In this post I share simple, practical strategies for people who are just starting with online content marketing. If you create helpful, service-oriented content (coaching, business tips, educational videos), you may struggle to get views at first. Below I explain why that happens and give step-by-step guidance to start building an audience so your content actually gets seen.
Why new content doesn’t get views right away
Not all content is created equal when it comes to virality. People naturally click on trending, surprising, or entertaining content — a dancing cat or a funny clip — more often than they click on professional tips or business advice. That doesn’t mean your content isn’t valuable; it just means you need a strategy to get people in front of it.
“If nobody watches your videos, how are you going to generate that audience?”
This is the core problem many new creators face: you need an audience to create engagement, but you need engagement to attract an audience. The good news is this is solvable with a few focused steps.
Start by building a base audience
Before expecting organic reach, focus on creating a stable audience that will see your posts consistently. The fastest ways to do that are:
- Create a professional page: Use a business page (Facebook Page, Instagram Business profile, LinkedIn Company Page, or YouTube channel) instead of a personal profile. Business pages give you features personal profiles do not — most importantly: the ability to run ads and access audience analytics.
- Convert followers into repeat viewers: Once someone follows your page, your future posts are more likely to appear in their feed. That makes every new video or post more visible to people who already trust you.
Create the right page
On platforms like Facebook, set up a Page (not a personal profile). Name it clearly for your audience — for example, “José Music” for an artist or “Name Coaching” for a coach. This separates your professional presence from your personal life and unlocks advertising and growth tools.
Use paid promotion strategically
Organic growth is slow at the start. Paid ads are a practical way to jumpstart your audience growth. A few principles to follow:
- Ad objective: Choose the ad objective that matches your goal — for growing your audience, select “followers” or “page likes” as the campaign goal rather than only video views.
- Cost expectations: Costs vary by country and targeting. As an example, some advertisers have paid around $0.40 per follower in certain markets. In higher-cost markets (like the U.S.) prices are higher; opening targeting to international audiences can reduce cost-per-follower if location isn’t critical for your business.
- Scale sensibly: Investing a few hundred dollars to build a base of followers can be a worthwhile foundation for consistent organic reach later.
Pick the right platforms
Choose one or two platforms that match your audience and your content format. Popular options include:
- Facebook and Instagram — great for local businesses, community-building, and ads that get followers.
- YouTube — ideal for longer-form video and search-driven discovery.
- LinkedIn — best for professional services, B2B, and networking with other professionals.
- TikTok — use for short, attention-grabbing videos; it can amplify reach quickly if your content fits the format.
Also use platform connections to your advantage: link Facebook to WhatsApp and Instagram to streamline communication and increase reach across channels.
Make your content discoverable: hashtags and targeting
Use hashtags and precise targeting to reach the right people. Think about your audience demographics, location, and interests:
- Include hashtags related to the city, region, industry, or specific audience segments (for example: #momsathome, #smallbusiness, #marketingtips).
- Use targeting in ads to narrow by interest, profession, or behavior so new followers are actually interested in your topic.
Hashtags and ad targeting send your content to people who are most likely to engage — not just anyone online.
Consistency and engagement matter
Once you have a base audience, post consistently. Regular uploads or posts keep your page in front of followers so they become repeat viewers. Engagement is also key:
- Answer comments and messages quickly — interaction increases visibility and trust.
- Encourage viewers to follow or subscribe, and remind them why your content is worth returning to.
- Track which posts get the most views and engagement and do more of that format.
Note that many followers will watch without commenting or liking — passive viewers still increase your reach and help your channel grow.
Simple action plan to get started
- Create a professional page or channel for your business.
- Define your primary platform (Facebook/Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or TikTok).
- Run a targeted ad campaign with an objective to get followers or likes.
- Use hashtags and demographic targeting to reach relevant people.
- Post consistently and engage with comments to build relationships.
- Monitor results and scale what works while optimizing costs.
Conclusion
Starting in content marketing is a predictable process: create a professional presence, build an initial audience (paid ads can speed this up), and then focus on consistent, valuable content that keeps those followers watching. Over time, this foundation leads to higher organic reach, better engagement, and even monetization opportunities once you meet platform thresholds.
If you want to dive deeper into platform-specific setups or ad strategies, follow Salazar Digital — Marketing & Web Design for more practical tips and walkthroughs.
