It seems like every Tom, Dick and Prince Harry is buying fake followers on Instagram these days. But what happens when you do take the leap and buy fake Instagram followers?
We know exactly what happens when you buy fake instagram followers, as it’s very well documented! And here’s why you shouldn’t waste your money on thousands of fake profiles that no nothing but inflate your ego. Especially considering they only inflate it for a moment, which brings us to our first point:
They don’t LAST!
You might have bought fake followers, and you follower count might have rapidly risen a few hundred, a few thousand or a few million. But it NEVER lasts. Instagram regularly cleans out bot accounts and during these infamous Instagram purges, many celebrities have been accused of buying followers, such as Justin Bieber, Donald Trump and Ariana Grande. And although I personally wouldn’t be surprised if such celebrities were keen on inflating their stats to look more popular, the thing about bots is, at some point they will be purged. So why pay for a temporary ego boost when you could read a positive review or share some REAL social proof instead?
It’s inauthentic
Just ask Kate and Will! Their alleged act of potentially inflating their social media followers recently is sabotaging one of their biggest assets, their public image. It’s completely inauthentic to purchase followers, which breaks one of the biggest social media rules of all for brands and influencers… authenticity! Brands that we see doing well on social media, particularly in the wedding and events space, are authentic above all else. Sure, they tend to also be good at what they do, continually pleasing their clients and delighting fans with their work, but they’re real people, doing what they love and sharing their passion, which is one of the most important aspects of being present on social media. Here’s a fabulous example of an amazing invitations supplier being her fabulous self on social media and getting plenty of engagement:
The numbers don’t lie anyway
You engagement level won’t go up. You have 13k followers but 10 likes on each photo? Sorry but 99% of people will see right through that! We know better now than to believe that your fans clicked follow and then never liked any photo you’ve posted. Although organic reach can be tricky, it definitely isn’t that low. It’s quite simply, unbelievable. Plus, with analytics out there that can track any spikes in youtube followers, instagram followers and more, it can be really obvious when you are inflating your follower count.
So, how do I avoid bots/fake followers?
Simply really… don’t buy them. You may still get a few following you or engaging with your profile…. but avoid/remove and be done with your day, and keep being your amazing, authentic self.
