Are You Attracting the Right Customers or Just Random Followers?

Akinyinka Omikunle
Sep 22
3 min read

Let’s tackle a painful truth: more followers do not mean more clients.

Many entrepreneurs hit this wall. You’ve been showing up consistently, growing your audience, hitting vanity milestones like “10K followers”… yet the sales aren’t there.

The disconnect between visibility and conversions can be discouraging.

Why does this happen? Because not all followers are created equal. A large audience might look impressive, but if it isn’t the right audience, it’s like filling a restaurant with people who are just there for free Wi-Fi.

The real question is: are you attracting the right customers, or just collecting random followers who will never buy from you?

The Trap of Vanity Metrics

We live in an age where numbers = validation. More likes, more comments, more followers feel like progress. But these are vanity metrics. They show surface-level attention, not a meaningful connection.

A vanity win: A post goes viral on TikTok, bringing in thousands of new followers… who aren’t even your target market.

A value win: A post only gets 200 views, but five of those people book discovery calls.

Big doesn’t always mean better. And chasing big numbers often distracts you from building the right community.

Value Metrics: What Actually Matters

Instead of obsessing over likes, track the signals that prove alignment:

Comments or DMs that show understanding and interest.

Enquiries, bookings, or sales.
People sharing your content with a note like, “This is so me.”
Referrals followers recommending you to their friends.
Repeat engagement from the same people (they’re not just passing by, they’re invested).

Why Branding Shapes Your Audience

Your brand is a magnet. It either attracts people who align with your message, or it brings in everyone, including those who won’t buy.

Think about your own content:

Does your bio say what you do… or what they get?

Do your posts speak to specific struggles… or to generic motivation?

Do your visuals and tone reflect your desired audience’s identity… or a broad, “for everyone” appeal?

The clearer your brand positioning, the more intentional your audience becomes.

Customer Personas: Building Your Filter

A customer persona isn’t just “women aged 25–40.” That’s demographics. A persona is psychological. Ask:

What problem frustrates them daily?
What fear keeps them awake at night?
What dream excites them enough to invest?
What specific words do they use when talking about this?

When you know this, your content stops being random. It becomes a mirror for your ideal client.

Messaging Misalignment: How You Lose the Right People.

Imagine you’re a high-ticket consultant, but all your posts are “quick tips” and memes. You might gain followers who enjoy your free advice but they’ll never see you as someone to invest in.

Or say you’re a wedding photographer, but your feed is full of unrelated lifestyle content. You might build popularity, but couples looking for a photographer won’t connect the dots.

Your content always signals who you’re for. If you’re not clear, you’ll attract the wrong crowd.

Practical Case Studies

Case 1: A nutrition coach focused her posts on general wellness (recipes, motivational quotes). She grew a big following of casual health enthusiasts but they weren’t buying coaching. After repositioning her message to “busy professionals who want energy without dieting,” her engagement dropped slightly but enquiries doubled.

Case 2: A copywriter went viral with funny memes about freelancing. The problem? She attracted other freelancers who loved her humour, not business owners who needed copywriting service. Once she switched to storytelling about client transformations, her following slowed but her income grew.

3 Steps to Recalibrate Your Audience

Revise Your Bio

Your bio should say: I help [specific audience] achieve [specific result].

Example: Helping small business owners attract clients on Instagram without paid ads.

Reframe Your Offers

Shift from service-led to outcome-led. Instead of “I offer social media management”, say “I help you turn followers into paying customers through done-for-you content.”

Shift Your Tone

Use the language your audience use,s not industry jargon. If they say, “I feel invisible online”, echo that instead of “increase your digital visibility.”

When you focus on alignment over popularity, you’ll notice the shift: fewer random followers, more engaged ones. Smaller but warmer audiences. Sales instead of silent likes.

Your audience size means nothing if it’s not full of the right people.

Here’s a challenge: audit your last five posts. Who are you really speaking to your dream client, or just anyone passing by?