A few years ago I had a client who was working with another client who needed a website and she reached out for my help. The first thing I like to do when working with new clients is to check out their current website, marketing materials they may have, and all of their social media platforms. This gives me a sense of their style and branding (or lack there of).
When I went to this clients social media page they had THOUSANDS of followers; a really solid/impressive amount of followers. I continued to browse their page and review their previous posts and started noticing something a bit off… there was zero engagement. For a page with such a massive following you’d think the engagement would be through the roof (or at least noticeable), but it wasn’t there.
Once I noticed this, I checked the followers… and it was very apparent that they purchased fake followers. These were not real accounts.
This isn’t doing you or your page ANY favors.
Sure, the number on top is always a bit impressive when you first come to someone’s page, but once you start genuinely following their account because you like the content – size doesn’t matter.
- Fake followers aren’t engaging with your posts
- Without engagement you’re not going to show up in the explore pages and reach new/real accounts
- You’re not going to sell more or earn money in any way with fake followers, you’re not even getting real brand exposure
- It will be a nightmare trying to pull real metrics when you have so make fake followers
- It will destroy your credibility once people notice (and trust me, it’s more noticeable than you think!)
Perhaps you are trying to become an influencer and you have the argument that no one is going to hire you/have you promote their products unless your following is large. This isn’t true! The days of “follower counts” being the only way to measure are over!
If you have a small following, come to the table with real metrics like ENGAGEMENT.
Think about it! A business is more likely to work with someone who is bringing more impressions, reach and engagement to their posts, no matter the size of the list. If you are an influencer trying to work with companies, instead of providing your following, provide some measurable stats.
Example: “In the month of September I had an average XX impressions, XX reach and XX engagement on my posts”. You’d be surprised at how more companies will take notice to these important stats rather than your following.
Click here to download a free guide: 9 Tips for a Solid Social Media Strategy
This same theory goes for email subscribers as well.
Who cares how large your list is! It’s the opens and clicks that matter. Fake emails and/or outdated email lists only lead to more unsubscribes, bounces, and lower averages. Size doesn’t matter.
Keep your lists current, check in with your subscribers and make sure they still want to hear from you. This will not only help your stats but also your sender reputation which is very important when it comes to email marketing.
If you need help getting your marketing platform set up and/or creating your lists and automation – send me a message and let’s chat!
