Vanity Metric: Followers
Recently, I have received a lot of questions about social media followers. Business owners who have Instagram and TikTok accounts are obsessing over their number of followers. I’ve been hearing the same concern from some of our clients regardless of the average 92% increase MFBS Digital Marketing Studio provides them in the first 2 to 3 months. Many clients have asked if they should “buy” followers or want to discuss strategies to get their follower count to grow. Many believe that it was easier to grow followers a couple of years ago and wonder why there is a slowdown. There are many reasons for this. I’m here to explain.
Social media users have choices now. Can you believe Instagram is now 11 years old? There are 3.96 billion social media users worldwide right now (1.6 billion on Instagram). 71% of small to mid-sized businesses use social media to market themselves, and of those who do, 52% post at least daily. That’s a lot of competition. How do you get in front of people even though they are not following you? Is it even possible? You bet.
Social media platforms (especially Instagram) are working hard to get your content in front of people (whether they follow you or not), and THIS bit is what I’m more interested in. We have clients with fewer than 500 followers who are reaching thousands of people with each Reel or TikTok. With regular in-feed posts, about 40% of the accounts we reach are NON-followers. People are discovering other accounts because of Reels, of course, but also through the Explorer feed, hashtags, engagement, and shares. What’s the secret? Excellent content and consistency.
Do I believe followers matter on social media? Of course. Do I believe that metric is the most important one to focus on? No. There is a reason why social media experts like myself call it a “vanity metric.” Your follower count doesn’t always translate into sales. Having the right balance, with a strategic content plan for each platform, can help with follower growth while also focusing on total impressions.
We have to remember that social media is more than just followers. Of course, it is valuable for selling products and services, but, more importantly, social media can help establish your brand and encourage trust in potential customers…no matter how many followers. There are other metrics to consider, but growing followers organically is the best way. Focus on creating great content, build genuine communities, and use all of the available tools your preferred platform has to offer.