INSIGHTS

By Kacie Berger, Social Media Specialist

In the early days of social media, it was easy to look at someone with hundreds of thousands of followers and point to them as the pinnacle of social media success. However, the world of social media has changed a lot, with most platforms shifting from chronological feeds featuring accounts you follow to algorithm-driven, interest-based feeds. While follower count does matter, it’s less important now than ever before.

As the social media landscape has grown more complex, so has the way we analyze it. Follower count is just one of many metrics that determine the effectiveness of your social media presence.

What Role Do Followers Play in Social Media?

Followers do still play an important role on most social media platforms. They’re usually some of your most dedicated audience members, and they’re often among the first people to view and interact with your posts. Those initial interactions are crucial in determining who else your post will be shown to. When a post earns high engagement from your followers, it tells the algorithm to show it to more people.

In addition, many people perceive accounts with large followings as more legitimate, which can help instill confidence in your brand. However, having a lot of followers means very little if they aren’t interacting with your posts — or worse, aren’t even seeing them. Take it from Instagram/Threads chief executive Adam Mosseri, who recently posted that “Follower counts matter less than view and like counts. If you actually want to get a sense for how relevant an account is, look at how many likes they get per post and how many views per reel instead.”

What Metrics Indicate a Successful Social Media Presence?

Follower count is one of many metrics we use to analyze social media performance. Some of the other numbers we look at include:

• Impressions and Reach: These numbers are closely related but are distinct from one another. Impressions is the number of views your post received. Reach is the number of users who viewed your post. So, for example, if 1,000 people saw your post and each one of those people viewed it twice, you would have 2,000 impressions, and you reached 1,000 people.
• Engagements: This is the number of interactions your post received. It includes likes, shares, sends, saves, and comments. While many view likes as the primary indicator of success, likes on their own no longer reflect modern social media behavior. A person may see your post, send it to two of their friends, and bookmark it for later, all without ever hitting the like button.
• Average Watch Time: Specific to video posts, this tells you how much of your video people are actually watching. It can help you pinpoint when people typically drop off, and you can use those findings to improve your future videos.
• Additionally: You should also consider the number of new leads or sales generated, ROI, and any other metrics you would normally use to evaluate your marketing tactics. How you define success will depend on your larger business goals. Some of your results may be directly attributable to social media, i.e., if someone clicks a link in one of your posts, heads to your website, and requests a quote. In other cases, the impact of social may be less clear-cut. Regardless, a strong social media presence leads to increased visibility and positive brand sentiment, which is key to long-term revenue growth.

 
In short, follower count still matters to some extent, but on its own, it says little about the relevance of an account. If you have 100,000 followers and your average post gets 50 likes, you’re not in great shape. If you have a smaller audience but consistently reach new users and earn legitimate engagement, you’re on the right track. Contact us for help creating a social media marketing strategy that generates real results.