Anyone Can Buy 10K Instagram Followers For $30. Just Google It.
DON’T GET FOOLED BY VANITY METRICS
The average consumer may find it impressive that your brand appears to have a large number of Followers on social media. After all, isn’t it a huge endorsement if 20,000 people seem to worship you? Sorry, but No. It’s surprisingly easy to purchase Followers. Go onto google and type in: “Buy Followers” or, “Buy Likes.” While this practice is unofficial and frowned upon by the social media providers, the fact is that names can be cheaply bought for use on every major platform.
Read More: How To Tell A Real Brand Ambassador From An Impostor–In One Easy Number
WHO CARES IF “FOLLOWERS” ARE REAL?
As a business owner, you should care, especially if your budget is tight. While some surprisingly big brands are buying Followers–they can afford it. Certainly, fake Followers may create the illusion that you’re popular, but you’re only getting short term pleasure, and like so many aspects of life that are too good to be true, this will ultimately cost you. The Facebooks of this world are well aware of fake Followers, their algorithms can easily detect them, and they will rank those inflated sites lower for organic results. This brings your organic reach to zero, and as a consequence, you’ll have to spend money to advertise every post if you want viewership.
WHAT IS TRUE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT?
Involvement is measured in different ways–based on defined goals. If the intent of a Facebook post is to drive traffic to your website, then worthwhile metrics would not only be the clicks on your website but also, the amount of time those clickers spend –indicating a quality hit. If you want someone to redeem a coupon, redemptions would be important. If you’re looking at clicks within a geographic target, those clicks would show success.
WHAT MAKES AN ENGAGED FOLLOWER?
Genuine fans won’t simply touch the little “Like” thumb, they’ll respond with Comments. They’ll re-tweet. They’ll tag friends. They will read your blogs and reply with their own experiences. They’ll ask for your opening hours, note features of your videos, and show true involvement. A well crafted post can encourage these genuine responders. These folks may well turn into customers.
WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM A SOCIAL OR DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY?
In one word: Strategy. If you want social marketing that will build your brand and make money, you need an experienced social agency to help you set and meet goals. You’ll get a customized, orchestrated plan that will encompass email, SEO, Pay-per-Click and ways of using each social platform like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat for its unique advantages. Relevant, strategized posts will tie in with your branding message across the other forms of media that reach your customers, from billboards to trade shows. Social will support all of your events. The strategy will make sense not just from a revenue standpoint, but operationally.
Related Article: The Facebook Doodle Feature Explained
WHAT TO INSIST UPON
Don’t get fooled by phony brand ambassadors. See our quick test at: https://www.socialikeinc.com/how-to-tell-a-real-brand-ambassador-from-an-impostor-in-one-easy-number/
Indeed, Socialike gets approached quite often by potential clients who say they simply need a “social presence.” If that’s true, why not buy some Followers and continue having your intern do the posting? The obvious answer is that it won’t bring you any business.
Our view is that 50 engaged customers here are a million times better than 10,000 meaningless names who live on a distant continent and will never spend a cent.
Stay tuned for more of our blogs.
Isaac Brody (aka“Ike”) is the owner and CEO of Socialike, a Manhattan-based creative agency that specializes in social and digital marketing. Isaac comments on trends in marketing. Socialike’s clients, whether they’re in natural products, hospitality or any other industry, get concepts that differentiate them–along with trackable results.
