Instagram is not just any social media platform. It is a source of livelihood and breathing space for many users, especially the younger generation.

Whether personal, social, or professional relations, this media platform has become a cornerstone for everyone. From building connections and driving sales to sharing talent and making friends, Instagram is a hub of activity.

And at the crux of all that activity lies the follower count. If you are a part of the Insta community, you must know the importance the number of followers holds. For individuals and brands alike, the follower count is a source of pride, and everyone dreams to grow Instagram followers.

The most relevant people and brands on Instagram boast the most followers. The follower number is a symbol of relevancy, popularity, and importance. But why this number carries such significance is a question often asked. So let us answer this for you!

The Benefit of Instagram Followers

Many believe the follower statistic is just a number irrelevant to your brand’s marketing strategy. To an extent, other metrics are more accurate of a thriving social media profile but there is more to the follower number than meets the eye. Mathematically it might be a combination of numeric digits, but logically, this number equals profit. Here is why.

1. More Followers; More Credibility

Two decades ago, social media was just a source of entertainment for many. But now, it is being recognised for its economic potential, and many businesses are realizing this potential. With time, brands are beginning to understand the importance of social media in their marketing and applying it. Especially Instagram.

As insta is an influential platform, businesses are using it to extend their sphere of influence. 80% of insta users follow a business account but the extent to which a brand can leverage this depends on the total followers they manage to gain. For both sales and building professional relationships having a large following is essential.

This is because followers make a business look more reliable. It is a source of credibility for users. Customers tend to trust those brands that have already built a following. They take them more seriously.

For example, there are two brands; one has only a dozen followers while the other has crossed the thousand mark. Who do you think will users trust more? The one with the higher follower count will seem like more people trust them or that they have more credibility. This is because it is easy for people to purchase from a brand that others already follow, trust, or recommend. This credibility is one of the reasons review pages have become prominent in 2022. For businesses in certain niches such as restaurants or hotels it can be the difference between success and failure.

Basically, the following number equates to the efficiency with which orders are placed. The higher the digits are, the less time is required to finalize the purchase. So no matter how great your content is if you wish to appear authentic and cash in more sales, the follower count should convey it.

2. More Followers; More Money:

Credibility might be the most significant reason for businesses to have a considerable follower count. But for individuals such as influencers more followers are required for more fame and money. If you have been on insta for some time, you must have seen bloggers and celebrities promoting other brands. They are not doing this for free!

Each sponsored post run by an individual to market a product or service has some compensation attached to it. This is where follower count comes into play. The higher the number of followers a person has, the more they can charge for the collaboration.

For influencers, their following matter a lot, as this is what makes them viable for brands and companies. They get approached for collaboration based on how many people follow them and their engagement level as well.

So if you wish to be approached for influencer marketing and get freebies along with extra income per post, you need to increase that number on your profile. Also, all your followers can’t be fake. There still needs to be a natural engagement on your profile. Brands check the authenticity of the profile before approaching someone to become their ambassador.

3. More Followers: More Affiliate Sales

This is similar to influencer marketing as it also requires product or service promotion. However, in this approach, you are not paid per post. Instead, an account earns money when a link they upload is clicked open and leads to sales.

This is known as affiliate marketing. In it links are posted on Instagram to generate more traffic. A higher count is needed for this as well. The more followers you have, the more clicks you will be able to get. And if one of your followers ends up purchasing something from that link, you will receive a cut of the revenue.

So having more followers increases the earning potential of an account. In addition, it opens the door for participating in more extensive affiliate programs.

4. More Followers; More Influence

We have discussed why raising an insta following is crucial to earning money. But not all individuals wish to earn via insta. So why do you think they want their follower bar to rise?

You will find many accounts that don’t wish to cash on followers. Instead, they pursue a large following just to gain influence. For them, it means an opportunity to be a thought leader, more followers also mean more people to engage or simply more power.

The only thing they want to do is to make a mark. This can be for any reason; increase awareness for a cause, do charity or gain social or political influence. But, no matter the reason, they need a robust following to spread their message to a broader audience.

The higher the follower count, the more people they will be able to reach and influence. Moreover, it will become easy to amplify their words, as users will re-share and tag others. This will create a chain and help gain more publicity.

So if you wish to have an impact and make use of the snowball effect, having a large follower base will be beneficial. It will cause ripples and even generate more following. It can also lead to more feedback and the building of social and professional connections.

5. More Followers: A Better Experience

We have discussed the importance of followers for businesses, influencers, and other individuals but haven’t touched upon why it’s crucial for users. So let’s finally understand why follower count is essential for other followers too.

For someone who wishes just to scroll and get entertained on Instagram, follower count matters because it leads to a more enjoyable experience. Following brands and influencers with lots of followers means users get to interact with each other and gain more exposure,

The more people there are on an account, the more comments, reshares, and tagging happen, which makes it interactive for other users. So Insta users love a large following as it makes it easier for them to follow the herd.

That is why the minute a user visits an Insta profile; their first glance goes at the number of followers. Of course, the content, profile photo, and grids are important, too, but they all come after that. Viewers know the higher the count, the more fun and engaging it will be to follow an account.

In the end, for most people, the sole reason for having an account is to interact, and for that, they require other followers to join in. Therefore, the more followers they see on an account, the more excited they get and press that follow button themselves to socialize immediately.

Followers and More Followers…

So be it a craving for social presence, increasing sales or affiliate links, creating impact, or driving traffic, building an engaged follower base is essential for all of them. We have only listed five significant reasons why Instagram followers are crucial, but there are other benefits too.

Therefore, in this digital world where social media is increasingly raising its stake, keeping the follower count on the positive slope is essential especially for businesses. Digital marketers need to sharpen their strategies and steer them to gain more followers!

Wrapping Up

After reading the benefits mentioned above, no user should leave their digital presence unattended. So if your Instagram follower count isn’t quite as robust, we hope you will take action and set it as your goal to gradually build up your influence. With Instagram getting bigger day by day. It is high time to get more followers on it, or else opportunities will be lost.

Remember, the larger your Instagram audience, the more opportunities you will get and the more you will grow. Moreover, after hitting a certain peak, your account will reap benefits on its own, thanks to resharing and tagging.