We’ve all seen those Instagram accounts with generic content but HUGE amounts of followers. Why are so many people following them? What are they posting that is SO special? Welcome to the world of social media – where paying for friends is becoming all too normal.
What are the benefits of paying for followers?
1. Instant popularity (in terms of the quantity of people following your account)
Having a high volume of followers is great for gaining even more followers – because people want to know what they are missing out on. It feeds into the idea that “if everyone else is following them they must be doing something right” – however, buying followers cannot give you everything you desire (keep reading!).
2. Higher credibility
Business accounts with higher numbers of followers seem more legitimate and professional. And as mentioned above – this credibility can gain the attention of organic followers.
3. Jump start your business
Having social accounts linked to your website / connected to your business can increase your authority and in turn – give you a boost in sales and recognition (temporarily).
These reason all sound great – right? Well time to check out some of the negatives to buying followers.
1. They are not real people.
Sorry to burst your bubble – but the accounts that you purchase to follow you are not real people. Typically, the accounts are bots – or inactive profiles that are created to look like real people. You can have a high quantity of followers, but the quality will definitely not be there.
2. Low Engagement
This is probably the biggest drawback of buying followers. Because the accounts are not real, the engagements that these purchased friends will provide is virtually non-existent. They won’t like your posts, they won’t comment (or if they do it will be very generic and robotic) and they will not provide your account with any real engagement. Having a high number of followers but low number of engagements of posts is one of the easiest ways to spot if an account has purchased followers.
3. Sigma – Cheater!
There is a negative stigma of buying followers, especially in the marketing community. The act of purchasing followers is thought of as cheating – so maybe don’t broadcast HOW you got all these newfound “friends”.
4. Scam magnet
There are TONS of sites and services that claim to be able to give you hundreds or thousands of followers for very low costs. Some even claim to give you “real” followers that will engage with your account (be afraid if you hear this! If it sounds too good to be true… it is). However, not every provider is legit. This segment is flooded with scams – taking your money and providing nothing in return. Make sure you read reviews and do your research.
Reaching and engaging with followers that are actually within your target market is challenging – but in the end, will benefit your business and brand the most.
Instead of obsessing over the number of followers you have – try to look at the number of engagements you get on each post. You may be surprised how many likes you are getting (compared to your number of followers) – even compared to the accounts with hundreds of followers.
Although there are initial benefits to buying followers – it is not something we recommend at Polished Media. Although organic reach is definitely the path less traveled – and longer route – we believe in quality over quantity.
If you want help improving your organic reach and growth – reach out to us!
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