12th Sep 2018

Calgary Marketing: 4 Reasons You Shouldn’t Buy Followers

Unfortunately, most brands do not know that this is an organic process that takes time. When the pressure gets too much, some owners give in to the temptation to buy followers. When they do, it satisfies their need for growth and tends to ease the pressure, but it is only for a while. Buying followers is not a smart move when it comes to creating a community and developing sustainable growth. In the long run, it pays to create a Calgary marketing strategy that values real followers and focuses on sustainable growth.

Here are 4 reasons why buying followers should be part of your Calgary marketing strategy.

  1. Low Engagement.

Have you ever seen an Instagram account with over 100, 000 follower and they have 200 likes and 1 comment on their posts? It is very strange. This is usually the effect of buying followers. Anybody who checks your profile might be impressed by your number of followers but immediately they look at the engagement on your posts, they will immediately know something is wrong.

Because most of the followers you get when you buy aren’t real, they cannot properly engage with your posts. You need real people, who are interested in what you are posting to engage with your brand. Low engagement looks bad to potential customers and the Instagram algorithm.

 

  1. Numbers aren’t everything.

Numbers are gratifying. Seeing followers sore gives you a feeling of accomplishment. However, it is important to know that numbers are not everything. There are several accounts on different social media platforms who never visit their accounts or worse, they are just fake or robot accounts. The main purpose of social media is engagement and this should be your target. How many people answer your questions when you ask them? How many sales have you made from the account? How many people repeatedly comment on your page? Those are better numbers to track. Buying followers won’t give you an ROI so you might be better off spending that money creating a solid Calgary marketing plan, or hosting a giveaway for your true fans.

 

  1. Get blacklisted by brands.

Nobody likes anything fake. When you are found to have more fake followers than real, you can get blacklisted by potential partners. If they find out your tactic to getting followers is buying them, they know you will not be able to profit them the way they really want. You don’t want to be blacklisted for any reason.

 

  1. Loss of integrity and trust.

Just like the point, we were making above, if you are known to buy your followers, you lose a level of trust with clients and even followers. If a follower considers you an industry leader by the number of your followers and they find out the numbers don’t translate to actual engagement and influence, you lose integrity and potentially a follower. Not only on your social media pages but as a potential customer. Integrity and trust are key elements in business and marketing.

 

Instead of buying followers, there are steady and sure Calgary marketing tactics you can employ to grow your social media following.

 

  1. Be consistent.

Consistency is the key to social media success. It is important to create a social media schedule and pick out times when you post. It is not only important to create a schedule, stick to it. Your audience will come back to your page at the times when they know you post because they know when. It is also essential to be consistent with the type of content you post too. The key is to be known for something and to stick to it. Humans generally don’t like change and like what they can predict. And while it is a good strategy to shock your audience sometimes, consistency is still the far greater way to growth.

 

  1. Post quality content.

Quality is what keeps your followers engaged and involved. It does not matter how many followers you have; when the quality of your post reduces, they will fall away. They might not completely unfollow you, but they will lose interest and so will not engage your brand anymore.

Determine what your audience want to see from your page and go all out to create them. Use the best images you can get. Don’t use stock images. Be original; it is part of quality to your clients.

 

  1. Host a contest.

Contests are a proven way to increase your followers and drive engagement. Contests do not have to cost you a lot. Your prize can be access to your service for a month for free or it could be a prize you buy. The key to contests is to find a way it would engage people not only in your social media page but in your business itself. Also, make sure not to restrict your contest to current followers alone. Your aim is to draw in more followers after all.

 

  1. Engage with similar pages and their followers.

People who follow pages similar to yours are already in your neighbourhood; you just need to draw them in. They are most likely interested in what you do and wouldn’t mind checking you out. Avoid spam comments inviting them to like your page. Instead, engage them and if you can solve problems for them.

 

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