Where is my audience spending time online? Younger people might be more active on Instagram or TikTok, while older users prefer Facebook. Professionals spend more time on LinkedIn, while tech early adopters still hang out on Twitter (X).
• What do I want to achieve? Is it brand awareness? Building an email list? Generating sales? Increasing engagement?

💡 Lisa recommends being active on at least three platforms. That way, if one channel goes down (looking at you, Facebook outages and looming potential TikTok bans 👀), you’re still showing up for your audience in other locations.

An Overview of the Major Social Media Platforms

This nifty graphic will point you in the right direction to start making your own decision based on who your audience is & what your goals are:

Personally though, I place a lot of value on what real-world practitioners have to say—the people (like Lisa) who live and breathe in this world. Here’s Lisa’s cheat sheet with takeaways for the most popular social media platforms today:

• Facebook: Ideal for older audiences (35+). It’s great for community building and customer service but don’t post too often—too much can push users away.
• Instagram: Best for visual content and reaching younger audiences. Perfect if you’ve got eye-catching images or videos.
• LinkedIn: A must for B2B. Professional connections, industry expertise, and partnerships happen here more than direct selling.
• Twitter/X: Best for writers and real-time communication. But you have to stay active; aim for at least three tweets (or X-posts) per day.
• YouTube: Searchable, SEO-friendly, and great for longer-form content. Video creation takes time, but it’s worth it if you can swing it.
• TikTok: All about trends, creativity, and short, snappy videos. It’s where younger audiences live, and it’s good for playful yet strategic content.

Posting Strategies for Different Platforms: Frequency and Type of Content

Once you’ve selected your platforms, the next obvious questions are: How often should you post? and which types of content work best for each platform?

Understanding these factors is key to building an engaged social media following that actually wants to come back for more. Here’s what Lisa suggests for each platform in terms of frequency and content types:

• Facebook: Post once every other day, max. People bail if you post too frequently.
• Instagram: Daily or at least a few times a week. Use a mix of posts, stories, reels, and carousels.
• LinkedIn: Quality over quantity. Posting 2-3 times a week is ideal, focusing on providing value, not selling.
• Twitter/X: At least 3-5 posts a day. A mix of text, photos, and videos works well. Threads tend to do great when they provide a lot of value.
• YouTube: Aiming for 1-2 videos per week is solid. Be sure to use SEO-friendly titles and descriptions.

💡If this sounds like a lot, don’t worry—you don’t need to do it all. In fact, you shouldn’t. Choosing just 2 to 3 social platforms (maximum) to invest in for the next 6-12 months, is a worthy experiment to see where your audience best connects with your content.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t overpost on platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn.
• Stay active in places like Twitter/X with 3-5 posts a day.
• Use a variety of content types to keep your audience interested.

Remember, it’s not just about quantity. Mix up your content between text, images, videos, and stories, depending on the platform—and doing less is ok (especially when you’re just getting started), if it means your output quality is higher.

Building Real Relationships on Social Media

This is where the magic really happens. Social media is not just about follower counts; it’s about authentic engagement. You can have 5,000 followers, but it means nothing if they’re never interacting with you.

Lisa shares, “the worst thing you can do is come across as someone who’s just trying to make a quick sale.” Instead, she recommends these best practices:

• Reply to comments and foster conversations.
• Ask questions and create polls to engage your audience.
• Be human—share personal moments and real stories.

People don’t want to feel like they’re being sold something constantly. They want a genuine connection with the people they choose to surround themselves with online.

Lisa also talks about the impact of networking on social media. She’s built a lot of business connections from her time being real with people on her social channels. She recommends looking for opportunities to:

• Collaborate with influencers or businesses in your space
• Comment on or “signal boost” content from others
• Participate in relevant groups or discussions (especially on Facebook and LinkedIn)

Identifying and Capitalizing on Social Media Trends

Staying current with trends can help you grow your following very quickly—but jumping on trends just for the sake of it can hurt your brand.

💡Trust takes time to build, and can be destroyed in an instant. Lisa recommends only participating in social media trends when they align authentically with who you are, and you can naturally throw your hat into the ring.

Lisa shares some helpful strategies for riding the trend wave while staying true to your voice:

• Use tools like TubeBuddy or the Inspiration section inside YouTube Studio to spot what’s trending within your niche on various video-first platforms.
• Avoid trends that feel off-brand—not every viral moment is worth chasing, it’s ok to leave some on the table as just not quite right for you!

💡One fun example Lisa shares, involved tweaking her content strategy on Twitter to drive engagement around a specific hashtag that was popular at the time. She landed a big sale simply by riding the right trend at the right time.

Driving Traffic and Monetizing Your Social Media

If you’re serious about building a social media following, you’re probably also thinking about how to (eventually) make money from this investment.

Lisa’s very experienced at taking social engagement to the next level—impacting your real business metrics.

She shares, “Your social media accounts should ultimately drive visitors to your blog or website.” Some of Lisa’s tips include:

• Weave in clear Calls to Action (CTAs) that lead people to your blog.
• Engage with real audience pain points: Answering questions, offering solutions, or solving problems for them so they’ll want to click through to learn more and go a level deeper because you invested in them first.

Lisa’s grown her own blog’s monetization channels through avenues like sponsorships and affiliate marketing. She recommends:

• Doing affiliate marketing only with products you truly believe in.
• Being selective with sponsorships—don’t just take the first or every offer.

That good ol’ passive income doesn’t come overnight—but staying consistent with your creation process and providing value on your social channels will get you there much faster than hopes and wishes.

Using AI for Social Media and Content Creation

AI is bringing about huge changes with social media these days. Lisa loves tools like RightBlogger, because they save time and help keep her content fresh without burnout.

Here are a few ways Lisa recommends using AI tools to grow your social media presence:

• Generate social posts faster with tools like RightBlogger or ChatGPT.
• Use AI for brainstorming blog ideas or testing different headlines. Sometimes, just seeing multiple title options can spark the perfect post inspiration.
• Repurpose content like videos into blog posts and long-form social copy using tools like the YouTube Video to Blog Generator and the dozen other social-focused tools inside RightBlogger

For example, Lisa uses AI to help her create & remix birthday posts for one of her biggest clients that has multiple birthdays every single day—saving time while still posting genuinely thoughtful content that includes personalized nuggets.

Final Takeaways from Our Lisa Sicard RightBlogger Customer Spotlight

Lisa Sicard’s best advice for building a social media following that has the potential to positively grow your business, boils down to these key takeaways:

• Be consistent, authentic, and selective about where you show up
• Focus your energy on platforms that make sense for your niche and audience
• Mix up your content, engage meaningfully, and learn from your mistakes

There’s no single magic formula to grow a social following—but with these tips from Lisa, you’ve got a roadmap to help you figure out the best path for your success.

Want to keep learning about building your social media following? Check out Lisa’s blog over at Inspire to Thrive, and don’t forget to follow along with her on all major social platforms!