The Problem with More Followers.

May 5, 2010 in Marketing, Social Media with 4 Comments

Let’s talk about social media a bit more today.

The Problem:
Many businesses, who are  jumping on the Twitter and Facebook bandwagon, are gauging success based on having a large number of followers.

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More is better is what we’ve been lead to believe. I’m not sure why that is.

I’m not claiming to be a social media expert. There’s more than enough of those to go around and new ones popping up daily. For me, it boils down to good ole basic marketing.

I met with a client recently who asked if I could help him get 10,000 followers on Twitter.

“Sure” I said. “But there’s no point in paying me for that. Here’s how you do it.”

1) Follow tons of people that don’t really care about who you are or what you do. Wait a bit, weed out those who don’t follow you back, and repeat the process.

2) Continue the process until you have 10,000 followers.

It can actually be done fairly quickly. I estimated it could probably be done in under two weeks. Maybe faster. I don’t know.

The problem is that absolutely nothing has been accomplished and zero value has been gained.

Sure, it might be a great little bragging tool at your next business meeting.
Your company might even throw a party, maybe order some pizza, and call it a social media success!

The Solution:

More valuable than all of this is a small, tightly focused group of customers (and even prospective customers) who want to hear from you.

They want to follow you. They want to check out your Facebook page. They want your email blasts. They want to engage in discussion and social dialogue with you!

If your list of customers and interested followers number only a measly 100 people, who are eagerly awaiting communication and social dialogue with you, rejoice! That’s what you call a social media success.

One hundred focused and engaged followers is a far more valuable asset than losing your 100 best in a giant crowd of 10,000 unknowns.

New marketing tools have a way of making us think that bigger is better. That isn’t the case. We’re getting back to fundamentals here.

Focus on the 100 and treat them well.

  • Dave Elliott

    Hey Noah, can't help but comment on this. Two words make all the difference here. FOLLOWER and CUSTOMER. It is one thing to have 100,00 followers, but how much do they spend? I would rather have 100 good customers, who patronize my business!! The distinction between the two is what matters most. Many in today's social world only look to stats on the surface. You have to drill down to find and analyze the true numbers, the meaningful ones, the comparables. Too often, people are concerned with the big numbers and tout those, but the real truth lies in the reliable customer number.

  • http://noahfleming.com/ Noah Fleming

    You're right. Great points.

    The only thing I'd add is to just remember…. It's not always about dollars. Especially in this day and age.

  • Paul

    Here,here! This post resonates for me. Building up a blog following or a business, for example, takes place one at a time. Begin with a solid foundation of people who respect and value your interaction and build from there.

  • http://noahfleming.com/ Noah Fleming

    Thanks for commenting Paul.

    You're so right. I've learned a lot from you.