Digital marketing: How to avoid falling into the 'hollow followers' trap

It's easy to get distracted by the wrong metrics, but the fact is it's not the number of followers you have that matters – Katrina Bell explains.

Picture the scene. You’ve started your regular social media update meeting and the first thing on the agenda is taking stock of your follower count. That’s your first mistake but it’s completely understandable. It’s the number visitors all look at to determine that you are who you say you are. If you are snooping on your competitors, you most likely fixate on who has the biggest number.

The reality is, the number of followers across your social marketing does not directly affect your visibility on the apps. The algorithms are looking out for that disparity. If your follower count is high and your engagement low, you’re on the naughty step and it’s high time you rectified that imbalance.  

Hollow followers can refer to AI ghost bots, which are artificial accounts run by one of the many evil empires in control of the Internet. It’s mostly the Russians, so worry not. But it also refers to users who follow you but don’t engage. Either kind is toxic to your growth. 

The mantra to remember is: online brand value does not stem from your follower count. It’s a vanity metric which will goad you into thinking your content is more impactful than it is. Creators, surely the experts of the social media economy, have long preached the dangers of believing in hollow followers. 

The real metric to chase is a deep relationship which will not only reward your business and increase your trustworthiness, but the social apps will reward you with more eyes. 

Engage, engage, engage!

Every interaction is vital for your visibility – you only have to look at Google’s recently released hefty guide to AI search best practice.  

I recently got into a cyclical conversation with my district council about bins. I don’t have the right ones or the right amount. I let them know and asked for advice. They suggested getting in touch with a nameless, faceless email. I replied that I thought I had got in contact. But no, they are the social media team which was such an own goal. If they had replied with a helpful answer I, and every other confused constituent seeing my comment, would have learned valuable insight, and strengthened the link between my and my overlords. 

Whenever you get a comment that is your opportunity to fix, field or befriend. 

That’s not to say you should consider removing followers that have critically low or no engagement, as they are a perfect opportunity to assess what made them get on board in the first place, and what you could be doing for this tranche of your fan base. What are you not doing that might interest them more?

And more significantly, are you moving these social contacts into your own space, such as newsletters, onto a proprietary app or into real-life experiences where the relationship can deepen even more? If this isn’t a goal, those hundreds or thousands of followers aren’t really achieving much for your brand. Attention does not translate to intention. 

Conversion rate is the metric you should start your meetings with.