Does how many followers I have matter?
There is so much pressure for today’s small businesses to build a big following.
And it’s overwhelming.
As a small business owner myself, I am constantly getting ads for online courses and books on “how to get a million followers fast” and it all feels so daunting. Have you ever felt that way? Like, how will I ever be able build a successful business or market myself online or have social legitimacy if I don’t have X amount of followers?
I’ve been there. And that’s the worsttt feeling! But I have 3 encouraging tips for you that I hope will lighten that load moving forward and help you breathe a little easier.
Choose Quality Over Quantity
This is a principle that I am trying to adopt more in all aspects of my business. In the images I provide my clients after a session, in the sheer amount of sessions that I book this year, and yes, in my followers, too!
It is better to have 100 quality followers that love your business, want to support you, and are on board to follow along with your business journey than it is to have 1,000 disengaged followers who aren’t truly invested in you or what you have to offer.
There are so many people using social media that have a large social following, but nothing to show for it when it comes to the lucrativeness of their business. You can have 1 million followers and be making $0.
If your followers aren’t turning into real clients (and hopefully raving clients that adore you and your work), then it doesn’t matter how many followers you have. So before you turn all your time and attention to getting more, take a second to think about how you can build quality relationships with the followers that you already have.
2. Love Your Regulars
When we get too focused on building a bigger following - getting more & more & more - we often forget to take care of the people that have believed in us the most from the very beginning! The people that have already said yes to following us, yes to supporting us, and yes to investing in our business.
It’s like in the Lizzie McGuire movie when Lizzie gets caught up in the stardom and fame. She almost loses Gordo, her faithful friend who had stood by her side for years before she ever became an Italian pop star. It was almost a total tragedy, right?! But in the end she realizes how much better it is to have one friend who really cares than a crowd of people chanting her name.
And when it comes to your business, it’s better to have a few people who believe that what you’re doing is valuable and worth investing in, than to have a ton of followers who never take any action. And you don’t want to lose those people because you’re chasing after “more.” It will hurt way worse in the long run if you lose your Gordos.
3. Keep Perspective with a Client Goal
Let’s use my photography business as an example. If my goal was to book 2 sessions per week this year for a total of 104 sessions in 2020, that would be 104 clients. Let’s call it 100 for easy math.
That would mean that there are 100 people I want to serve this year with my business.
That number feels much less daunting than the ambiguous ~large number of followers I can get distracted by.
Instead of asking, “How can I get more followers?” (Overwhelm!) I start asking the question, “How can I connect meaningfully with 100 people?” (Deep breath, inhale, exhale, ahhhh.)
Action Steps
Make a list of your “regulars.” The people that have supported you from day 1. The people who have already invested in your business. The people that share what you’re doing with others because they want to see your business thrive.
Think of ONE way you can let those people know that you appreciate them moving forward. (Send them a thank you note. Offer them a past customer discount. Give them a shout out on social media. Choose one action!)
Make a goal for how many customers or clients you want to have this year. Let that number drive you more than an ambiguous goal of “more” followers.
Write down ONE way that you can serve those X amount of people better this year.
Thank YOU for reading and being one of the meaningful people choosing to follow along and support this lil ol’ business of mine. It means the WORLD!