More followers doesn't mean more influence or business

Recently I was called in to speak with an agency about their social media strategy where the sole purpose was to gain more followers on Instagram.

A common request, as we have been led to believe that to be successful on social media or be an influencer, you need "thousands" of followers.

This actually isn’t the case. You don’t need “more” followers, you only need the right ones.

I did a quick audit of their social media profiles and what I found was, they were getting one or two comments, or direct messages, per day. These comments were going either unread, or ignored.

One direct message that had gone to the “request” folder in messages had actually been a homeowner who asked for someone to call her as she was selling her property. That message came through a month earlier, and by the time the message was seen, the property was in the second week of a campaign with a local agent.

This is why it's extremely important to have someone handling your social media accounts who knows to look out for these things.

We need to remember that the number on top of your Instagram screen shouldn’t determine your value or influence.

What is the point of having an extra 5K, 10K, 20K more followers, if you are going to continue to put out content that isn’t relevant to your audience and missing the mark, or engage/respond to the audience you already have.

You don’t need 10,000 followers, you only need 100 of the “right”ones. 100 people that follow your journey, are interested and engage with the content you put out are more than likely to produce online/digital success than 10,000 who are never going to engage with you.

So, how can we grow our engagement with the followers we have?

1. CREATE GOALS/TARGETS AROUND BUSINESS SUCCESS MARKERS

Rather than social media vanity metrics, focus on your website traffic, email sign ups, new business leads and sales i.e. things that will bring actual cash money in.

2. RECREATE HIGH-PERFORMING CONTENT

Review the content with the highest engagement, website clicks and DMs and create more like that. Focus on creating quality content (blogs, Vlogs, videos, printables and downloads etc.) that will entice people to visit your website where they can get to know, like and trust you. The followers will come naturally once you focus on this, I promise.

3. COLLECT SUBSCRIBERS, NOT FOLLOWERS

Encourage your existing social media contacts and website visitors to sign up to your email list – so you can continue to connect with them on YOUR terms and not just when the algorithm is playing nice.

4. LOVE THE ONES YOU’RE WITH

Focus on engaging with your existing followers instead of seeking out new followers. Watch and comment on their Instagram stories and posts and DM them with helpful tips or words of encouragement. This will deepen your connection and move them closer to taking the next step toward becoming your customer, client or reader.

5. TRACK YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STATS ONCE A MONTH ONLY

In between, don’t even look. Record your follower numbers and objectively observe any changes – like a scientist would. If there’s been a significant increase or decline, then you can take the time to investigate why this may have occurred.