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Why not to buy Instagram followers

Feb 14, 2024, Update: Feb 14, 2024, author: Powderbrows.com / Holistic PMU
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"Crafting a robust Instagram strategy involves answering a fundamental question: What is your ultimate goal for your account? If accumulating many fake followers purely for self-satisfaction is your answer, expect a fleeting sense of accomplishment and an inflated follower count. However, a more intricate and thoughtful strategy often excludes the approach of building an audience on fake followers."

1. Background


This article is based on interviews with 52 experienced pigmentation artists, each with at least four years of experience at the time of the study. Most of these artists (43) are based in countries within the European Union, with 6 from the UK and 4 from the US. The research focused on customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction, involving artists specializing in powder brows, hairstrokes, microblading, or lip blush services.

The findings from these interviews were further analyzed by two senior digital marketing professionals from powderbrows.io, the digital marketing arm of the Powderbrows.com Research Center.

This article sheds light on the practical downsides of buying followers for social media platforms, particularly on Instagram accounts. While seemingly beneficial at first glance, this practice can have significant negative implications for artists.

2. Overall Goals of the Account


To grasp the issue of purchasing fake followers, it's essential to understand the motivations behind such actions and the purpose of having an Instagram account. A common question is, "Why do you want to create and grow your Instagram account?"

Some artists might say, "I want to get 10k followers." While amassing a large following can offer advantages, it's crucial to delve into the reasons behind needing those followers. This understanding is central to devising a successful Instagram growth strategy.

Artists are often tempted to artificially boost their follower count, believing it will lend their account a significant initial advantage. At first glance, this strategy might make the account appear more popular, but the disadvantages of having a mainly fake following significantly outweigh any perceived benefits.

The core issue revolves around whether the artist intends to generate inbound leads from their Instagram account and if it serves as a vital component of their digital marketing strategy that needs to "produce business." Alternatively, it could be a "box checked" if the business influx originates from other sources and platforms.

Account for Authority When considering a specific account within the mix of an artist's digital media assets - which may encompass accounts from various social media platforms, digital assets like domain names, websites, and even multiple Instagram accounts - if its sole function is to augment authority, then acquiring fake followers often is a feasible strategy. This approach can offer a superficial boost in perceived authority and social proof due to the high follower count.

However, suppose the artist anticipates generating real business from the account. In that case, it becomes crucial to critically assess whether the drawbacks outweigh the perceived benefits of authority and social proof provided by many followers. The key here is to understand the primary purpose of the Instagram account within the artist's digital marketing strategy. Suppose the goal is to attract genuine leads and engage with an authentic audience that can convert into customers. In that case, the strategy of buying fake followers has to be analyzed: positive framed against negative. Next, we shall explore the actual downside of purchasing fake followers.

3. First problem: Easy Exposure


Unmasking Fake Followers

Tools like HypeAuditor have been developed to analyze and provide detailed statistics on any Instagram account. They assess audience quality, engagement rates, and many other factors. A key indicator of fake followers is a low engagement rate. This rate measures the percentage of followers interacting with posts through likes, comments, shares, and saves. Genuine accounts, particularly those with a large following, typically maintain a solid engagement rate due to the authentic interest of their followers.

As of 2024, spotting accounts with fake followings has become increasingly easy. Acknowledging the risk of being exposed rather than rationalizing the situation is essential.

Spotting Inauthentic Popularity and Engagement

Even without sophisticated technical tools and just using free versions, potential clients can notice signs of inauthentic engagement. A notably low engagement rate, such as 0.1-0.5%, can quickly raise suspicions. While the average person may not know the exact figures for a "normal" engagement rate, the difference becomes apparent compared to other accounts.

For example, a client comparing various artists on Instagram might notice significantly higher engagement rates, typically between 1-5%, even among accounts with more followers. This disparity can lead to doubts about the authenticity of an artist's popularity, prompting questions like, "If this artist's work is so well-liked, why is the engagement so low?

