Whether you are a business owner with a company or simply an aspiring social media influencer, you may have wondered the effects of buying followers and these questions might have crossed your mind: Bot followers? Good idea? Should I buy followers? Is it a waste of money? Will it help my business?
Nothing is as tempting as buying fake followers if it means a larger follower count. If you have ever thought about buying Instagram followers to spruce your profile or company, it might be hurting you more than it is helping you, here’s why.
It sounds like a good idea to buy Instagram followers because it makes people think your profile looks popular and reputable. Having a high number of followers shows people that you or your company is credible, but a lot of people can easily tell your profile followings are not real. It is easy for many people to click on your followers and view whether the accounts are real. High follower counts matter, however, having a lower follower count and more engagement matters more. People who view your followers and your page can easily question whether your page is real based on the followers you receive and the likes, comments, and engagements you’re not receiving. The last thing you want is creating amazing content and having your fake followers rather than real ones see it.
Nowadays, the success of social media accounts depends on the number of followers and likes you receive. But these things can be grown organically with great and consistent content! Numbers aren’t everything. At the end of the day, a person with 10k followers can have the same amount of likes as someone with 500 followers on social media. The metrics all end the same.
How do you increase your following organically?
A large following does not happen overnight. Whether you are a businessman or a social media influencer, the key to growing your online presence is creating content – eye-catching, engaging and appealing content. The good thing about having an organic following is that the audience is likely to engage more with your content or posts. When you have “fake” followers, you will notice less engagement, fewer likes, overall less of everything. Every now and then you will see comments, but those comments may not particularly have anything to do with what you’ve posted due to them being “fake accounts.”
Take the time to plan, strategize and create engaging content for you or your business! Think about what the audience you are targeting will engage with. The idea is to create a powerful image, quotes, ideas that your followers can either relate to or love! Consistency is key, sometimes it feels there isn’t the time in the day to strategize, plan AND post. Luckily, our professionals at Social Media LV are well equipped to manage your social media in any industry. We manage your social media and we take the tedious tasks of liking, commenting, and engaging off your hands.
As you create your content, make sure you choose an aesthetic you can stick with! Instagram aesthetics have been trending in the industry this year! It is important now more than ever that your social media is aesthetically appealing to your audience.
The Reality of Buying Followers
The reality of it all is that buying followers definitely can help your credibility. When you choose to follow a page, you automatically look at the follower vs. the following ratio. Yes, these things matter. From there you will likely click on a post and view the number of likes and comments, that is where you really decide whether you will follow this page or not.
Buying those followers will ultimately help your business seem more credible and will likely convert someone into following your page. It encourages real followers to follow you, at least that is what the goal is. There are definitely some ways you can purchase followers that “look real” even if they are not.
They are not as effective as real and organic followers
While this seems like a logical strategy for a start-up business, at the end of the day, when you are reviewing your insights, your reach, impressions, and overall business analytics, you will notice that your page did not do as well as you imagined it would. This is because those followers you purchased are merely there to give you a large following, nothing further. The engagement and the number of likes come from the number of people the post will reach which won’t be many if you continue to buy your followers.
Your reputation relies heavily on social media. As we mentioned before, buying followers can help your business momentarily and for a short time period. In a long-term basis, your real followers will begin to catch on. People want to follow pages that have a strong engagement to match the amazing content. Trust is important to build with your audience. It is important to build it in the most honest way you can. Your real followers are the ones that are going to refer your business and speak highly of you.
Remember, buying your followers may work in the beginning, however, if you look at this as a long-term strategy, this could do more harm than good. The truth is, you CAN build a large following overnight, but you can’t expect that momentum to continue. Patience is a virtue! A GOOD following happens over time.
