We’ve all been there. The instant-gratification generation tempted with a way to make their social media account look 100 times more credible for under $20 is dangerous. Who wouldn’t consider it?
Some of us may have given into that temptation (it was too good to be true after all) and now, months later, after the initial excitement and sense of false accomplishment has worn off, we need to access the demographics of our followers to better tweak our customer avatars. Problem is: there’s a huge chunk of followers from India that have never interacted with your page and are either click farm employees or robots (what’s the difference?).
So how do you proceed? How do you move forward, generate social interaction on your page and send potential customers to your website?
1. Start Over
You messed up! It takes a big man (or woman) to admit their mistakes but sometimes the best course of action is to simply start from scratch. You can easily create a new social media page for your business in a matter of minutes and start with a nice, clean slate.
While this isn’t technically “recovering” from buying followers, it remains a solid option. If you didn’t have a ton of real followers to begin with, there’s not much downside to simply starting over. Don’t forget to back up any valuable content you have from the original page to re-use on the new one in the beginning (you’ll want to have some solid info posted if you expect anyone to follow your new-born page).
2. Follow-First Campaign
Social Media platforms like Twitter offer a unique way to get your brand in front of potential followers individually. The secret? Follow them first.
Consider the way the twitter platform is designed: Each user receives a notification every time someone follows them. Naturally, when you follow the right user (more on that later), they will become intrigued and click to view your profile.
If your profile tickles their fancy, so to speak, the user is likely to follow you back. You’ve just converted a cold call into a warm follower by simply having an interesting profile and making the first move. The more valuable the content you post, the more this warm lead will heat up. But how do you find the right followers to begin with?
3. Targeting Followers
Several tools such as Tweepi and TweetAdder allow you to target followers of pages similar to yours and follow them first. While this is a great way to find general followers in your industry, ideally you want users who will engage with your content the most.
By rolling up your sleeves and manually following users who already engage with similar pages, you open the door to massive potential reach for your content.
For example, one of the pages I run in the surf industry started only following users who were engaged with posts on the Surfer Magazine Twitter account (engaged= favorites, shares, or responses). The results were incredible, including an increase in tweet engagement on our page from 2500 to over 50,000 per month. Finding the right users to share your content helps your page grow exponentially and, as a result, get your message in front of more of the right eyeballs.
4. Retargeting
While new followers are great for your social media page, don’t forget about the end result-conversions. The reason you want high engagement on your page in the first place is to send followers to your site and hopefully have them buy something from you. Keep the end goal in mind when deciding where to allocate your time managing different aspects of your page.
Most major social media platforms have retargeting capabilities, with Facebook leading the way. Retargeting promotes your posts to specific users who have already interacted with your brand (either on your website, via your email list, or both) and an optional “Lookalike Audience” which is a group based off of the demographics from your original list of retargeting prospects.
While retargeting is a paid advertising option on SM platforms, the results speak for themselves: According to Wishpond, a website visitor who’s been retargeted with a display ad is 70% more likely to come back and convert. Retargeting also brings 26% of consumers with abandoned carts back to finalize a sale.
In conclusion, while buying social media followers is never a good idea, it is possible to recover. By strategically following new users, taking advantage of retargeting, or simply starting from scratch you can still build up a solid page despite your past click-farm woes. We all make mistakes in business and in life, but the option always remains to turn things around with smart planning and hard work.
About the Author
James is an avid world traveler and is passionate about flying on the cheap. He wrote the Amazon best-seller " The Travel Hacking Pocket Guide" in 2015 to help teach others to do the same. James is also Head Honcho and Online Marketing dork at RackYourBoard.com, an e-commerce, drop-shipping site specializing in Surfboard and Stand Up Paddleboard racks and accessories. While not traveling and working, James likes to skateboard, sing/play guitar in his band "Them Animals", or enjoy a few drinks at the local watering hole.
FAQs
Instagram can penalize you: You might think that buying Instagram followers won't be noticed, but that's not the case. In fact, Instagram can penalize you for buying fake followers.
Will Instagram punish me for buying followers? ›
Instagram can penalize you: You might think that buying Instagram followers won't be noticed, but that's not the case. In fact, Instagram can penalize you for buying fake followers.
