Do you want more fans and followers on social media? Why?
Do you want them just for show, so that people will look at your social media accounts and say, “Wow, look at how many fans and followers you have”?
Are you actually prepared and able to manage a large following on social media?
A large fan base on social media comes with a LOT of responsibility!
You have to:
– Reply to comments in a timely manner.
– Reply to mentions (on Twitter) in a timely manner.
– Mediate negative feedback and complaints.
– Connect with your fan base in a personal way, on a daily basis.
– Filter through the noise to get your ideal customers onto your e-mail list.
– Track conversations going on about your brand on social media, and participate in them.
As you can imagine, replying to 2 or 3 comments on your blog or Facebook page is much easier than responding to 70 comments and mentions, on 4 different platforms (70 x 4 = 280)!
I experienced this sense of overwhelm (in a good way) recently for my birthday. I don’t allow anyone to post to my personal profile’s wall on Facebook, so I posted a cover photo directing people to go to my fan page to give me a birthday shout out.
Post by Ashani Mfuko.
I also posted a photo on my Facebook page announcing that it was my birthday (for those who didn’t know), to give people on my fan page an opportunity to send me some birthday love.
I was overwhelmed by the amount of birthday wishes, private messages, posts on my wall, and comments that I received on Facebook! You guys sure know how to make a person feel special!
I received lots of love on Instagram as well!! Made my day!!
But then I said to myself, “Oh boy, now I need to respond to everyone who sent me a birthday shout out to say thank you. Oh no!! That could take hours! But I want everyone to know that I appreciate them taking the time out of their day to wish me a Happy Birthday.” What to do?
Option 1: Post one, generic thank you message for everyone who sent me a birthday shout out.
Option 2: Reply to over 300 birthday messages and comments. Wowza!
I think that I will opt to do both, and just reply to 20 or so messages a day, for the next week, until I’ve replied to everyone’s birthday shout out. Done!
So what does all of this have to do with you?
You say you want more fans and followers (doesn’t everyone?), but with that comes a LOT of responsibility, especially when you have a presence on multiple platforms. Just imagine having to manage 50 comments on your blog, 100 comments on your Youtube video, 60 comments on Facebook, 30 mentions on Twitter, and 75 comments on ONE Instagram photo!
Are you REALLY ready to handle more fans, followers, and engagement on social media? Do you have a team of people assisting you with your social media presence, or is it just you?
You’ve heard the phrase, “It’s all about engagement” millions of times. So if that’s the case, and you’re getting lots of engagement, then it’s your responsibility to engage in return. Can you handle that?
How To Completely Change Your Perspective On What Success Means On Social Media (3 Things You Need To Remember)
1. The quiet times are when you learn the most.
With only 250 -1,000 fans and followers, you learn very quickly what resonates with your fans and followers, and what doesn’t. You’re also able to make mistakes, and have them go practically unnoticed. You can easily connect with your fans and followers, because there’s a manageable amount of people that will engage with you online each day. Take advantage of this time to find out what your fans and followers like to see, read, and hear from you, and make sure you share more of that specific type of content every day. (Read 3 Proven Ways To Increase Your Facebook Page Reach and Engagement here.)
2. The more fans and followers you have, the more haters you have too.
You probably won’t get too many negative comments on social media when you only have 500 or 1,000 followers. It’s when your numbers grow significantly, and you are clearly (based on your social media numbers) a person of influence, that you start to get the haters and the trolls online. They typically come around just to stir up trouble and bring negativity to your space, for the purpose of getting the attention that they don’t get for themselves in real life. Either way you look at it, these folks are an inevitable part of growing your social media fan base, so be prepared to start navigating your way through lots of negative comments, via the high road, on a daily basis.
3. Be careful what you wish for.
A large following on social media is a HUGE responsibility, and can be very time-consuming. People WILL get angry if they feel like you’re ignoring them, or not responding to their comments in a timely manner. So if you’re already overwhelmed with just updating all of your social media accounts on a daily basis, creating high-quality, shareable content, blogging, and creating your own branded images to post on social media, beware! You may want to shift your focus from “More Fans, More Followers, MORE, MORE, MORE!!” to creating high-quality, valuable, expert content on your blog or YouTube channel, and getting that traffic onto your e-mail subscriber list. You’re much better off focusing on building your e-mail list, and creating a powerful e-newsletter that converts, rather than getting 10,000 fans on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, just for show.
Large numbers on social media are naturally impressive to us as humans, because we always believe that more is better. But don’t underestimate the power of a small, engaged, and loyal online community. You just might end up with less stress, more valuable connections, and surprisingly, more money. Remember, thousands of fans and followers does not automatically equal thousands of paying customers.
Conclusion
Keep things in perspective, and show the people in your online community that they matter, and that you care. Stop focusing on getting more fans and followers on social media, and start thanking God for the manageable level of influence you currently have, and serve your online community well. Build tight-knit connections with them, and watch how they will take care of you, support you, and even mediate for you, as your numbers begin to grow on social media.
Are you guilty of focusing on getting more fans and followers, not realizing the responsibility that comes along with it?
What part of this article resonated with you the most?
Post a comment below, and share your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you!
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If you’d like to learn even MORE about how to grow your brand and start getting REAL RESULTS on social media, I invite you to join my new Facebook group for entrepreneurs, artists, small business owners, bloggers, writers, dancers, and media professionals.
CLICK HERE to learn more about my secret Facebook group, “How To SHINE On Social Media With Ashani Mfuko”.
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