BUYING LIKES – IS IT WORTH IT?

In a saturated online landscape that’s increasingly focused on numbers, it can be difficult to feel like your social media efforts are being noticed. There’s an element of competition with your peers, and pressure exists to achieve a certain number of likes and followers. This means many businesses and individuals turn to paying for their likes and followers, a temptation which is made all the more appealing by readily and cheaply available services.

The appearance of popularity can, in a way, legitimise your social media efforts in the eyes of your audience. A Facebook or Instagram account that has a large following has the appearance of importance, of being noteworthy and having a voice that’s worth listening to. Lower numbers of followers can give the appearance of inadequacy, and weaken your message.

However, bought followers don’t add any real engagement to your social media, which is the metric for social success that’s often the most important. After all, paid followers won’t be clicking on your links or liking and sharing your posts, and the spike in your follower numbers won’t equate to a spike in page views or interactions. While you can pay additional money for engagement, fake likes won’t result in real money for your business.

Being associated with paid followers can also negatively impact your brand, and is easily discoverable to those who are interested and know what to look for. These fake profiles are also frequently deleted by social media administrators, meaning you run the risk of having your entire follower count wiped out in a single day.

Further, the aftermath of being caught out paying for likes and followers can follow your online presence even after you stop. This can call into question not just the morality of your social media practices but also the morality of your entire company. Quality social might not be enough to make up for the loss in integrity and reputation you’ll suffer.

While social media success can be based on appearances and waiting for organic growth can be frustrating, focusing on more positive social media practices can greatly benefit your business; far more than paying for an inflated follower count. Finding your niche and reaching out to it, posting relevant content consistently and being active in your community are all ways to grow your followers and achieve legitimate engagement without having to spend money.