19 Aug Social Media Followers: Quality vs. Quantity

Ah, the quality vs. quantity debate. It can be (and has been) had over a multitude of different topics but the one most pertinent in recent years is in regards to social media followers. In the strive to be relevant and heard among a sea of other voices, many businesses have resorted to buying their followers. Here at Spark Boutik, we believe the quality of your followers should always outweigh the quantity and therefore, should never buy Fake Followers. After you give this a read, we think you will too.

There is an underlying notion that to seem relevant or worthy of a follow on social media, a person or a company should have a healthy amount of followers. This can be particularly difficult for new businesses or simply for those trying to build their following. The price of this can range anywhere from $3 for $100 followers, to $1,000 for $10,000 followers. It may seem like a good idea at first, like an easy way to jump start your online presence, or provide some extra padding on an account you’re trying to create buzz around. If you’re considering going down this route, here are a few reasons to choose quality over quantity in deciding agianst fake followers.

A lack of meaningful engagement.

You need to be aware that these fake followers are simply bots and fake accounts. They are controlled automatically, and therefore can’t meaningfully engage with your brand or content. When someone, whether it be a fan, a customer or a potential client, interacts with your page, there is a chance of them taking this interaction further. They could tell someone about it, send one of your posts to a friend via direct message, or, best of all, they could include you in a post, opening you up to all of their followers. With bots and fake followers, your reach becomes stagnant. If you had only 100 followers, but the majority of them engage with you and your content regularly you’d be utilizing your social media presence better than an account with 10,000 inactive or inauthentic fake followers.

Fake followers don’t generate leads.

Why do we even need social media marketing? It’s the best way to target a specific demographic and generate leads you can actually track. If the majority of your following is made up by bots and fake accounts that aren’t able to engage with you and turn into customers, then social media marketing becomes pointless. Although it’s an online tool, it was made to connect real people to each other, and the right people to you business. By using computer generated fake followers, you are essentially going against all that this stands for.

Create Distrust With Fake Followers.

Any active users who are on your account may be able to tell if the quality of your engagement does not match the follower count. Again, let’s assume you have about 10,000 followers. But, on each of your photos you only receive about 50 likes and a handful of comments. Those who are especially observant will instantly be able to tell many of your users are probably fake followers. This could create a distrust between you and the user, which is the absolute opposite reaction you want.

Fake Followers Put Your Reputation At Risk.

The bottom line is, shortcuts put your brand’s integrity at risk. Even large companies, like Pepsi and Mercedes-Benz, have come under fire in the past for buying fake followers and they’re bought followers are harder to spot. This can sour your public perception and reputation which at the end of the day, is the most important asset of your brand or company.

Fake Followers Are Not Reliable.

With Instagram’s constantly changing algorithm, the fake followers that made up the majority of your brand’s “community” can easily disappear leaving it painfully obvious that the following that gave your company authority is entirely fake.

Growing your brand organically doesn’t have to be hard. Here at Spark Boutik, we help businesses, both large and small, either new or experienced, grow their online community to build up their business to new heights. For more information about how Spark Boutik can organically grow your company’s community and generate consistent leads, please contact us here.