Buying Instagram followers can be a bad idea if you have the ambition to succeed on this social media platform. This is because the followers and likes you buy are fake and misleading, and you will not make a penny on them, which should be discouraging enough for any social media user, aspiring influencer, or brand.
Of course, it can be tempting to buy lots of followers. Just think how amazing it would feel if your 1,000 followers suddenly became 10,000 in a blink of an eye. In situations like these, you can easily imagine that you are someone with the opportunity to influence and that your career is all set. However, the truth is that your fake followers will not contribute anything positive to your account. In the worst case, they can ruin your credibility and get your profile shut down.
To make things clearer, we compiled a list of reasons why you shouldn’t be buying Instagram followers.
Contents
Fake Followers Won’t Increase Engagement Rate
The number of followers on your profile may increase but you will not get anything out of them, meaning no real value will be created. You will not receive any honest comments, likes, or shares. In other words, your profile will not see any increase in engagement. Greater reach and higher engagement is the only thing that can increase the value of your account and this is something your fake followers will not be able to help you with.
The first step you can take to increase engagement and gain instagram followers is to optimize your profile. Curate a comprehensive Instagram bio that showcases what your brand does and how it is different from competitors. You should also provide an appealing feed that will instantly capture the attention of a potential follower who lands on your Instagram page. In addition, make sure you create cohesive and high-quality visuals.
Damage Your Credibility
Since there is a difference between the number of followers and the amount of engagement in an account, it is often easy to discover if someone has bought Instagram followers or not. For example, you may have bought followers and your profile is now followed by 10,000 people but despite this, you only have 20 likes per post.
This shows clear signs of a lack of engagement despite the increased number of followers. There is a good chance that companies that may have shown interest in starting a collaboration with you will back out when they discover that you do not have the target group you claim to have. Even your real followers may lose trust in you and choose to unfollow your account.
This can seriously damage your credibility and integrity. Credibility is your most valuable asset and it sets social media marketing apart from traditional advertising. So, make sure you remain trustworthy and respect your followers.
Instagram Might Delete Your Account
Instagram does not support fake followers. So, they spend a lot of time and effort finding and deleting fake profiles. They know exactly what to look for and regularly carry out major cleanings in their systems.
This means that even if you have paid for a lot of fake followers, you cannot be certain that you will be able to keep them. Imagine what it would be like if you suddenly tripled the number of followers overnight and lost more than half of them the following week. This will make it easy for real followers to notice that something’s not right with the account and unfollow you.
You Risk Getting Spam
If you buy yourself a bunch of followers, you run the risk of getting spam. Even though most fake accounts are inactive, some intend to spread nonsense. Spam can appear in many ways, often expressed in the form of inappropriate or tedious comments on your posts. You might also get a lot of DM requests from other spam accounts.
In addition, you risk getting spam emails if you happened to enter your email address at the time of purchase. Keep in mind that your real followers may also be affected by this.
Final Thoughts
Quality always beats quantity, so forget about buying Instagram followers and instead focus on your current follower base. Make sure you seek efficient ways to target potential followers and put your energy into making them feel appreciated. An interesting account with high engagement will grow naturally without having to use other methods to gain new followers.