Marketing in the modern world is vastly different than it was several decades ago and it is all due to the technology we have. The most common ways in which people and businesses can attract attention to something they want to put out into the world all revolve around the internet. As arguably one of the most significant inventions in history, the world wide web has allowed us so much in terms of spreading the word and sharing the message. There should be no surprise then than the most successful marketing campaigns start and finish on the internet. But what is the best way to do it and is it really as easy as having your own website where people can visit you?
All About Social Media
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The short answer is no, websites are no longer enough and they haven’t been for a while now. The king of modern marketing is social media. The many platforms that fall under this category have not started as places where you can advertise whatever you want. Far from it. They are called social media platforms for a reason as they were initially online hubs where people can search for each other, meet, chat, and keep their close ones up to date with their lives. Soon however, everyone realized the potential they had and those in charge recognized the opportunity. New features started pouring in all with a similar mission, to allow the users to advertise and earn money. The platforms remained free but they got trickier to use, or rather more demanding. Fast forward to 2024 and the leading platforms like Instagram are basically money-making machines.
Businesses and Instagram
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Speaking of Instagram, it is actually going to be the star of our article as we dive deeper into what it means to have a profile there for your business. It goes without saying that any new business has to have social media presence. It is free, virtually every single potential customer has a profile too, and many can learn about your product or service on it. But what is the most important thing for businesses on this platform? Is it perhaps the number of people that follow you, or the amount of likes your posts get on average? Which is better in the long run and which should you focus on? If your business could use a boost on Instagram, you are at the right place. In the following sections we talk about whether it is better for businesses to have more followers or more likes. Whichever turns out to be the better option for you, your cause will be better off with a top SMM panel so make sure to check out smmlite.com.
What Do Followers Mean?
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Followers are crucial on Instagram, make no mistake. But what do they represent really and why should you focus on getting the number up? Well, for a lot of reasons actually. Followers are profiles by other users who have willingly pressed the option to become your follower, i.e. see what you post whenever you post it. You can think of them as your audience, or perhaps fans, who care enough for you to want to remain involved in your internet life and have your content pop up on their screen when you post it. When an Instagram profile is private, most of the followers are made up of family members, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. When you are a business however, it can be those same people who wish you well so they follow you but the bulk should be made of strangers who gave you a follow because they like your brand. This means that followers are the key to a strong Instagram presence because the more you have, the more people know about you.
What Do Likes Mean?
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Let’s talk about likes now for a bit. What do they represent and should you care about them? You definitely should as they represent engagement by the followers. It is one thing to have 1,000 followers but a whole other to have 1,000 likes. In order for likes to happen, there needs to be a conscious physical effort on your follower’s end. They have to like the post enough to give it a double-tap with their finger. Some users like every post on their feed but others only like the ones they really enjoy in some way. Your content should be interesting, entertaining, or educative in some way for it to earn more likes. The higher the number of your likes per post is, the more successful your posts will become. So if it is all about engagement, aren’t they more important for businesses than followers? Sadly, it is not that black and white. It is not an either-or situation because both followers and likes matter. But one is still better than the other under the right circumstances.
The Verdict
If you ask an experienced Instagram user the titular question of this article, they would probably say that likes are better overall. Having a lot of followers does not guarantee many likes. If you have 10,000 followers but only 500 likes per post, what is the point? Those are called passive followers, i.e. users who have followed you but never engage with you. If they do not like your content, you cannot be sure they even saw it. Since you have a business account however, focusing on the followers should be your number one priority. Likes are more important for those who are actually trying to sell something and earn from their profile. For you, Instagram is a platform where you want to spread the word about your business and attract customers to come and check it out in person, or at least visit your webpage and order something. It is an extension of your internet presence, and for that the audience needs to be as big as possible. Likes are beneficial as well but not as much for a business as followers are. As a new profile on this network, make sure to grow your follower base for a while before you attempt to get more likes.
