There are a lot of metrics on social media that you track to measure your success. There’s reach, impressions, engagement, and shares. These metrics really showcase if your followers find your content relevant, and if your content is reaching people outside of your current audience. We did however leave out one metric that a lot of people think is a measure of success, and that’s follower count. We get it, having a large number of followers makes you feel good. It looks like your brand is popular on social media and people like you. But let’s dive into what you should look for in terms of quality vs. quantity of followers.
Let’s talk about quantity first, since that’s what a lot of companies think is the most important. Growth is important, and we aren’t telling you to stop trying to grow your followers. But, it can take years to cultivate a follower base that is what your brand truly needs to succeed. You don’t need thousands of followers to make an impact. Let’s think about it like you’re speaking to a group of people since that’s basically what you’re doing on social media. You’re in a room with ten thousand people, a thousand of whom you know really well, and the rest you don’t know at all. When you start speaking, the thousand people who know you really well will listen to you, laugh at your jokes, and applaud when you’re done. The other nine thousand? Well, they might not even realize you were talking to them. This is what happens when you focus solely on the quantity of followers. They might follow you, but do they hear you? Not to mention the algorithms will show people more content related to what they interact with, so if they don’t interact with your content they won’t see it.
So this leads us to quality. Remember the thousand people that listened to you while you were talking? Well, they told their friends about you and now those people are listening to you. Those are the quality followers that you want. When you cultivate a loyal audience that engages with you, you actually get a further reach, and look more relevant in your industry. In business, we talk about finding our ideal client. Well, your engaged followers should be your ideal client. They are watching and listening to you, and when they’re ready and trust you they could become a customer. You want your followers to feel like they’re in an exclusive group of people. You can give them tips and advice, let them in on industry secrets, make jokes about your niche, and give your brand a personality. Your loyal followers will comment and share your content so others will see it, and the algorithm will also realize you’re someone who should be seen and heard.
To wrap things up, your total number of followers is really a vanity metric. Focus on attracting the right people and decide who you really want to follow you. Be consistent in your messaging and posting. If you’re not consistent in what and when you post it will be hard to grow a quality following. If you need help coming up with a social media strategy that will help you gain momentum and quality followers, then reach out to Hexcode Marketing today! We sit down with you and really dive into your business to learn about your brand’s voice, mission, messaging, values, and goals. We create content that is fun, relevant, and makes your audience notice you. Contact us today, we can’t wait to help you grow!