the power of building community over chasing clout

why vanity metrics do not equal impact

you’ll likely have seen influencers posting when they reach certain social media milestones like 100,000 followers, which seems super impressive, right? and, don’t get us wrong - it is!

however, ‘vanity metrics’, like followers and views, are surface-level stats that don’t always tell the true picture of what’s going on…

for example, one of your posts might go viral if you jump on a popular trend, bringing a major influx of followers and views. but here’s the catch - these people might hit the follow button after seeing one viral post from you, but they are not likely to engage with you again after the hype around the trend dies down.

so although on the surface you have a high number of followers, these people probably aren’t engaging with you regularly, meaning your content won’t appear on their feeds. 

or, they might continue following you but they likely won’t be commenting, sharing or advocating for you until you’ve built trust with them. to be able to build this trust, you need to consistently create contents that resonates with or evokes emotion from them.

building trust, posting authentic content and using storytelling to create emotional connections helps you turn passive followers into an engaged community.

the difference between following and community

followers are pretty easy to define right? these are people who have come across your profile and hit that follow button. 

they could have followed you for many reasons; whether they liked your content, heard good things about your brand, wanted to buy from you, or were searching for something specific at that moment. while they add to your follower count, they don’t necessarily always engage with your content. 

community are the people who consistently show up whenever you post content, advocate for your business and are emotionally invested in your brand’s story. your community are your cheerleaders. they’ll comment, share your posts and rave about you to others. because they engage with your content regularly, the algorithm keeps on showing it to them. the more they see it, the more they’re likely to engage. It creates a natural feedback loop of connection. 

the key difference is followers are passive supporters, community are active supporters.

the more you nurture and connect with your community, creating content that resonates with them, the more they will trust you, remain loyal and continue to support your business.

using storytelling to create emotional connection

the best way to connect with your audience via social media is to use storytelling. 

storytelling involves creating a narrative that helps your audience understand not just what you do, but why you do it and why it should matter to them. stories are more memorable than stats or facts and allow people to build an emotional connection with your brand.

relatable moments, behind-the-scenes content and the mission behind your brand are all examples of storytelling you could share on social media to build trust. humans remember stories, so being authentic and sharing these glimpses into your world or your brand can make you feel more human and real. this creates an emotional connection between you and your customers. they begin to understand the ‘why’ behind what you do and feel like part of your journey. 

you can nurture and add value to your community with behind-the-scenes glimpses or exclusive previews of new products, which makes them feel included, valued, and truly involved in your brand. in fact, having people invested in your product or services could even lead to valuable feedback that could improve your current offering or inspire new offerings. 

the value of community shouldn’t be underestimated.

Identifying your target audience and knowing what it is they want to see means you can create engaging content they will want to interact with. a large follower count might look impressive on paper, but if those followers aren’t engaging, connecting, or caring about what you do, what’s the real value they bring? true impact lies in building a community. when your audience feels emotionally connected to your brand, they become more than just followers, they become loyal supporters, advocates, and even collaborators.

if you’re looking to grow on social media, don’t just ask, “How can I get more followers?” ask instead: “How can I build a community that genuinely cares?”.

community over clout any day of the week for sustainable, long-term growth.