In simple terms, due to the ease of exposure, it's vital to acknowledge that customers and competitors keen on understanding the quality of a following can readily use free online tools to determine if an account has a substantial number of fake followers. This reality means that the authenticity of an account's audience is more transparent than ever, making it crucial for anyone looking to maintain credibility and trust in the digital space to prioritize genuine engagement and growth strategies.

4. Second Problem: Maintenance


Maintaining a fake account requires considerable effort. Let's delve into the complexities and challenges of simulating engagement. Opting to enhance engagement artificially entails a series of intricate activities. Many of these are so complex that if one has the skills to execute them, they likely also have the expertise to grow an account organically.

To sustain an engagement rate that seems "believable and normal," buying high-quality likes for each post is necessary. However, likes alone can seem dubious if they aren't accompanied by comments, necessitating the purchase of comments.

The most affordable likes and comments typically originate from bot farms and "like farms," mainly in regions such as India. These accounts often feature unusual names and minimal post counts and follow a significantly higher number of accounts than they have followers. Instagram, however, only shows a fraction of the likes a post receives, prioritizing those from users who have interacted with the account or are similar to the account's audience.

Consequently, a successful strategy for purchasing fake likes must include acquiring enough authentic likers so that the list of likes displayed appears legitimate. This objective can be met by opting for likes from more costly platforms that provide likes from accounts with English names or names relevant to the user's geographical location. This approach aims to create a facade of authenticity but introduces complexity and expense that could be avoided by focusing on genuine growth strategies.

Anatomy of Fake Likes

Fake likers accounts are frequently set to private, complicating efforts to examine them closely. While many genuine Instagram users also have private accounts, these accounts that provide paid likes often follow significantly more accounts than those that follow them back. This imbalance, although they may seem like ordinary local profiles to the average user, can trigger skepticism.

In addition to purchasing likes, some users participate in "liking groups," where members agree to like each other's posts. This strategy aims to deceive the Instagram algorithm into recognizing a post as trending. Despite facing numerous obstacles, these traditional groups remain operational in various locales. Yet, coordinating these groups is notably burdensome.

Acquiring realistic-looking fake comments, especially those that extend beyond simple emojis, presents a more significant challenge and incurs higher costs nowadays. Consequently, efforts to make posts appear authentic demand increasing complexity and manual labor.

This typically results in such accounts featuring only a handful of meticulously prepared posts. Without external assistance from an agency, managing an account with fake followers can evolve into an overwhelming responsibility. Ultimately, attempting to simulate genuine engagement could be more costly - considering the investment of time, energy, and financial resources - than fostering an authentic audience through organic growth strategies. Many seasoned artists have additionally pointed out that it gets overly complicated, yielding no return. Each post has to be approached with a somewhat different attitude, a different number of fake likes and comments purchased, etc.

5. Third Problem: No Long-term Value


Considering the long-term value of your followers is essential when growing your Instagram account. Pursuing a large following can obscure the true nature of that following.

Being captivated by the prospect of thousands of followers, one might ignore that these "followers" do not translate into tangible returns on investment. Fake followers are merely a number; they look impressive on your profile and in screenshots but offer no real engagement or customer potential.

The critical takeaway here is clear. Purchasing fake followers is counterproductive for those aiming to develop a sustainable Instagram growth strategy and leverage the account for inbound business. It significantly diminishes the account's utility, value, and effectiveness in attracting inbound business.

Multi-Account Strategy

Experienced artists and digital media strategists suggest that buying fake followers to showcase authority and social proof may only be viable within a sophisticated multi-account strategy. This involves differentiating between accounts meant for organic growth and authentic engagement and those used merely as "supporting tools" for establishing authority as part of a digital PR mix.

In other words, employing multiple accounts in your Instagram strategy can be beneficial. In such scenarios, an account with numerous fake followers might serve as a "storefront," creating a solid first impression despite its authenticity. However, segmenting your audience and applying distinct strategies across your accounts is crucial. An account labeled “creator” or “business” can facilitate specific campaigns for various audience segments.

