Should You Buy Instagram Followers?

Instagram is the preferred social media platform of most celebrities and influencers mostly because they get paid every time they put together a sponsored post for their followers.  

This is why a lot of people see Instagram as a good way to earn money. The path to success is quite simple: post content, grow a large audience, and get the attention of brands.  

But having a large following is not a goal exclusive to influencers. Businesses also recognize that seeing a huge number of followers in their accounts can encourage others to patronize their products or services.  

Imagine how it would look like to others if 10,000 people agree that what you’re posting on Instagram is good. No wonder why it can be so tempting to take shortcuts, like buying followers, just to expand your audience.  

But, is this really the best path to achieving your marketing goals?

What are the pros and cons of doing this?

As your go-to digital marketing agency in Miami, we will share with you what you need to know about buying followers, what happens when you do, and other alternatives to growing a following.  

What You Need to Know About Buying Instagram Followers

The Cost of Buying Followers

You might be surprised at how cheap it can be to buy Instagram followers. For as little as $10-15, you can already have 1000 new followers on your account.  

Just remember that these “followers” are not real people who will engage with your posts or buy your products. They’re just there to make your account look “good” and create the perception that you’re a bigger company than you actually are.  

Although the costs of getting followers are cheap, the cost to your reputation, once people find out you're buying followers, is significant.

Kinds of Accounts That Will Be Following You

Instagram Bots

Instagram bots are bots with fake accounts that assume the identity of a real person using stolen images and names. Creepy!

Some companies have found a way to automate the process of making these bots to the point that they can sell them as “real” followers. They can share, like, comment, and some can even produce content.  

However, Instagram can tell that they aren’t real people, which means they can’t do much for your engagement rate. Plus, without real people engaging with your content, your posts are pretty much hidden from everybody else.  

Inactive Accounts

Inactive accounts aren’t bots, but they’re still fake followers. Some people create genuine accounts for the sake of getting followers and fulfilling a sponsorship request and then sell them off as followers once they're done.  

Although these accounts may show engagement at first, they’ll drain your account’s performance metrics later on when they go dormant.  

Remember, at the end of the day, they’re not real. So, the person managing these accounts has no reason to keep on interacting with your content, and they’ll never buy your products or services.  

Pros and Cons of Buying Followers

Pros

• More followers – Having a larger following can help build rapport among your target audience. When they see that you have a lot of followers, they’re more likely to click the follow button.  
• Increased perceived reputation and credibility – People think that the more followers you have, the more reliable and trustworthy your company or brand is. Some people might even consider you as an influential brand in your industry.  
• Raise engagement with your actual followers – If you purchase fake followers that can engage with your post, they can help encourage likes and comments from your followers or other real Instagram users who are interested in what you have to offer.  

Cons

• Damage your reputation in the long term – How would you feel if knew that the brand you love and support actually faked their way to getting more followers? You might feel betrayed – like they never deserved your patronage in the first place. Your followers and customers could feel the same way if they found out you're buying followers.
• The risk of getting shadowbanned is higher – Shadowbanning is when a user gets blocked or muted on social media. This means no one can see their posts or comments. When you buy fake followers, some activities on your account can seem fishy to others. When someone believes that the comments on your posts are spammy, they can report you. This could lead to you getting banned from the platform.  
• Results are often short-term – A boost of followers can help your account gain traction at first, but it won’t be enough to help you achieve long-term marketing goals.  
• No promise of the return – Because fake followers aren't real, you can't expect them to do much for you. You can't get data you can use to get to know your target audience. You also can't expect them to purchase your products or tell their friends and family about what you have to offer. Basically, they're just there to add numbers to your followers.  
• You may end up losing your business – It takes years to build up trust but only a few bad choices to destroy it. If no one trusts you, how can you convince them to buy your products or services? How many people are willing to give you a second chance? As your trusted digital marketing agency in Miami, we strongly believe that you shouldn’t buy followers, especially if you risk losing your audience’s trust and your business altogether.  

Alternative Ways of Growing a Following

Instagram’s algorithm no longer focuses on showing posts chronologically. Instead, the platform displays content similar to the posts that you have engaged with in the past. To put your content in front of your target audience, gain more followers organically, and drive engagement, here are some best practices you should follow.

1. Go public.

Making your account public is the first step to putting your content in front of real people who might be interested in what you have to offer.

When your account is public, your content can pop up on Instagram users’ explore pages and increase your chances of growing a following organically.  

Instagram’s explore page is viewed by about 200 million accounts every single day. In fact, this is how 60% of people discover new products on the platform.  

If your account is private, consider changing your settings and going public.  

2. Original, high-quality content is the way to go.

If you want your target audience to follow you, you need to give them a reason to do so. Show them original content ideas, curated images, an aesthetically pleasing feed, or whatever it is that’s relevant to your business and piques the interest of your ideal followers.  

What’s great about Instagram is that you’re not limited to posting photos only. You have the option to post Stories, boomerangs, short videos, live videos, and so much more. They even have features that allow users to shop from your posts directly, run quizzes on your stories, and do polls.  

When it comes to providing users quality content and getting them to engage with your posts, the possibilities are endless.  

All you have to do is understand what your audience wants to see more of from you, be consistent with your postings, write catchy captions, and stay original.  

Here are some tips for building your business Instagram account:

• Get to know your target audience. Find out what they're searching for on the platform, which accounts they're interacting with, and which posts they're liking and commenting on. You'll get insights on how you should curate your feed and what kinds of images you should post.  
• Give your audience variety. You want to keep things interesting, so always give your audience a mix of evergreen and trendy content.  

• Use the right hashtags and create your own branded hashtags. This will help you reach a new audience and allow users to find your content more easily. It also helps you keep track of the conversations going on around your brand or niche.  
• Build trust with your audience by humanizing your brand and posting behind-the-scenes content.  
• Don’t be afraid to show your personality. You want your content to resonate. The goal is to be relatable!

3. Use Reels to your advantage.

Reels are short-form videos where you can showcase the fun and creative side of your brand.  

What’s great about Reels is that you can use them as a new way to develop a community on the platform. They allow you to reach a wider audience.

4. Explore Instagram Stories.

More than 500 million people use stories daily. People love them because they’re an easy way to share moments and capture experiences.  

On the other hand, brands love them because they’re a great way to engage followers. Instagram just made Stories even more interesting with the following new features:

• Questions sticker – You can interact with your followers, gain feedback, and generate insights using the Questions sticker.  

• Poll sticker – Find out what your followers like and dislike. You can even make them feel included in the product development process!
• Highlights – You can keep your most memorable stories visible by pinning them in your profile.  
• Shopping – Your followers can shop directly on your Stories using the shoppable sticker. This way, when they see something they like, they can buy it right away.  

5. Interact with your followers and other Instagram users.  

Instagram’s algorithm favors engagement. This means you increase your visibility when you

• Like other posts.
• Reply to a user’s comment on your Reels.
• Share another creator’s content.

These actions allow you to start appearing more frequently on your followers’ news feeds. You’ll get more exposure and more engagement!

Thinking About Buying Instagram Followers?

As the leading digital marketing agency in Miami, we believe that you can use other means to organically grow your following without risking losing your business.  

Although the process might take longer, in the end, you'll be getting followers who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. You'll get their loyalty and support. They'll buy your products or services, they'll tell their friends and family about you, and as a result, your business will boom and grow.  

Need help managing your social media account so you can start gaining more followers and getting more engagement? At Digital Resource, our team of social media experts will partner with you, crafting a custom social content strategy that will help you achieve both your marketing and business goals.  

Contact us today to get started!  

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