If you’re just starting on social media or want to work with an influencer, you might wonder: What’s more important, the number of followers or interaction? As Social Media experts, we can tell you that both are crucial. But for a good digital strategy, you should focus on one thing more than the other.
Companies and brands often seek many followers on social networks. They believe this increases their visibility and prestige. But what really matters is the interaction with followers. This means if they’re genuinely interested in what you post and if they interact with your content.
Key points:
- Interaction on social media is more important than the number of followers.
- 5% of followers influence the potential reach of a publication.
- Engagement is the most relevant indicator in Social Media Marketing.
- Content quality is fundamental to encouraging interaction.
- Researching your audience and creating an effective strategy helps gain quality followers and interaction.
The Great Dilemma: Followers or Interaction on Social Media
In the world of social media, the number of followers was seen as a key indicator of success. But this metric doesn’t measure the true commitment and impact of an account. This is crucial for marketing strategy and business results.
The number of followers influences visibility and brand image
The number of followers shows the size of the community and the visibility of the brand. An account with many followers might seem more attractive. But what’s important is the quality of those followers and their level of interaction.
Interaction: likes, comments, clicks, and key actions
Interaction on social media (likes, comments, clicks, shares, saves, etc.) is more relevant than the number of followers. These actions show a real commitment to the content and the brand. This can open new business opportunities.
Why Interaction Is More Important Than the Number of Followers
Having many followers doesn’t guarantee high reach or potential customers. Interaction is what really generates visibility and commitment to the brand. This translates into more valuable results for the business in the long term.
Understanding Engagement on Social Media
Engagement on social media measures followers’ loyalty to a brand. It’s expressed through likes, comments, saves, and shares. It’s key to knowing if a social media marketing strategy is working.
What is engagement and how is it calculated?
To calculate engagement, we use a simple formula: (Total interactions / Reach of the publication) x 100. This tells us how committed the audience is to our content.
For example, if an Instagram post has 101 likes, 18 comments, and 10 saves, with a reach of 790 users, the calculation is:
(101 likes + 18 comments + 10 saves) / 790 reach = 0.163 x 1000 = 16.3% engagement
There are other formulas, such as (Likes + Comments) / Followers x 1000, which offer more details. Also, there are tools that do this calculation automatically.
Engagement helps us know if our audience is interested in our content. This is vital to knowing if our social media marketing strategy and organic growth are working well.
8 Tricks to INCREASE REACH on INSTAGRAM
Key Metrics on Social Media Besides Engagement
Engagement is crucial for measuring success on social media. But there are other important metrics you should follow. This will give you a complete view of how your social media marketing strategies are going.
Some essential metrics are:
- Audience growth rate: It’s vital to observe a constant growth in followers. This shows the organic growth of your brand strategy.
- Average post reach: Reach indicates how many people see your content on Instagram. It’s different from impressions, which show that the content was seen, but not necessarily interacted with.
- Average interaction rate: This metric measures reactions, comments, and actions in your audience. It’s calculated with the formula: Total interactions / Number of followers * 100 = Interaction rate.
- Conversion rate: Indicates the percentage of visitors who perform a desired action. For example, making a purchase or subscribing to your email list.
Efforts in social media strategies should improve relationships with your customers. Seek to promote interactions and engagement to achieve realistic goals.
“Engagement is fundamental for success on social media. But it’s important to consider other metrics to better understand your performance.”
Followers on Instagram Don’t Matter: The Truth
In the world of social media, many focus on having many followers. But the truth is that followers on Instagram are not the most important thing. What really counts is the interaction and commitment (engagement) with our audience.
The Instagram algorithm has improved a lot. Now it values three main things: the relationship between the creator and the viewer, the user’s interest in a certain type of content, and the relevance of the content based on trends and current affairs. Thus, what matters is the quality of your followers and their commitment, not just the quantity.
Additionally, a good engagement rate on Instagram is between 1% and 5%, according to studies. Instead of looking for more followers, we should create attractive and relevant content. This will foster interaction and loyalty from our audience.
In the end, the true value is in the connection and dialogue with our followers, not in the number of followers. Thus, we can build a solid brand strategy and sustainable organic growth on Instagram.
Tips for Generating Interaction with Real Followers
In the world of social media, the number of followers is not the most important thing. What really counts is the interaction and commitment to your audience. If you have many followers on Instagram but little interaction, it’s time to ask yourself what your followers like.
Research your target audience
Get to know your followers well. What do they like? What type of content do they prefer? Use tools like Metricool to know when to post. This way, you’ll reach them when they’re most active.
Share valuable resources and respond to concerns
Share quality content that’s useful to them. It can be tips or answers to their questions. This shows that you care about them and want to help them. Thus, you’ll create a stronger bond with your community.
Indicate what they get by interacting
Explain to your followers what they gain by interacting with you. This is clear in sweepstakes or contests. If they see a benefit, they’ll be more willing to participate.
To grow on Instagram, it’s not just about the number of followers. What’s important is having a committed community thanks to attractive content. A good social media marketing strategy that prioritizes engagement and brand strategy is key.
“The number of followers doesn’t matter if your content fails to attract and maintain your audience’s attention.”
