Does a Social Media Manager’s Follower Count Matter?
If you’re a small or medium-sized business owner thinking about hiring a Social Media Manager, you might find yourself asking a very common question:
Does their follower count matter?
And do they need to have viral content to be any good at their job?
It’s a fair question. Social media is a very visible space, and numbers are easy to latch onto. But follower count and viral posts are often misunderstood when it comes to hiring the right support for your business.
Let’s break it down.
Social Media Manager vs Content Creator: Not the Same Job
One of the biggest mistakes business owners make when hiring a Social Media Manager is assuming they should operate like an influencer or content creator.
They shouldn’t.
A content creator or influencer gets paid to reach as many people as possible on behalf of a brand. To do that successfully, they usually need:
- A large audience at the top of the marketing funnel (lots of followers)
- Individual posts that reach huge numbers of new people (often via viral content)
That is how content creators earn a living.
A Social Media Manager, on the other hand, is usually a small business owner themselves, working with other small businesses (and sometimes larger ones). Their job is not to chase virality for their own profile. Their job is to market yourbusiness.
Those are two very different skill sets.
Why Are You Using Social Media for Your Business?
Before you even think about who to hire, it helps to ask a more important question:
What do you actually need social media to do for your business?
For most small businesses, the answer isn’t “go viral”. It’s usually a mix of:
- Building and maintaining brand awareness
- Acting as a digital shop window or portfolio (especially for creatives)
- Being a first point of contact for customer service and enquiries
- Nudging people towards buying from you or booking your services
Social media supports your business goals. It isn’t the goal in itself.
The Problem With Chasing Followers and Virality
Let’s use a simple example:
Say you run a local coffee shop. One of your Reels goes viral and you gain 10,000 new followers overnight.
That feels great. It looks impressive on Instagram. But are all 10,000 of those people local? Are they popping in tomorrow to order an oat flat white?
Probably not.
Big numbers don’t always equal meaningful results.
The same applies to service-based businesses. If you only need a small number of clients at any one time, you don’t need tens of thousands of followers. You need the right people seeing the right content at the right time.
What Actually Matters When Hiring a Social Media Manager
If you’re going to hire someone to manage your social media, follower count should be very low on your list of priorities.
What matters far more is whether they understand:
- Marketing strategy
- The importance of regular platform audits
- How to build brand awareness for small businesses
- Human psychology and marketing psychology
- Platform trends and algorithm changes
- Your competitors and your industry
- How to analyse insights and make decisions based on data
A good Social Media Manager knows how to connect your content to your wider business goals. They understand that not every post needs to reach thousands of people to be successful.
But What About Their Own Instagram Account?
This is where things often get misunderstood.
If a Social Media Manager also works with clients or offers services like coaching or consulting, they only need a certain number of clients. There are only so many hours in the week.
They don’t need 100,000 followers.
Their own account should demonstrate:
- Clear messaging
- Strategic content
- Consistency
- An understanding of the platform
Not viral hits for the sake of it.
So, Should You Judge a Social Media Manager by Their Numbers?
You could discount a Social Media Manager because they don’t have half a million followers.
Or you could consider them because they know how to market a small business on social media in a way that actually supports sales, bookings, and long-term growth.
When you’re hiring a Social Media Manager, ask yourself this:
Do I want someone who is good at growing their own audience, or someone who understands how to grow my business?
Ideally, the answer is the second one.
Final Thoughts
Follower count and viral content are not reliable indicators of whether someone will be good at managing your social media.
Strategy, insight, and experience matter far more.
If you’re planning to hire a Social Media Manager in 2026, look beyond the numbers. Focus on whether they understand your business, your customers, and your goals.
That’s where the real value is.
Suze 🫶🏽
PS – Want to work together this year? Get in touch and let’s chat about how we can use social media to successfully market your business.
Category: Marketing