A David Creation

When adolescence ended, I thought that the playground comparisons of who has “the most friends” was over—that is, until social media!  Now, at the click of a mouse, I can see with mathematical precision which business consultants or social media “experts” have the most friends and followers on their Facebook and Twitter pages.  Many of these specialists have several thousand fans.

You might think that’s a little intimidating for a consultant like me, with fewer than 200 people who count themselves my friend, fan, or subscriber.  It is, but it’s not.  Let me explain:

I’m a small-business guy, with a very niche market.  I work primarily with service contractors: painters and remodelers.  There are thousands of businesses in that niche!  But since I don’t work with companies that are in direct competition with each other, my work will always be limited.  Also, I can only handle so much administration, and if I had thousands of followers I would burn out long before I managed to keep up with them all.  It would be an ego boost to have so many “following” me, and to my peers I might appear to be a more serious competitor as a Social Media and Marketing expert.  However, at this point I’m fine with my numbers.

That said, if my numbers are not higher in 2012 than they are this year, and rising again in 2013, then I would be concerned.  But I started from scratch less than 2 years ago, and I am pleased by my modest progress to this point; I’m growing more each month.  Rather than building huge lists of indifferent subscribers, my goal is to build a long-term relationship with my clients, friends and followers.  I strive for quality over quantity in my field.  I would rather have a small fan base that is really connecting with what I’m doing, and have them spread the words to their friends.  If I can do this, then Social Media will work the way it is supposed to.

So don’t get discouraged by low numbers early in the game.  Look at every follower, every fan, and every commenter as a person (not a number) that you can connect with and build relationship with over time.  As you earn their trust and enthusiasm for your company and content, you will begin to see those numbers grow, and your sales dollars with them!