The social media platform Instagram has taken the world by storm. Amongst other applications, it is widely used as a marketing tool. In this regard, one aspect has created a lot of controversy; the buying of followers.
Should you Buy Followers?
This is a question that has stirred a lot of debate in marketing circles. Admittedly, the buying of Instagram followers has its drawbacks and disadvantages. It would be both dishonest and misleading to say the practice has no negatives. It does. However, as a marketing strategy it makes a lot of business sense to buy services like this instead of fake followers. However, getting some real, targeted audience with the help of genuine firms such as Growthsilo can make a difference for your business and brand. Let’s explore this fake follower strategy and see how it can potentially grow your business.
It Could Work for New Businesses
Let’s start with new businesses. All new businesses have one big problem, one big hurdle to cross. No one knows about them. This is why all such entities carry out advertising, do promotions to make their businesses, their brands and their services known in the market. If the business and its products become known in the market then people start talking about them, and if the products and services are good, people start buying.
A Big Opportunity for Small Businesses
Buying Instagram presents a neat shortcut to achieving this end. Why? The reason lies in the fact that the Instagram user base has grown. So much in the decade that has passed since its inception. In this user base lies your potential customers, your financial breakthrough. However, since in your business, your products and brands are virtually unknown by these potential customers, buying followers becomes the prick that prods them to become aware of your business.
On the surface it might seem a waste of time, effort and money to buy followers. One might argue that they have been bought, it’s unlikely that they will turn into real followers and customers. A point there. However, your business benefits because they are going to interact and share with other users; their friends who might otherwise never have heard of your business and its products. Therein lies their value. That’s neat, a bought follower shares your content with someone who might end up a real follower. It is usually there who turn into customers. It has a ripple effect. Your business then has access to followers’ followers’. The chain goes on and on.
Link to Influencers
Buying followers can provide an indirect link to influencers. It works like this. You buy followers and the ripple effect outlined above comes into play. Amongst the new followers your business gets might be some influencers. No matter that these influencers do not end up being your customers, they benefit your business in either way. They could provide links to contacts in your industry or trade, or might provide beneficial networks with potential investors. All this obviously benefits your business. So that follower you bought has not bought a single product from your lines, but the links he/she helped bring about has done your business a lot of good.
Followers who have been bought might be unlikely to turn into real customers. Fine, no problem. However, consider this scenario. A is the follower who is never going to be your customer. His workmate B just happens to mention during a chat that he is looking for an accessory which your business just happens to be pushing. A, truly acquainted with your products, is likely to mention this fast to B. So your business has a potential customer. Remember, A, is just one amongst say, 10,000 or 25,000 followers you have bought. Such scenarios like the one narrated above are therefore likely to be played out many times. Exposure for your business therefore continues to grow.
Any good marketing strategy has as one of its core aims the building of reach in the market. That followers are not turning into customers is not the issue. The issue here is that people know that your business is there, its products, brands, where it is located, how it does business, any special discounts it offers and so on. It is a competitive business world and you want to have an edge. After all, all your competitors are buying followers and reaping the benefits. You surely do not want to be caught sitting on your laurels, do you?
Also consider the price. Followers come at very competitive rates, sometimes as low as a couple of thousand followers for less than $100. From what has been explained in the above paragraphs, the Return on Investment can run into the four digit range.
After all, it’s the growth of your business that you are looking for. Isn’t that so? So why not give it a try.
