Yes, follower growth can be a crucial performance metric when executing and analyzing influencer campaigns, but it doesn’t stand alone. It should be evaluated in connection with other relevant metrics such as engagement rate, reach, impressions, and conversions for a more holistic view of a campaign’s success. Here’s why:

1. Reach: While follower growth is an indication that an influencer’s audience is expanding, you should also look at the ‘reach’– the number of unique users who saw the content.

2. Engagement: It’s important to measure how an audience interacts with the content. Likes, comments, shares, and saves can be strong indications of the audience’s interest and affinity towards the influencer’s content.

3. Quality of followers: Rapid follower growth may sometimes be due to ‘follower-bots’ or paid followers, which won’t yield meaningful outcomes. Tools on platforms like Flinque help discern these inconsistencies.

4. Conversions: Follower growth doesn’t necessarily correlate with sales. Conversion tracking tells the ratio of followers who actually make a purchase or complete a desired action.

Each brand, agency, and influencer might prioritize different metrics based on their specific objectives. For instance, a brand awareness campaign might prioritize reach and follower growth, while a campaign centered around driving product sales would prioritize conversions.

In summary, while follower growth can be a significant metric in influencer marketing, it should not be the sole factor for assessing campaign success. Evaluating this metric alongside others like engagement, reach, and conversions can provide a more well-rounded, accurate measure of campaign performance.