It could be very tempting. It's so easy, right? Instant followers with no work on your part. Perfect scenario? I say no way, my friend.
Why I NEVER Recommend Buying Followers
When it comes to social media, it is so easy to compare yourself and your business to every other account online. We’ve been taught to believe that having a large number of followers is a sign of success and influence in the digital world. It’s a sort of social proof that provides credibility and encourages others to trust your brand.
But with each change to the Instagram algorithm it becomes more and more difficult to reach your target audience and grow your following. Some brands find a quick-fix to fast-track their growth.
Their solution: buying likes and followers, which in my opinion tarnishes the spirit of social media.
It sounds like a good way to grow your following but consider the quality of followers you buy versus ones you have to attract and earn organically.
Also, imagine how disingenuous and inauthentic you look when your audience of ideal clients realizes a majority of your followers are robots or fake accounts. Is it really worth the risk?
When you buy followers, sure, your numbers go up, but engagement goes down. Ultimately the algorithm favors posts with higher engagement when Instagram considers featuring you on the Explore page. It’s not all about having a big following!
Additionally, fake followers don’t buy your product or service. Real people do.
Organic growth takes time, but if your ultimate goal is to sell a product or service, it’s all about being real and creating authentic connections with your customers and target audience to encourage that brand loyalty.
Don’t get me wrong, it feels so good to see the number of likes, followers, and comments grow! But how likely are they to end up making a purchase from you? These are the followers you want and the work you put into earning each of them can be so worthwhile.
So when you find yourself comparing your follower count to another account, remember that when it comes to followers:
Quality > Quantity.
Before you start comparing yourself to accounts with thousands and thousands of followers, which FYI you should never do because your business is awesome in its unique way, check out this article from TrendHero which will help you figure out if an account has fake followers. It's actually a very insightful article, so make sure you read the whole thing!
In the meantime, remember that Instagram's algorithm isn't your enemy. The powers that be at Instagram want to keep users happy by delivering the content you want to see, so that you stay on the platform and keep coming back.
How do they know what kind of content you want to see?
By your engagement behaviors on the platform - the posts you like, save, share, etc.
The BEST way to grow your following is to combine compelling content creation with legitimate platform tactics like adding hashtags and locations, being consistent, consistently engaging with your tribe, and more. Sure, you may not have 1M followers, but knowing that the followers you DO have all want to be there, find value in your posts, and are 100% REAL people... now, THAT's something to celebrate!
