It’s easy to get caught up in numbers. How many Twitter followers you have. How many hits you got on your website today. And while these numbers are very important to monitor and grow, they are not everything. The real key is not in what the number is, but the value of those numbers. What’s most important is not the quantity of followers, but rather, the quality. Social media is all about engagement, right? So if your followers aren’t talking, you’re not getting the full benefit that social media has the potential to give you. Take a minute to evaluate your twitter followers and/or blog readers. Ask yourself a few questions:

Are they sharing your links?

Are they sharing any links?

Are they returning visitors or one time passers-by?

Do they leave comments?

Do they ask questions?

If you answered yes to any of these, then you have engaged followers. The advantage of having engaged followers is that they are more likely to stick with you and spread the word about you or your business. These are the people that are going to bring attention to you. By retweeting you, sharing your website and services and talking about you online. Word of mouth doesn’t happen by people staying silent. Not only will these people help share your  business with others, but they are more likely to become loyal customers and visitors themselves. They are more likely to stick with you when things go wrong and more likely to suggest ways for you to improve because they genuinely care about your success. Now, of course, the more followers you have the more opportunities you have to gain loyal followers, so don’t let this advice stop you from trying to build your following to its highest potential. Just remember, at the end of the day. It’s not all about numbers. It’s about value.