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It’s natural to want to jump to the end of a goal … to the point where you finally have what you were aiming for. Where you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Only … there’s no labor if you jump to the end, right?
From learning your target audience’s core needs to building efficient systems, cultivating a community and a strong business takes time.
Still, you may wonder if there are ways you can cut corners to get what you want.
And in this article, we’re going to shed some light on a particular shortcut brands are getting curious about.
We’re talking about buying social media followers.
Let’s take a closer look at what it means to buy social media followers and whether it’s the right move for your business. We’ll also share six social media bonus tips you can take advantage of to grow your followers organically.
Ready to learn more?
Let’s get started.
What does buying social media followers mean?
Buying social media followers is pretty straightforward. It means that you find a vendor and purchase a list of followers from them. In return, the vendor is supposed to supply you with followers for the social media channel you selected.
Notice we said, “supposed to.”
Just because a vendor promises you followers, doesn’t mean they’ll deliver, as it all depends on your vendor evaluation process and the vendor you select. More on this in a bit.
Why do brands buy social media followers?
Brands buy social media followers to boost their following faster than organic or paid ads can.
But, what many don’t realize is that building a brand by buying social media followers comes with a host of consequences.
And that brings us to the big question …
Should you buy social media followers?
In short, the answer is no. You shouldn’t buy social media followers.
Buying social media followers isn’t a regulated practice, nor does it produce authentic communities.
In fact, there’s no way to know what kind of followers you’re getting when you make a purchase, regardless of what a vendor promises you.
Think of your social media followers the way you think of your friends. Would you appreciate having a large group of people in your life who said they were your friends but didn’t act like it?
The same is true for your business.
You want followers with whom you can build long-term customer relationships. You want followers who can provide you with genuine feedback about your business. You want followers who are authentic, believe in your business, and want to buy from you.
Let’s take a closer look at why you shouldn’t buy social media followers — and what to do instead.
6 reasons you shouldn’t buy social media followers (and what to do instead)
Buying social media followers can affect your credibility and may even get you banned from the platforms your business uses the most.
Here are six reasons you should forgo buying fake followers and how to grow authentically instead:
1. Purchased followers don’t reflect your brand’s true target audience
Your ideal audience has a diverse array of qualities that no number of purchased followers could have.
Why? Because you attract your target audience through different digital marketing channels like organic marketing or paid campaigns.
In other words, when you ask for the business via orchestrated campaigns or organic marketing, your target audience will flock to you. Especially, if you provide consistent value on social media.
When you buy the business, you’ll receive a random group of people who may or may not align with your brand vision. You may even receive followers who harm your brand.
Instead of buying social media followers, analyze your prospects to understand how they stack up against your ideal client. Insights like these provide you with high data quality for lead scoring so you can pinpoint which prospects are aligned.
In other words, instead of buying followers, score your leads to see which prospects have the best chance of converting and becoming long-term customers.
2. Social media platforms purge fake social media followers
Increasingly more social media platforms are becoming better at spotting fake social media followers and purging them from the system.
Some platforms are even going as far as removing fake likes and comments, so even if you receive engagement from your purchased followers, it may not matter.
Instead of buying fake followers, focus on making social media algorithms work for you. Learn what the latest trends are and what the algorithm favors.
For instance, Instagram currently favors Reels over other types of posts. Posting Reels is a simple way to attract more eyes to your social media pages without having to sacrifice your integrity. You just need to be consistent in posting Reels on social media. But there are social media tools to help you stay consistent and engaged with your followers.
3. You could get banned from social media platforms
On top of having your fake followers removed, social media channels may ban you from using their platforms if you purchase followers.
Social media platforms may flag your account as fake and issue a violation for not following their terms of use. If other social media users suspect you have fake followers, they can also report your account and/or posts.
Again, buying social media followers isn’t regulated, so there’s no way to protect your accounts against fraud, scammers, spam, or worse. Since social media platforms are aware of this, they’ve adjusted their terms of use to reflect a zero-tolerance policy toward fake profiles.
Instead of purchasing followers, focus on building real relationships with your social media community.
Get to know who your audience is on a micro-level. Why do they appreciate your brand? How has your brand helped them? How can your brand continue to help them? What do they need and value?
4. Fake followers wreak havoc on engagement rates
There are two main ways fake followers can wreak havoc on engagement rates.
For one, fake followers may never engage with your content which will naturally lower your engagement rates.
And for two, fake followers can deter other accounts from following you.
Why?
Have you ever seen an account with high followers but little to no comments? Didn’t you feel a bit suspicious about that account’s authenticity? You see where we’re going with this.
Instead of relying on purchased followers to increase engagement, focus on publishing personalized, interactive content. Reels, how-to videos, giveaways, and even thought leadership Twitter screenshots can help you attract followers that convert.
5. Purchased followers may spam your account
Cybercriminals are known for hiding their real identities behind fake profiles and may even appear to be trusted sources.
Even if the vendor you purchased followers from is legitimate, the followers they provided you with may not be.
Here’s just the start of what can happen if you get involved with a vendor or with followers who participate in cyber crimes:
- You and/or your followers may be tricked out of money
- You might end up spamming your real followers unintentionally
- Your followers or vendor may hack your social media accounts to conduct cybercrimes
- You might get banned from social media platforms
Instead of buying followers, use a social media cleaning tool to remove fake or spammy accounts and analyze the quality of followers you have.
A social media cleaning tool can also help you identify inactive accounts or ghost profiles so you can remove them and focus on obtaining legitimate followers instead.
6. You could get scammed
Piggybacking on our previous point, even if a vendor looks legitimate, you can still get scammed.
Why?
Oftentimes, vendors require payment before they’ll hand over any followers. After you submit your payment, there’s no way to know if the vendor will deliver on their promise.
To make matters worse, fake followers are expensive, which means you could be scammed out of quite a bit of money.
Instead of buying followers, focus on building authentic relationships with professionals in your industry.
Once you’ve established relationships, consider who might be a good fit to collaborate with on joint campaigns. Locking arms with quality professionals to host giveaways, contests, and sponsored posts can help you bring in more followers — without having to sacrifice your integrity and account safety to do so.
Wrap up
If you’ve made it this far, then you know that buying social media followers isn’t a good idea for your business.
Instead of looking for a shortcut, commit to nurturing and growing an audience authentically. Build a real community with your followers and show them that you value their needs and care about solving their problems. Over time, you’ll have strong followers that know and trust you.
And that’s it. We hope this article has inspired you to foster an authentic social media community you can nurture for years to come.
Did you like this article? Then you’ll love our blog. Head on over to devour more social media tips like these.
About Ioana Wilkinson
Ioana is a freelance content writer and SEO strategist for B2B and B2C brands specializing in Business, Digital Marketing, SaaS, Tech, and Mental Health. Born in Transylvania, raised in Texas, and transplanted to Barcelona, Ioana’s most recent move has taken her to sunny Mexico.
