Your Followers # is Not the Most Important Indicator of Success
When it comes to Instagram, many of us obsess over our followers number. We want to grow, we want a large number. We think it shows our clout and our overall reach. We think it gives credence to our work and profession.
And while it can do some of those things… ultimately, the number is a lot less important than we make it out to be.
Honestly, what’s more important is the connection and relationship we have with the people who decide to follow us.
Why? Because relationships sell products and services - a follower number doesn’t. Having 1M followers doesn’t mean you are going to be able to sell your service to those 1 million people. There was a story that came out last year about an Instagram Influencer with 2.6 million followers who was unable to sell just 36 t-shirts of a clothing line she developed! 2.6 million people and not even 36 of them were interested in what she had to sell. That should tell you something.
So… let me say it again! Numbers don’t sell products or services. Relationships Do!
This is not to say you shouldn’t focus on growing your number of followers. You should!
But… you should do it strategically. Because you don’t want just an increase in followers, you want an increase in ENGAGED followers.
Worry less about the overall number and focus more on how many of those people following you are actively engaging with your content? Are they liking your posts? Commenting? DMing you? Replying to Stories? Work at crafting content and a voice that encourages followers to be an active member of the community.
When you do that, you could easily sell 36 t-shirts with a few hundred followers - or less.
If you’re looking for a way to know how engaged your followers are, don’t miss the chance to really analyze your metrics. Know your engagement rate and how it has changed over the last month. Know who are the most active members of your community and be sure to seek them out. Know the posts that get shared and saved the most and keep making content like that.
