However many social media followers you have right now, you probably think it’s not enough.

You probably compare yourself to other business owners in your same niche and industry constantly and think, “gosh, that woman must be doing tons of business with her 5000 Facebook fans.”

You probably wonder why on earth your own follower count isn’t higher. I mean come on… you’re awesome, right?

Everyone should want to follow and like you!

I’m here to tell you: stop obsessing over your follower, fan, and like counts.

The truth is, it doesn’t really matter how many social media followers you have.

Seriously, just stop. I repeat:

The number of Social Media Followers you Have Doesn’t Matter

Did you hear me just then? Cuz I was totally yelling.

Let’s try to take this out of social media terms, and put it into everyday language.

• You have 19 Pinterest followers? FAB! That’s the size of a small cocktail party.
• You have 298 Facebook fans?  YAY! That’s the number of guests that attended your sister’s wedding reception.
• You have 674 followers on Instagram? Awesome.  That’s how many people work at your company.
• You have 1571 people on your newsletter list?  Epic. That’s how many people attended local rock concerts last weekend.

Now, think about those groups of people wanting to hear what you have to say and keep up with your statuses, your photos, and your life. They are following you because you are clearly awesome. They chose to follow you. No one twisted their arm — they clicked on “like” or “follow” all on their own.

Rather than focusing on how many social media followers you have and obsessing over getting more, focus on engagement with the fans and followers you already have.

Treat them well. Thank them. Love them up. Chat with your fans, and post things that show the real you.

Share your unique awesomeness, ideas, and spirit. Give your fans content that will help them grow, engage, and connect. Challenge them. Entice them. Make them laugh. Treat your social media followers like family.

When you find your online voice, you will find an audience that wants to listen.

Building relationships is the foundation of any solid social media marketing strategy. Sharing yourself in all your quirky weirdness is what makes you relatable and likeable. It’s why people will want to buy from you and refer friends to you. It’s the foundation of any future business relationship.

Your Number will Change Always

I’ll be honest with you. I watch the Suite’s numbers a lot on the public channels. They are almost always different either plus or minus from the day before. Never a lot in the negative, 2 or 3, but there’s lots of reasons as to why someone would unfollow me. They’re no longer in Direct Sales, they followed me by accident, etc. I don’t take it personal, and neither should you.

Your follow count is just a vanity metric. Its a number that look really cool to say. What really counts on any platform is your engagement rates. Is your community an active and engaging community? Or are they just a number full of people that have no idea who you are, and what your message is (usually from loops or other follower ladders). As long as you are talking to your ideal client, and staying true to your message, it doesn’t matter how many followers you have.

Your engagement is how outside brand companies judge success, or how they are willing to invest in someone. And if that’s what they’re looking at, its what you should be looking at as well.

Take a look at your social media follower counts. Are you solely racking up numbers? Or are you building community?

#EmpowerSocial