Don’t Pay For Social Followers!
Recently we were catching up with another colleague in the marketing industry, she runs a PR agency and we were discussing the different approaches you can take to social media. We were discussing how to grow your reach on social, and it was clear we had two VERY different opinions.
You see she was like: “my company offers a service called a Facebook boost” and I can literally get this client 10,000 likes on his business by tomorrow. I was like ummmm you mean bots? She then said no it’s real people. And I said okay…. are they all potential customers of them being they are a physician in New York. She then decided to say: some of the people might be from New York, but I don’t really know.
Here Are The Issues With The Above Social Media Strategy:
- It’s against Facebook & Instagram’s terms of service
- You lose out on your real audience
- Your brand is no longer authentic
Buying Followers Is Against Facebook & Instagram’s Terms Of Service
Staying focused and goal-oriented in your email campaign is vitally important to your cause. Rules, what rules? Facebook has a very strict policy against buying followers. Not only can you get banned for doing so- the company that you bought them from can end up getting sued by Facebook. And no one likes lawsuits. It’s not worth getting your accounts or pages shut down and watching all of your marketing efforts go down the drain just for a couple of vanity likes. Follow the rules and you will already be winning. At the end of this post, we will give you tips on how to grow your reach on Facebook without getting fake likes!
You Lose Out On Your Real Audience
This is probably the most important factor of all. When you buy phony Facebook likes you run the risk of getting fake accounts, people that are not in your area, or even robots. Moral of the story? These are never ever going to be buying customers. So paying for people to follow you that are never going to be bringing any value into your business is a total waste of money.
Not only that, but it brings your engagement score way lower. Facebook is a pay-to-play platform, when you post on your business profile your post is only being seen by 6-8% of your audience to begin with. When you add 1,000 – 10,000 fake followers to the account the chances of your post being seen by actual followers of your account decreases by 98%.
If your engagement score is that low, then Facebook starts putting less weight into the content you are putting out there, and your organic reach will also decrease.
When your organic reach decreases the chances of people finding your page/posts are slim to none. Dwindling any chance you had of getting your business found on the social profile.
You want to get your business found and social proof is HUGE in this new digital era. So it’s best to connect and engage with REAL people who could benefit from becoming a REAL customer of your business.
Buying Followers IS NOT Authentic
In today’s world people like authenticity. They can smell a fake account from a mile away. When potential customers of your business go to your page, see how many people like your business and then see thousands of inactive members/fake accounts you then lose your credibility as an authority in your space. Your business will thrive if you continue to be authentic and people will be able to connect with your business, like your page, and see future posts.
When you are your true self on social media, it shows. Sure it might be nice to see that 10,000 Facebook users like your page. You may convert a customer or two. But these vanity likes have more cons than they do pros. Being authentic will allow your brand to grow in the long haul being the best strategy for a marathon and not a sprint.
Twinning pros digital marketing is in the game to look out to what is best for our business owners. We work hard on all of our social marketing efforts to make sure that you gain followers the right way. Your brand needs to be an authority in your space, and you need to keep all credibility towards your business in order to grow your reach and increase your sales.
So before you go signing out of Facebook try these tips to grow your page.
- Invite your personal Facebook friends to like your page. When local people like a business chances are your business will be top of mind when they need your goods or services. This will also help you for when you run Facebook ads in the future.
- Run a Facebook likes campaign through Facebook where people can learn more about your business. You can target your ideal customers in the right location that works for you and your business.
- Join Facebook groups – social media is all about being social. So joining Facebook groups and responding to people in the community when you can answer questions to things that they need is another way to prove you are an authority and will also give you opportunities to spread the word of your business and grow your following at the same time.
- Ask your current customers. There is nothing wrong with asking your happy customers to support your biz! Ask them to either leave a review or like your page to show their support and to also help other people receive amazing products or services from their favorite local business.
Final Thoughts
As stated before, we’re in the business of organic reach and boosting your sales. Not vanity numbers to show fake results. We know the tools to find the right digital marketing strategy for you and your business, and there are no penalties from social media pages in the process! Knowing how to grow your social following the right way is literally our day job so we know the best ways to do it that work out for you and your brand. Don’t forget to learn more about our social media marketing!
Social Media FAQ
Why is paying for followers considered a bad practice in social media?
Paying for followers can give the illusion of a larger and more engaged audience, but these purchased followers are often fake accounts or bots that do not interact with your content, diluting the value of your social media presence. Additionally, using such practices violates the terms of service of most social media platforms and can lead to your account being penalized or even banned.
What are the potential consequences of paying for followers?
In addition to devaluing your online presence, paying for followers can negatively impact your brand reputation and reduce the credibility of your account. It can also make it harder to accurately measure the success of your social media marketing efforts and hinder your ability to build genuine relationships with your target audience.
Is there a better alternative to paying for followers?
Rather than buying followers, it’s much more effective to focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with your target audience and actively engage with your existing followers. Building a genuine, engaged community of followers takes time and effort, but it can result in a more meaningful and valuable online presence in the long run.
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