# The Great Vanity Debate: Does Audience Size Matter?

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/the-great-vanity-debate-does-audience-size-matter/
- Published: 2019-04-05T16:21:38-04:00
- Author: Joe Mineo

Fame. Everyone wants some level of attention and notoriety, since it usually comes
with some perks. **Kylie Jenner**, the epitome of “from-nothing-to-something”, was
just named the youngest self-made billionaire by [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2019/03/05/at-21-kylie-jenner-becomes-the-youngest-self-made-billionaire-ever/#7c34cde42794).
However, that cult-like following didn’t come overnight, and with [very few exceptions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVsfOSbJY0),
you can’t buy fame. Or can you?

[[

##### _Hold on to your fun coupons—you’re about to learn something real._

Let’s start with a catch-all term that describes this concept: **vanity.** In society,
vanity can be relatively negative, referring to people with inflated egos or people
who care too much about appearance. In social media, vanity metrics are considered
your social following, as well as engagements such as likes, shares, favorites and
retweets. Much like vanity in society, vanity metrics can give the perception of
credibility, strength, authority, and reputability. But just like in society, vanity
is only something–not everything.

Being jacked and tan [only gets you so far in life](https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/television/2019/01/15/mike-the-situation-sorrentino-leaves-jersey-shore-behind-begins-prison-sentence/2578177002/),
and having a huge social following does the same. Can you drop $5,000 on page like
or follower ads on Facebook and Instagram and get massive growth quickly? Yes, you
can. However, if your audience doesn’t relate to your content, those numbers will
shrink over time, and your organic reach rate (how many people see your posts divided
by your total following) will plunge to peanuts if you’re not strategic.

[[

##### _Your audience if your content isn’t relevant to them. _

## Patience you must have

If you’re thinking about purchasing page like ads or putting money into post engagement
ads, there are a few things to consider before getting started. First, and most 
importantly, is patience. Kylie Jenner had a ton of help to get there, but it took
her eleven years to build her empire. **Jordan Peele**, the [wildly successful](https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/03/228162/jordan-peele-net-worth)
director of _Get Out_ and _Us_, started writing back in 2003. The reality is that
good things take time, and if you’re running a good business, it’ll take time to
grow.

## People, people everywhere

Second, social platforms are slowly reaching plateaus. Yes, Facebook is a monster
and [continues to grow tremendously](https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2019/Facebook-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2018-Results/default.aspx),
but even with 2.32 billion users worldwide, they will hit a point where their user
growth will outpace population growth. Why does this matter? People are saturating
the platform, which is creating an oversell-like situation on the website.

[[

##### _Do **you** know how many brands and companies you follow?_

If you think of Facebook like a TV or radio, there’s only a certain amount of content
placements people can see in a day. The more business pages and profiles are created,
the more competition there is to show up in any one person’s feed. Obtaining a large
audience is great, but it’s meaningless if people aren’t seeing and engaging with
your posts.

## Content is (still) king

Finally, you need to focus on content. If you win that lottery and people are actually
seeing your posts, _you need to care about what they see._ If you’re a serious brand,
social is a great place to lighten up and relate to your audience. [Urgent care](https://www.facebook.com/vybecare)
can be professional without cramming medical facts in your face. [Auto shows](https://www.facebook.com/phillyautoshow/)
can be more than just pretty cars in a convention center. Get creative, but don’t
write novels. People are perceptive to genuine content, so just be yourself and/
or your brand, and you’ll see engagement and audience growth.

[[

##### _Be unapologetically yourself. Try something new!_

As with everything on social, paying a little bit can go a long way. A best practice
for growing an audience with ads is to make sure you’re targeting people correctly,
which will increase your chances of growing your organic reach. Page like ads are
very direct and carry one specific call to action. You can use reach or awareness
ads to help push your content out, which can also help grow your audience in a different
way. Always be responsible with your ad spend, and strategize before throwing money
at your goal.

Algorithms are not airwaves. Is social media a complex, ever-changing beast? Of 
course, but we wouldn’t function if we didn’t change. Yes, fame helps with growth.
But with _steady_ growth, you can achieve your own level of fame without sacrificing
your savings.