Why Shouldn’t I Buy Followers?

We all know that social media is a huge gage of engagement, so seeing a lot of likes on a post can only be a positive, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple, and some likes and comments might not be as legitimate as they seem. Ever seen a brand with tens of thousands of followers who follow next to no accounts and have very little engagement? There’s a good chance a lot of their followers aren’t ‘real’.

Some of these accounts may have genuinely migrated towards a page due to the algorithm, but it is also possible to buy followers. This might seem very tempting, especially when starting a new account from scratch. However, this can damage your account, and eventually even your brand.

Instagram has worked hard for years to battle the wave of bots and spam activity across the platform. To fight this, the algorithm has been altered to detect suspicious activity. In the past it was easy to build an account from the bottom up with fake followers, but now it simply isn’t worth the risk.

Instagram’s rules are simple and strict. Breaking any of them can lead to account restrictions, or even outright account bans. If the algorithm detects unusual following activity, chances are your account won’t be instantly banned but will instead be limited. This can mean posts won’t reach their potential audiences which in turn will drastically lower post impressions and engagement.

Instagram won’t necessarily tell you your account has been limited but will instead give you time to stop any suspicious activities. However, if you continue to buy followers, likes and interactions this can end up with a complete account ban.

The main impact buying followers and likes will have is that it will waste money that could be spent elsewhere for a better ROI. The next thing worth thinking about is the long-term impact it will have on customer trust. In a hyper critical world, consumers are looking for trustworthy brands.

We know it’s a catch-22. A brand with a very low following can look suspicious, but so can an account with a very large following but minimum likes and disingenuous comments on posts. We say the best way to grow any following is organically, which takes time, work and a little bit of patience. That’s where we come in!