The Dangers of Buying Fake Followers
Creating a social media profile is exciting. Many brands want many followers quickly. Some think buying followers is the solution. But in reality, these followers are not real.
A HubSpot study shows that Instagram is key for business growth. Buying followers on Instagram costs from $12 to $600. This can be a high expense without real results.
Instagram is expected to have more than 1,180 million users in 2023. It’s better to grow naturally and use Facebook Ads for promotion.
Mauricio Reyna, a social media expert, says it’s crucial to connect with the audience. Offering valuable content is key for natural growth.
Buying followers
In conclusion, buying fake followers on Instagram can damage your brand. It doesn’t generate real commitment or genuine interactions. It’s better to invest in attractive content that adapts to Instagram’s algorithm and promotes organic growth.
The Importance of Real Followers
In the world of social media marketing, the number of followers was key. Now, what really matters is the commitment and interaction with them.
Having many followers can give credibility. But the most valuable thing is an active community. These followers are essential for an effective brand strategy and organic growth.
The Instagram algorithm values attractive content and interaction more than the number of followers. Therefore, it’s crucial to create quality content. This builds loyalty with your audience more than just increasing the number of followers.
In conclusion, real followers are fundamental for the credibility and brand exposure on social media. Focus on building a committed community, not just on increasing the number of followers.
Why Engagement Is the Soul of Social Media
No brand creates a social media profile just for itself. They do it to take advantage of the benefits offered. Engagement or interaction is one of the most important objectives. If there’s no interaction, the profile is dead.
Bidirectionality is the soul of networks. Without it, it’s as if you were talking to yourself. The quality of followers on social media is vital. Real followers generate genuine interaction, while purchased ones don’t.
A high number of followers can increase the credibility of a corporate account. It attracts attention to the content. However, engagement, reflected in comments and likes, is essential to keep an account active on social media.
Instagram prioritizes content that receives high interaction in the first 10 minutes. This boosts the reach and visibility of posts. Buying followers can have negative consequences. If engagement is low, Instagram’s algorithm reduces the visibility of content.
It’s fundamental to create an authentic community on social media. This achieves organic growth and solid interaction with the public. Focusing efforts on effective strategies to increase engagement is more beneficial than having many fake followers.
Social media interactions
Engagement on Instagram is calculated as a percentage. The formula is: Engagement Rate = (Total Interactions / Total Followers) × 100. A good engagement percentage varies greatly. A range from 1% to 3% is considered average and healthy.
Smaller accounts, with followers in the thousands range, often have higher engagement rates. This is due to their ability to maintain more personal and meaningful connections with their audience.
It’s crucial to interpret engagement metrics in the context of marketing objectives. When increasing brand recognition, reach and impressions may be more relevant. Creativity, consistency, and understanding of the audience are key to improving engagement on Instagram.
How the Instagram Algorithm Affects Reach
The Instagram algorithm is key for your content to be seen. It’s not a mystery, but follows clear rules. Understanding it helps you improve your strategy and increase organic growth. This allows you to have more engagement with your attractive content.
Key algorithm factors in the feed
The Instagram feed algorithm is based on four important factors:
- Your activity in the app: How much time you spend interacting, what type of content you like, comment on, or save.
- Information about the post: The popularity, the commitment it generates, the type of content, etc.
- Information about the person who uploaded the post: Your relationship with them, how much you normally interact.
- Your history of interactions with a user: How much you have interacted with their posts in the past.
Instagram algorithm for Stories
For Instagram Stories, the algorithm shows first those of people you interact with most. This is based on:
- Your history of visits to each account’s stories.
- Your history of participation (likes, comments, responses) in the stories.
- The closeness you have with the user who posts the story.
Algorithm for the Explore section
In the Explore section, Instagram considers three important factors:
- The popularity of the post (measured by interactions).
- Your activity (what you’ve liked, saved, commented on, shared).
- Your relationship with the user who uploaded the content.
Understanding these aspects of the Instagram algorithm will help you improve your presence on Instagram. Thus, you’ll be able to increase greater engagement and organic growth.
Strategies for Growing Organically
Organic growth on Instagram is key for brands and entrepreneurs. They seek more followers, interactions, and commitment from their audience. With more than a billion monthly active users, there’s a great opportunity to stand out with attractive content and brand strategy.
How to achieve this growth? Here are some key strategies. They’ll help you increase your engagement and attract real followers in a sustainable way:
- Research your target audience and create relevant and valuable content for them.
- Take advantage of trends and opportunities offered by the Instagram algorithm, such as Reels and stories, to increase your organic reach.
- Constantly interact with your community, responding to comments, visiting other accounts, and participating in relevant conversations.
- Use strategic hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts and attract new followers interested in your niche.
- Collaborate with influencers and content creators related to your brand to leverage their audience and generate social media marketing.
Organic growth on Instagram is not quick or easy. It requires patience, consistency, and knowledge of your audience. Focus on offering attractive content and building solid relationships. This way, you’ll see how your number of followers and your level of engagement grow in a sustainable manner.
“Organic growth on Instagram allows you to increase the online reputation of a personal or business brand, which is crucial in an environment where consumers often look for information on social media before deciding.”