The short answer? It depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
When numbers don’t tell the story
Follower count has become the vanity metric of the digital age, but it’s often a misleading measure of actual influence or success. A creator with 10,000 highly engaged followers who regularly purchase their products or share their content may have far more real impact than someone with 100,000 passive followers who rarely interact.
Consider the difference between a local restaurant with 2,000 followers who actually visit and recommend it versus a lifestyle influencer with 50,000 followers who don’t engage much. The restaurant’s smaller but more active audience translates into real business value. The influencer’s large but disconnected following may not.
The engagement trap
Many social media algorithms have evolved beyond simple follower counts. They prioritize engagement rates, comment quality, and content relevance instead. Platforms care more about creating meaningful interactions than rewarding large but inactive audiences.
High follower counts can even be a liability if engagement rates are low. Brands that look for collaborators (like Vote.org x Taylor Swift) focus more on a potential partner’s engagement percentages rather than raw numbers. A creator with 5,000 followers and a 10% engagement rate often commands more respect and better opportunities than someone with 50,000 followers and a 1% engagement rate.
Quality over quantity in practice
The most successful social media strategies focus on building genuine communities rather than growing followers. This means creating content that resonates deeply with a specific audience, responding meaningfully to comments, and fostering real connections between community members.
Think about the accounts you personally follow and engage with most. They’re likely not the ones with the highest follower counts, but rather those that consistently provide value, entertainment, or connection that feels authentic to your interests and needs.
When numbers do matter
There are some cases when follower count can matter. For some businesses seeking social proof—and this may include our clients in senior care and senior living—higher numbers can create credibility and trust. But engagement is also important.
At IlluminAge, we monitor follower counts and engagement for our social media clients. When we bring on a new client, those (admittedly imperfect) numbers can give us a general idea of the client’s reputation or local image. That may inform our social media strategy.
The long game
Building a meaningful social media presence takes time. Focusing too much on follower growth can actually hinder authentic community building. The accounts with the most lasting impact tend to prioritize consistency, value creation, and genuine interaction.
Rather than asking “How can I get more followers?” consider asking “How can I better serve the people who already follow me?” This shift can lead to more sustainable growth and more fulfilling social media experiences.
Moving beyond the numbers
The healthiest approach to social media recognizes follower count as just one data point among many. Engagement rates, conversion metrics, community feedback, and personal satisfaction with your content all matter more than raw follower numbers. If your goal is building a business, focus on metrics that directly relate to revenue and customer satisfaction. (And remember that in our business, “customer” often includes the client’s or resident’s family.)
The social media accounts that truly matter are the ones that create genuine value and foster real connections, no matter how many followers they have. Contact us today—we’d love to help you create a strategy that works for you!