Earlier this year I wrote a two part blog piece about my social media wishes for 2019. You can read Pt 1 here. Number 11 in Pt. 2 is about Vanity Metrics. I go into further detail about Vanity Metrics in this article.
There is an idea that if a social media account has a large following that more people will be attracted to it and be more likely to do the same. I do think there is some truth to it, but faking it won’t do you any favors. The focus is on the number and the number alone. When this is the case it becomes a vanity metric. Perception is important but it’s not the be all end all. Vanity Metrics may look nice, but in the end it has to be more than just appearance.
If you are applying for a job, it doesn’t matter how good you’re resume is, if you show up late and mess up in the interview your not getting the job.
Vanity Metrics: What to look for
There are companies and services that you can pay to grow your social media audience. Essentially, you are paying for “Likes” and “Followers.” Some of these companies say that they will grow your audience organically. (Anytime you hear the word organic when talking about social media it means that it is activity that is not paid for.) Most of the time it’s not organic, and it’s the worst thing you can do.
The problem is that the likes you are going to get are fake and from click farms. All day long people just like Facebook pages. They are fake and will grow your business or help your online presence. After someone from a click farm likes the page, it will NEVER engage with your content. NEVER. The energy and focus needs to be spent attracting and engaging people to your social media platforms that care about you, your business, your product, and want to engage with your content.
The main problem is only a small percentage of the people who have liked your Facebook Page will see the content you post. Because of this you want the accounts to be real. The more engagement (likes, comments, and shares) a post receives shortly after it is posted, the better it will do. When there is high engagement, Facebook and other platforms then show that post to a larger audience. You want to INCREASE your chances of success not decrease.
Remember, the quality of the followers is more important than the number itself. of the followers that’s importantVanity Metric bad. Engagement good.
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