Jam News
When it comes to social media growth, follower count often steals the spotlight. While a large follower number can build brand loyalty and trust, even granting you access to exclusive business tools on some platforms, it is part of a much bigger picture when it comes to growing your brand.
Social followers used to be the go-to way of determining growth but thanks to the algorithms behind platforms like Instagram and TikTok, users are constantly being served content from accounts they don’t even follow. Allowing your content to be received by recommendation, increasing reach and introducing your brand to new audiences.
So what does that mean for brands?
Your content has the potential to break through the masses and amplify your brand. This means that your content has to work harder. It needs to be compelling, relevant and resonate with users, whether they are loyal followers or not. The more your content connects with viewers, the more likely it is to be favoured by the algorithm and shared with new audiences.
When users engage with your content, it tells the platform your content is valuable. The more signals it gets, the more likely it is to distribute your content further, even to users well outside your current audience.
Metrics that matter more than follower count
Follower count is only a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to growth. Growth is measured by a range of performance-based metrics such as: reach, impressions, engagements, video views and clicks. The following is a breakdown of what these metrics mean:
- Reach: Shows how many unique users have seen your content. This gives an insight into how far your content is spreading, especially to those who aren’t already following you.
- Impressions: This is the number of times your content has been shown, regardless if a user interacts with it or not. If the same user sees the content multiple times, each instance counts as a new impression. A high impression count indicates good distribution and visibility.
- Engagement: This includes likes, comments, shares and saves, profile visits and 3-second video plays on videos. This metric tells you how people are interacting with your content. High engagement usually signals high relevance, which the algorithm favours.
- Video Views: This is especially relevant for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. Video views can tell you how well your video content is performing, and if it’s holding the attention of users. It’s worth noting that strong early view numbers often signal the algorithm to push it further.
- Link clicks: If your content includes a call-to-action (like “learn more” or “shop now”), tracking link clicks is crucial. This measures the number of users who have performed the action of clicking on the external link within your post and how well your content drives these actions.
Quality over quantity
While it’s tempting to chase numbers like more followers and more views, volume without value is a dead end. A high follower count can mean very little if your audience isn’t engaging and your content isn’t optimised to reach a wider audience. Instead, focus on creating content that resonates with your target audience and encourages action. The more your content aligns with your audience’s interests, the better it performs and the more the algorithm rewards it.
FinalThoughts
The real key to social media growth
Follower growth still has its place in your social media strategy but it shouldn’t be your only or most valued goal. Modern algorithms are designed to help high-performing content reach far beyond your current audience and your strategy should be taking advantage of this.
Instead of concerning yourself with how you can get more followers, start asking if your content is engaging, compelling and relatable enough to be received by a wide audience and favoured by the algorithm.
