Followers

Additions, clarifications, extended definition

It is an indicator of the size of the audience with the potential to regularly receive your content. Some platforms (e.g. LinkedIn, TikTok) count only actual "followers", while others (Facebook) distinguish between page likes and page followers.

Interpretation

This is a basic metric indicating how many users make up the community on social media. Followers are the equivalent of a "contact database". What matters is the trend over time (growing, stagnating, declining).

Watch out: limits and risks of distortion

• It is something of a blind metric – the number of followers alone does not show real impact, and a large follower base can be passive. Do not judge social media success solely by follower count, because with a paid campaign, for example, you go beyond the follower base.
• There is a trend of "fake" accounts and purchased followers that artificially inflate the numbers but bring no value. This also includes inactive users – a portion of followers do not actually follow the profile (so-called shadow followers).
• Comparisons between brands must take into account different markets, segments, target groups or how long the brand has been present on social media.

Where and how to measure

• The native analytics tools each network offers, usually in the "insights" section.
• The data can also be tracked via third-party tools, e.g. Emplifi, Brandwatch, Hootsuite etc.