Why Buying Followers Won’t Help Your Social Media Channels

8
Aug 2016
Photo Credit: @vintagecubeshop
Photo Credit: @vintagecubeshop

Starting out on social can be tough. Who doesn’t want to see results right away? But no matter how much we want that large following or giant burst of engagement, great results shouldn’t come at the snap of a finger nor the purchase of followers. The simple rule is this: Quality over quantity.

A large following is great for proving that people know, like, and trust your brand. But having a true, dedicated following (no matter the size) will always trump empty numbers. Let’s talk about why:

 

Empty Numbers Hurt Your Engagement

Size does matter, but not if it dilutes the quality of your fan base. You can have as many followers as you want to pay for, but if they’re not actively engaging with your content by liking, commenting, or sharing, what’s the point? The overall mission of social media is to establish a brand presence online and better connect with your target audience. An audience bought by the bulk won’t engage with your content nearly as much as true fans who organically liked your page.

 

You Just Can’t Hide The Truth

Keep in mind that the follower-to-like ratio does not lie. A profile that has thousands of followers but only receives a handful of likes per post looks fishy. If you can’t establish a genuine following on social, it may look strange to your target audience as to why your brand can’t generate a true following. Social media users are typically savvy—if something doesn’t feel authentic, it may scare away some quality followers and potential customers.

 

So If Buying Followers Is Off The Table, How About…

There are other ways to pump up your following, but no matter what you do, you should always aim for earning true fans and genuine engagement. For example, if you have 50,000 followers, but are following exactly 50,000 users back on a channel, it’s pretty clear that you’re utilizing a follow-for-follow technique. There’s nothing wrong with this tactic if you genuinely want to stay connected with those individuals and they with you. But if that’s not the case, and you’re only exchanging courtesy follows with accounts, then your actions can dilute the authenticity of your brand.

 

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