top of page

Why You Are Losing Social Media Followers

Writer's picture: Tanya UnveiledTanya Unveiled

Consistency is key when it comes to Social Media Success - but it isn’t everything. Understanding why your organic social media following is increasing or decreasing and what you can do about it is paramount for Online Branding in 2019.


One of the core services that I offer heart-centred Entrepreneurs is managing their organic Social Media feeds and focusing my energy in establishing their Brand. This is a long term focus and certainly not a quick fix.


I know it can be a pain to not only design and create engaging posts regularly, but to take time out of your day to comment and respond consistently - well… you have things to do more aligned with your Business than these type of tasks - I get it.


Posting to social media at random times, not consistently throughout the week and not engaging your followers with your posts are all limiting, and many times, hindering your brand and your Business visibility.


Most social media platforms now run off an algorithm. I work mainly with Facebook and Instagram. Facebook and Instagram sets up what any particular individual sees on their timeline with what they ALREADY engage with and with content that will most likely resonate with them. Ever wondered why ads for products you’ve been searching for creepily pop up on your social media feeds? Engagement = Clicks = Cash; for the social platforms that is. Facebook and Instagram decrease your views on people’s timelines if your posting decreases. The theory being, the more social you are, the more air time you get, providing you are not spammy – that is you are not all about sales, because no one wants a feed of that.


The good news is, once you start being more consistent with your social media and start posting regularly, you will likely see an increase to your engagement level which will help boost your posts for future engagement. Here’s the thing though… if you have people on your page that are not really interested in what you have to offer, but liked the page as a one off at some stage, you will get an increase in people ‘unliking’ your pages when you start posting more. This, albeit feels like a negative, is not. You are better off having 100 people on your page that will actually buy off you, than 10000 people on your page that will never, ever invest in what you have to offer. You will be doing all of your social media marketing work for crickets.


Let’s talk Instagram and your follower numbers increasing and then decreasing. Instagram keep an eye on fake, bot, spammy accounts, and every few months they do a big purge and delete HEAPS of them, dropping your Instagram follower numbers suddenly and appearing like you’re losing followers. Somehow along the way you might have been followed by a spam/fake/bot account and you’ll probably notice a drop if Instagram have run a purge. Rest assured, there was nothing you could’ve done here. It’s them. Usually you have added hashtags that they have attached themselves to and woila!


The other cheeky thing I have noticed is that people will resonate with your hashtag, like your page, thinking that you will like their page back - which most people do, and then they go back and unlike your page. This is WAY too much effort, and certainly not aligned with consistent Business loyalty so I don't get the point, but people actually teach Businesses this practice. Don't do this, and don't get discouraged if this happens to you. I don’t place too much emphasis on follower numbers increasing and decreasing over night because of this as long as I am confident that what I am posting is aligned with providing value to my target audience. Once again - consistency of quality value posts is the key.


If you’re only posting sporadically, for instance, once a week, the perception by Facebook and Instagram is that you don’t have the content to offer the rest of the time and there’s no real benefit from following you on social media. What type of content should you be posting? People want value. Something they want to see or read because we are all time poor and it has to grab their attention, and be worth their time to not scroll past. If you provide helpful content, like tips and tricks, education or industry explanations, you’ll engage your audience and create a connection. Social media isn’t all about you (to be very direct) it’s about your followers. The rule of thumb is to add value to your followers in 80% of your posts, and push your links (or any other call to action) 20% of the time.


Your social media channels will only grow if you take the time to invest in them and your users. Quickly responding to messages and comments on your posts puts a “face” to the business and tells your followers you’re invested.


In saying all of this, social media is a quality, over time investment. It is not a “quick fix” with your organic (not paid for) social media posting. Facebook has made sure of that as the average reach on all of your posts is about 5-10% of your followers. If you are getting your audience to interact on your post then this will increase, but even educating your followers to interact may take time.

The only way to increase the number of your Social Media followers fast is through Paid Facebook and Instagram Ads. Facebook Ads are a whole different kettle of fish… but they can get results faster if you do them correctly. Though like anything, it may take you time to get it right, hence why I always start with getting your organic social media on track first.


Facebook Ads audiences can be split into 3 categories:

  1. Ads for “hot audiences” - which is your email list, website visitors, people who have interacted with your Facebook / Instagram pages, people who have viewed videos you have posted, etc. These Ads will generally get the lowest cost per conversion since they know you (hence my focus on organic social media)

  2. Warm “Alike” Audiences - You can actually upload an email list and create a little of a couple of million people that are just like your subscribers or buyers or clients as long as it’s a list of over 100 people. The Ads for these usually convert well for webinars and challenges, so an entry level into your Branding and a longer approach to get people to actually buy from you.

  3. Cold Targeting - you can take an Ad that has been warmed up by your Hot/Warm Audiences and target it to your competitor pages. These are the most expensive and hardest to convert.

So this have been my most “techie” blog post yet… but it’s something really important I think we all should be aware of. If you have found some value from it, please post a comment below. Rule of thumb - show the love to the people ALREADY interested in/buying what you have to offer, provide them with amazing VALUE, get them interacting with you and grow your audience from there.


From my heart to yours.

17 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Commentaires


Disclaimer: The information provided by The Sparkly Alien, The Sparkly Alien Empowerment Series, The Sparkly Reset, and all associated programs, books, courses, and content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

While our approaches integrate neuroscience, mindfulness, movement, and trauma-informed practices, they are not a replacement for medical or mental health care. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes related to your physical, emotional, or mental well-being.

By engaging with our content, programs, or services, you acknowledge that participation is voluntary and at your own discretion. The Sparkly Alien and its affiliates are not liable for any outcomes resulting from the use of this information.

 

If you are experiencing distress or require medical or mental health support, please seek professional assistance.

© 2019 by Unveiled Productions

bottom of page