How Many Followers on Social Media is “Enough”?

You can, of course, buy followers on social media and also purchase traffic for your blog. You may have seen those profiles on Instagram that say “Get a free iPhone now, just follow my page.” By getting people to like their profile, they are building up a base of followers. When they reach a certain number, they sell the profile to someone who is interested in buying or beginning offering advertising space. Some Instagram and Twitter accounts have over a million followers, and that is not just celebrities, but so-called “influencers.”

But is it really such a big deal if you have a few millions of followers? Is it the most important thing? The answer is no. A clear and a resounding no.

Followers who don’t give a damn

Let’s play it all out… what’s going on with the online store that buys a “second-hand” profile with 500.000 followers? Yes, they have a bunch of followers, but none of them are interested in what they have to say. They have not actually even liked the store’s profile, or any of the products, which that store has to offer. It’ will end in them losing many followers as soon as they start to upload their own posts.

The other 99% of those semi-fake followers, who are simply inactive – they will just be quiet. They’re not going to like it on social media, and they’re not going to buy what they are selling. Because they don’t care.
Normally, when you are advertising for a group of general people, it is less than 1% of those who actually buy it being sold. A percentage of 500.000 isn’t much… What should you do, then, with 500.000 followers, when you don’t get much back from the sum you have used to buy all these indifferent followers?

So what is it that matters?

Engagement, my dear friends. Engagement is the world’s best word!
To have dedicated followers is in fact MUCH better than having many followers! Of course, don’t get me wrong, the more followers, the better it is, but not at the expense of engagement. You will have many dedicated followers.

Quality over quantity. Every single time.

Dedicated followers are those that read almost everything you write, and they share what you write and then comment and enjoy your posts. There are also those who buy what you’re selling, whether it’s PT-hours, consultations, knitting patterns, or cookbooks.
It is much better to promote what you are selling to 1000 dedicated followers, than 10.000 inactive followers. The chance that they buy what you’re selling is much bigger! As I mentioned, Facebook ads convert in the same way, for example, usually in under 1%. That is, less than 1% of all who see your ad, buy the content. Records show, however, that if you sell a product to those who are on your mailing list, about 40% will purchase the product, based on the email alone!
And the math is easy, even for me, being a journalist and thus illiterate with numbers. 40% of the 1000 people is much more than 1% of 10.000.

It is because they trust you, they like you, they have even chosen to follow you, and they seem to do a good job. They like your food, they think your knitting tutorials and recipes are fine, they like the tips you share, or they think the training sessions you show are just perfect for them. Simply put, they are fans.

How do you create engagement?

Engagement can be many different things, and thus, there are also many ways to create a commitment to the blog.
If you want to get a lot of comments on your blog posts, it is important that you have a reader-friendly design on your blog. Readers must like to be on your page and have the desire to read and share what you put out. You must also, of course, make sure that you have activated comments, and that it is easy to post them.

It can also be that a member might even want to be engaged in other people’s blogs. Read the posts and leave real and nice comments. It often results in new people discovering you and wanting to leave a nice comment for you.

Behave as you would in real life

You must know, of course, you have to answer all the comments you get! It applies both on your blog and on social media. There is nothing more bothersome than that someone takes the time to write something to you, and you do not answer. You would not be able not to answer if you had a conversation with someone in real life. So don’t do it online, either. You can get many, many comments, and it can be difficult to answer them all. But very people few have that many comments.

I also recommend that you review your personality type! Are you a serious and fact-based person? Let it be reflected in what you do and write. Are you super ironic? Then so be it! Are you hyper? Show it off! These moves are your strength, that’s what sets you apart from all the others who blog about the same things. And that’s what makes you look like a person, and not a large company. You’re like your readers, and it makes them feel they know you, and perhaps recognize themselves in you.

Another tip is to ask questions at the end of your blog posts or posts on social media. Encourage your readers to comment. If you have seen on my blog, I always ask a question at the end of every post. The same is true in the emails I send, and very often in my posts on social media.

Have you thought that there is a difference between “many followers” and “engaged followers”? What do you think about what I write? Do you agree?