Should I buy Instagram followers?
The latest on buying Instagram followers.
So the latest news on this is that it’s still a really sh*t idea. Please don’t do it, I promise you will regret it. I understand that growth can be slow or if you’re starting out you want to look popular, BUT please read this before plunging into the iffy world of buying social media followers.
Can people tell if my followers are bought?
Firstly it’s not invisible - it makes you look really inauthentic to people who can pick it a mile away. Your growth bumps up and your follower list is full of random names, grey profile pics and porny looking girls ‘who’ all have one thing in common - no one follows them but they follow thousands of accounts. Yuck.
Engagement rate
More importantly it messes with your engagement rate horrendously. The algorithms are super smart and designed to determine if your content is of interest to your followers. If it’s of interest to your followers, then it might be of interest to people like them - that’s your audience, your customers and your target audience (kind of a big deal right?!). So if thousands of your followers are fake and inactive profiles, the algorithms think that’s your audience. When you post and those inactive profiles fail to engage then the algorithms determine that your content is of no value.
What do fake Instagram profiles do?
I don’t know why you’re considering it - maybe because you think that more followers will make you look more successful, but if you want people to find you, like you, get to know you, trust you and purchase from you there’s a couple of things you need to remember:
👉 Fake people don’t comment
👉 Fake people don’t share your posts
👉 Fake people don’t message you
👉 Fake people don’t buy stuff
👉 Fake people don’t write reviews
👉 Fake people don’t tell their friends about you
👉 Fake people don’t provide valuable data to the algorithms
So…
Don’t try and outsmart some of the smartest algorithms in the world in their own app! Just allocate an appropriate amount of time to your marketing activities and do the work.
If you’re now thinking “oh god what have I done”, don’t panic. Just set in place a plan to rid yourself of those accounts at the same time as you grow authentically. Perhaps for every real follower you could remove 10 or 20 fake ones. Don’t make the mistake of going in and removing a huge amount all at once as Instagram will pause your account.
I’m not going to lie to you, it will be a slow process to teach the algorithms what you’re really all about, but it will be worth it.
❤️
Hi I’m Erika ✌️ I’m a marketing specialist with a BA in Media and Comms, Masters of Marketing, Cert in CX (Customer Experience) and over 25 years experience. I’m well placed to help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming world of marketing and social media. I work with you one on one or create fun and action-oriented workshops and webinars for groups, organisations and businesses. Book a free discovery call with me or simply email me to get the conversation started.
For more tips, connect with me on Facebook and Instagram or just get in touch, I'm always happy to help.
