It’s well into a new year and most of us have set business goals for ourselves. Many of us have goals that tie to social media – in one form or another.

When there’s a gathering of entrepreneurs and small business owners it is often filled with refrains of “I need to improve my social media,” or “How did they get so many Instagram followers? I need to do that.”

Whether to grow our business or our personal brand, social media is an invaluable low-cost branding tool. Yet, it can also can leave us frustrated.

Smart Moves for Social Media

Like most things, when divided into small steps, social media is a less daunting mountain to climb. So, here’s a look at ten digestible takeaways and five practical tips that will grow your social media following this year.

1. Frequency and consistency matter.

   Recently I was invited to an “Influencers” trip (i.e., a media trip comprised of influencers across niche markets). I had the chance to pick the brains of a number of Instagram “celebrities” about a platform I haven’t totally mastered. Consensus amongst the experts was that increasing your Instagram posts to twice a day will result in noticeable follower growth in a matter of weeks. If visual marketing is key, then three times a day is optimal. And never less than one time per day—even when you are on a holiday.

2. There is such a thing as too much.

   On a similar note, consensus was that four times a day was deemed too much. It also can result in a mass exodus of followers.

3. Art direction matters.

   Amazing Instagram and Pinterest moments don’t just happen, they take work! Take time to art direct your office or stage the picture of your meeting workspace. If you see something amazing while traveling, stop and snap the image. I experimented with this recently and set a time limit of 5 minutes to get a shot I thought could be cool and picked up 15 new followers as a result.

4. Quality is better than quantity.

   Bad lighting, grainy photos, etc. all convey negative brand perceptions. In contrast, a high-resolution image can convey positive feelings and admiration.

5. Be authentic with your point of view.

   Yes, some strategy is involved, but your words and the style of images should be somewhat organic to who you (and your brand) are and what you represent. That said, if you make cameos in your Instagram profile, en sure your personal style correctly reflects what your brand and company is all about.

6. Don’t be afraid to get personal.

   Carly Roney, founder of XOGroup said recently that a great social media profile is 80% professional and 20% social. Your social feed should be like a snowflake—uniquely you. Show your work or product, sure, but don’t be afraid to show your dog, an image with your tech gadget, what you are reading or even your new look as long as you …

7. Post selfies sparingly.

   Believe it or not, a selfie can come across more as an indication of loneliness than showing off. Think of the difference in authority of a fashion blogger being photographed in her outfit of the day versus someone with multiple mirror selfies. Selfies are definitely fun from time to time, but they shouldn’t flood your feed.