How do you purge fake followers? ›
To remove potential spam and bot followers on Instagram:
- In the Instagram app, go to your profile and tap Followers or Following.
- If Instagram has detected potential spam followers, you'll see a notification where you can tap Potential spam.
- From here, tap Remove all spam followers to remove all spam followers at once.
Users who engage in the purchase of fake followers or likes risk having those fake accounts and engagements removed, potentially leading to a decrease in their follower count.
Will my account get deleted if I buy followers? ›
Technically, buying Instagram followers can lead to account deletion, but this outcome is extremely rare. In most cases, Instagram may issue a warning rather than outright ban an account. The reality is, if purchasing followers directly led to bans, it could be misused against competitors by buying followers for them.
Does buying Instagram followers ruin your algorithm? ›
It can harm your engagement rate: Fake followers are often inactive and do not engage with your content, which can harm your engagement rate. This can also negatively affect how Instagram's algorithm ranks your content and may make it harder for your posts to reach your real followers.
Will Instagram kick you off if you buy followers? ›
Although purchasing followers isn't explicitly illegal, Instagram does occasionally take action against bot accounts or low-quality followers. This means that while you won't face legal consequences, Instagram may enforce measures against these inauthentic accounts.
Should I remove ghost followers? ›
🚫They Will Reduce Your Visibility
Instagram ghost followers can harm your online visibility by not interacting authentically. If half of your followers are real and the other half are inactive, a stunning post might only get 50% genuine engagement. The other half are inactive followers who don't engage with it.
Will removing fake followers help my Instagram account? ›
Engagement Quality:Genuine engagement is crucial for the success of your Instagram account. Removing fake or inactive followers ensures that your engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, and shares, are more accurate and reflective of real user interaction.
What to do after buying followers? ›
In conclusion, while buying social media followers is never a good idea, it is possible to recover. By strategically following new users, taking advantage of retargeting, or simply starting from scratch you can still build up a solid page despite your past click-farm woes.
How to remove fake followers natively on Instagram. Step 1 – Go to your profile and click on your followers. Step 2 – Once prompted to your follower list, select the follower account you want to remove. Step 3 – As the last step, click on the "three-dot" icon and select "Remove follower."
How can you tell if someone has bought followers? ›
Followers with no photo or content
Even when people don't want to show their faces, they'll usually upload some type of image to represent them. So when there's no profile photo, the account could very well be a bought bot follower. Likewise, having no content on Instagram is a suspicious sign.
Is buying followers worth it? ›
For one, buying followers doesn't guarantee engagement. In fact, most of the time, bought followers are inactive accounts that will never like or comment on your posts. So while you may see a boost in numbers, it won't necessarily translate into more engagement or reach.
Does buying followers get you shadowbanned? ›
Faking engagement on Instagram or buying followers breaks Instagrams rules and can lead to being shadowbanned. Fake engagement might look like: Engagement Pods — Groups of creators might create an engagement pod, where users inorganically like and comment on each others' content to increase interactions.
Do people unfollow you if you buy followers? ›
Most purchased followers either unfollow or stop engaging with an account's posts after some time (merely a few days after the purchase.) They will end up skewing your account's follower: engagement ratio to such an extent so as to make your account appear untrustworthy and dishonest.
Is it illegal to buy insta followers? ›
This is because there is nothing illegal about buying Instagram followers, so those who are considering these services can rest assured knowing they won't be breaking the law. These services typically offer followers in packages, with prices varying depending on the number of followers desired.
Is it unethical to buy followers on Instagram? ›
Buying Instagram followers is not only dishonest and unethical, but it also puts your account at risk of being suspended or terminated, which can have long-term consequences for your brand or business.
Does buying followers hurt you? ›
Additionally, buying followers can actually hurt your chances of being featured on the Explore page or in other people's feeds. Instagram's algorithm favors accounts with high engagement rates, so if you have a lot of inactive followers, your account will be less likely to show up in people's exploration.
Does Instagram suspend accounts for fake followers? ›
Accounts found to have a large number of fake followers risk being flagged and penalized by the platform. In some cases, Instagram may suspend or permanently disable accounts that engage in deceptive practices.
