Purchasing Instagram Followers: Should You Do It?
Purchasing Instagram Followers: Should You Do It?
Growing a following on social media can be hard work and taking shortcuts is tempting. Buying Instagram followers and likes is not uncommon in the social media marketing space, especially if investors or supervisors are focused on numerical metrics. We always advocate for growing authentic - although slower growing - communities, but think it’s important to understand what’s going on in the market. Let’s break down the logistics of purchasing instagram activity:
Where do these followers come from?
Instagram has been cracking down on accounts that violate their terms of service, so buying fake followers on Instagram is much harder than it used to be. The majority of purchasable followers are either inactive accounts or “bots”. These bots can even be programmed to produce their own content and engage with posts, making it appear that a real person is operating the account. However, their engagement is rarely valued in the algorithm.
Why do people purchase Instagram followers (perceived pros of buying Instagram followers):
The benefit of purchasing Instagram followers is typically for looks and first impressions. Coming across a brand or influencer with that coveted “k” in their follower count definitely lends credibility at first glance. Having over 10k followers also unlocks additional features for accounts, like the ability to swipe up on Instagram stories to share unique links.
Cons of buying Instagram followers:
The downsides of purchasing Instagram followers weigh heavily on your engagement rate. Purchased followers won’t be engaging with your posts and stories like organic followers will, so your engagement rates will likely be permanently stunted and consumers will likely become suspicious of a large account with little to no community-feel. It’s easy for brands to tell who has real vs. fake followers by looking into the account’s engagement rate and quality.
If you’re running social media accounts on behalf of brands who insist on purchasing followers, make sure they understand the potential long term impact it will have on the account. You might also be risking your account all together if Instagram decides to flag your account for fraudulent followers.