For years we’ve downplayed the importance of the number of followers your social media presence has. And it’s true! Follower count is a vanity metric that means very little in terms of how many people your content is actually reaching. Since organic reach on most major social media platforms is (almost) nonexistent, the number of people who “like your page” means very little. You have the ability to reach many more interested people through smart targeting and relevant content.
However, don’t confuse the number of followers you have with the rate of growth your social channels are seeing. It’s extremely important to monitor the growth rate metric because shows if your content is resonating with the audience. And, it gives you the data you need to determine whether you’re publishing enough to grow your channel and if your posts connect with your target.
Now, in order to track your growth rate, you’re going to have to look at your number of followers (I know, I know). Most social platforms will show you how your audience has grown or declined over time. Take the metrics the platform gives you (Instagram example below courtesy of social media examiner), and benchmark your audience. Then measure your levels on a weekly or bi-weekly basis and track over time.
In the micro, you can measure how individual posts are impacting your growth rate by simply analyzing the numbers before and after you post a piece of content. In the macro, if you want to understand how a campaign or a long term communications strategy is impacting your audience, you would analyze the growth over time.
If your growth rate seems to plateau (or is declining), be proactive and make changes to the content you post, or increase post frequency. Maybe try something new, like adding text-over-image content, or include more video posts or gifs. Whatever changes you make, you can measure the impact by analyzing your growth rate.