There was a time when social media followers meant… well, pretty much everything for online businesses. More followers meant more potential impressions, which meant more exposure – all without the need for an advertising budget.
Until one day, Facebook changed everything and other social media platforms inevitably followed suit. In an act to pivot their branding efforts, Facebook aimed to ‘prioritize friends and family’ when it came to their newsfeed algorithm. This update led to a continuous decline in organic reach for business pages — which, again, began on Facebook and spread to virtually all other major social media platforms.
What Happened?
There was a time when a less-saturated string of social media platforms delivered amazing organic reach because, well – they had the space. Fast-forward 10 or so years and the once open digital whitespace is now flooded with pictures of food and cats (not the worst thing, I know).
However…
As a result of this increase in saturation, organic reach took a seismic hit for brand pages across just about every social media platform. The days of being able to reach anywhere from 25% – 40% of your page followers with a single post is long gone — now company pages are lucky to reach 5% of active followers, thanks to Facebook’s Newsfeed Algorithm (among others, like Twitter and LinkedIn). All to create additional incentive for brands to advertise.
This begs the question — what are social media followers really worth now?
The New Value of Social Media Followers
Just like in the good ol’ days, Social Media Marketing is a valuable tool for connecting with existing customers, increasing brand loyalty and providing customer service. But with limited reach, these efforts are… limited.
So what are social media followers really “worth” in this kind of climate?
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Are Followers Even Worth It Anymore?
This is something of a nuanced issue because many tend to think that because followers have far less value than in the past, that they have no inherent value at all. This isn’t necessarily true.
When it boils down to it, the value of social media followers ultimately comes down to your unique social media strategy and where an organic audience falls within it. Even if reach is low by percentage, the more followers you have, the more potential organic impressions you can get for each post.
Here’s where we draw the line…
Followers aren’t “worthless” BUT they also aren’t worth specifically going after either. For instance, paid likes campaigns are simply not worth the investment. You’d be much better off running ads that focus on engagement and website traffic, because in that case, individuals can opt to follow your page and learn more about you – rather than investing in cheap, commitment-free “likes” that’ll be unlikely to directly support your bottom line.
New Best Practices
This secret applies to most content and social media marketing efforts. ?
Don’t do things for the sake of attaining new followers, do them to create a value for your existing followers. This all stems from an important Digital Marketing principle — people will gravitate towards useful information. Provide that, and they’ll come — try and cut corners, and you won’t be as appealing.
It’s the same with SEO, don’t work for the sake of the algorithm, work WITH it. This is one of the main reasons companies fail to rank, because they appeal to a moving target (Google’s algorithm), rather than the practices the algorithm supports.
So whether you’re looking for new followers, website traffic, or sales — you need to center your content around your goal(s).
Final Takeaways
The term “Social Media Marketing” is thrown around by many, but adequately practiced by few. Because at the end of the day, we’re all competing for the attention of the consumer — and when your money is where your mouth is, wouldn’t you rather have proven expertise by your side? Partnering with Active Web Group means tapping into today’s cutting-edge Social Media Marketing tactics that’ll put your brand on the map.
Interested?
Contact one of our experts today for a complimentary Social Media Marketing consultation. We’ll help you craft a tailored strategy that supports your bottom line. Can’t wait? Give us a call at (800)-978-3417.
