Just over 20 years ago, a website launched that would go on to accomplish what just about every startup founder sets out to do when they initially create their company—which is to cause so much mayhem—that it totally changes life as we know it.
The year was 2003. And after analyzing the inner-workings of social websites like Friendster and LinkedIn and believing that they could create a site with the capacity of allowing users more options, co-founders Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe launched the social networking site that would go on to change the world—Myspace.
Those of us who were around during Myspace’s prime, could attest to the fact that one of the things that helped the website truly gain its popularity was its “Top 8 friends” list.
The feature allowed users to show everyone who visited their page who their 8 favorite friends on Myspace were. And although it may seem like an insignificant facet for a social media app today—the feature was so important to Myspace users—it helped the site go on to become the first social network to reach a significant global audience.
Which resulted in social media becoming the mainstay in society that it is today.
For Myspace users, the top 8 made the amount of friends and followers one had on the platform quite significant. However, when it comes to your brand’s social media accounts today, the amount of followers you have is no longer as important as you may believe it is.
The reason your amount of followers are no longer important
First off, let us begin in agreement (hopefully, it’s not the last thing that we agree on in this piece), saying that the amount of social media followers that your brand has doesn’t isn't important does sound absolutely nuts! And the reason why it sounds nuts is because it is contrary to everything that we’ve come to believe about social media.
For the record, just a few years ago, the amount of followers that your brand had on social media actually did matter—a lot. And also just a few years ago, $4 could also buy you a decent meal at McDonald’s. But as we know oh-well—things have quickly changed.
The reason why the amount of followers that your brand has on social media today doesn’t matter as much as it once did is because according to a recent study conducted by New York Times best-selling author and digital marketing guru Neil Patel, algorithms for apps like Instagram, TikTok, and X no longer prioritize displaying content from a user’s followers on their timeline.
What the study revealed—was that the vast amount of content that comes across the average user’s timeline on those three social media apps; doesn’t come from accounts that they follow on those respective platforms.
This simply means that when your followers scroll down their social media timelines on those apps—they are far more likely to see content from accounts that they do not follow—than they are to see your brand’s latest post.
What the data shows
The study discovered that the likelihood of a user’s followers actually seeing a post from their account come across their timeline breaks down on the following platforms in this manner:
Content from followers - 32%
Content from non-followers - 68%
TikTok
Content from followers - 27%
Content from non-followers - 73%
X
Content from followers - 19%
Content from non-followers - 81%
This data shows us is that your social media followers have a far greater chance of seeing content from an account that they’re unfamiliar with come across their timeline—than they do of seeing a post from your brand’s account on their timeline.
For clarity purposes
For the record, to disregard those who took the time to follow your brand’s social media accounts would be absolute marketing malpractice. That’s not what’s being suggested here at all. The key takeaway here should simply be to appreciate your followers; while also understanding that the amount of followers your brand has on social media isn’t as pivotal as you may think it is.
Sure, it would be great to have as many social media followers that Taylor Swift has. But what’s far more important (and profitable), is focusing on posting content from your social media pages that’ll inform, entertain, and intrigue your brand’s ideal customers—whether they follow you or not.
Conclusion
Essentially, social media marketing comes down to creating a connection with both current and future customers. At Decryption, we specialize in creating content for startup brands like yours that’ll do just that.
To become a Decryption client, simply contact us today to schedule a complimentary call and we'll discuss how we can begin creating content for those who matter most to your brand's bottom-line—your ideal audience.
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