Never a Good Strategy with a Single Account

For those managing a single account, accumulating many fake followers is ineffective. As outlined, this method poses risks and yields a minimal return on investment, rooted more in vanity than an effective social media marketing strategy.

6. The Importance of Strategy


Understanding the drawbacks of buying fake followers is crucial, mainly when used as a desperate attempt to inflate a single metric. It's essential to recognize that while this approach might have some value in building authority for potential clients, it simultaneously makes the account ineffective for attracting genuine new inbound leads.

Employing fake followers should be carefully considered and integrated into a broader strategic vision for using Instagram. The distinction between great artists and the merely good or average often lies in their strategizing ability. Planning such moves as purchasing fake followers should never be a spur-of-the-moment decision inspired by an advertisement or a spam email offering such services.

Great artists think ahead, understanding that each action on Instagram, including acquiring followers - real or fake - should align with a larger, well-thought-out strategy. This ensures that every aspect of their presence on the platform contributes to their overarching goals rather than undermining their credibility and the potential to connect with genuine leads.

7. Clear Accounts


Accounts for Incoming Business

Accounts poised to generate incoming business must be free of fake followers. Instagram now facilitates the removal of counterfeit followers more quickly than in the past, eliminating the need for third-party applications. This development is crucial because it minimizes the risk of an account being compromised by an influx of fake followers purchased by third parties. Such incidents are becoming increasingly rare in the pigmentation industry, as the tactic of inundating an account with fake followers no longer renders it ineffective as it once might have.

For artists focusing on building a single account or maintaining genuine, clear accounts for organic growth, it is essential to consistently and diligently remove non-beneficial followers. These can range from mass followers to bots and the typical "fake followers." Marketing professionals know an account with a few thousand authentic followers is significantly more valuable than one with tens of thousands of artificially generated followers.

Cleaning Up Accounts

A critical evaluation is necessary if you possess an account burdened with many fake followers and wish to develop it further. You must decide whether removing the fake followers is worthwhile or starting anew with a different account is more strategic. Experts often recommend using sophisticated tools like HypeAuditor, at least for a trial period, to analyze the authenticity percentage of your following. A general guideline is that if an account's authentic following is less than 10%, beginning with a new account may be more advantageous. This approach ensures the integrity and effectiveness of your digital presence, aligning with a strategy that prioritizes genuine engagement and growth.

8. Conclusions


As an artist, focusing on genuine growth and engagement on Instagram is crucial rather than buying fake followers. This strategy might seem appealing for quick gains in authority and social proof, but it significantly undermines the potential for business development and genuine customer interaction. Here are some direct advisories based on the key points discussed.

Assess Your Goals. Before considering fake followers, clarify your Instagram account's purpose. To generate real business, recognize that fake followers offer no long-term value and can damage credibility.

Beware of Easy Exposure. Tools like HypeAuditor simplify spotting fake followers and risk exposure and diminish your account's authenticity. Aim for authentic engagement, as many counterfeit followers can quickly identify and deter potential clients.

Understand the Maintenance Hassle. Maintaining an appearance of authenticity with fake followers requires significant effort and investment. It's often more complex and costly than pursuing organic growth, involving the purchase of high-quality likes and comments to avoid detection.

Consider Long-term Value. Remember, fake followers do not translate into real engagement or sales. A strategy focused on acquiring genuine followers, even if fewer, is more valuable for building a sustainable presence on Instagram.

Strategize Wisely. If employing a multi-account strategy, ensure that any use of fake followers in auxiliary accounts is carefully planned as part of a broader digital marketing strategy. However, this is generally not advisable for accounts directly linked to business generation.

Clean Up Your Account. If your account has fake followers, critically evaluate the benefits of cleaning up versus starting fresh. An account with less than 10% genuine followers might be better off being restarted.

Therefore, as an artist aiming for lasting success on Instagram, prioritize strategies that enhance genuine engagement and follower growth. Understand that the allure of a quick increase in followers via purchases can backfire, detracting from your credibility and the authenticity of your digital presence.
 
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