Not really. This tactic was adopted in the early days of social media as a fast way to make a new enterprise look more established. Unfortunately, many firms are still buying into this ineffective advertising trick, suffering the loss of their marketing capital and no real gain.
Buying Fake "Likes" on Facebook Won't Get You Real Clients
Before you pay to add followers to your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or YouTube pages, you should be aware that these followers are:
- Not real people. There are companies that exist solely to create false online identities—complete with email addresses, social media accounts, and even phone numbers—that are then sold to digital middlemen, which are commonly called “click farms.” These identities are then sold by the bundle to unsuspecting companies looking to pad their online audiences. Put simply, your 1,000 new followers are no different than the spambots that plague an unprotected comments section.
- Unable to engage. Although your new followers are not real people, some can be used to go beyond a one-time interaction—liking a new post or even commenting on a thread. However, these robots can only talk, not listen, making any engagement they do with your website generic and irrelevant. You have paid to perform to an audience of imaginary friends (who will never hire you) instead of finding a local, interested audience.
- Throwing off your marketing numbers. Buying social media followers can turn your marketing data upside-down. From location (many “click farms” are based overseas) to age and income, you will no longer be able to trust any of the demographics collected by your social media accounts, making your real customers lost in the crowd.
These “click farms” stay in business for much the same reason people who sell fraudulent diet pills do—because desperate people can be conned into taking the easy way out. A few thousand “likes” on your Facebook may boost your self-esteem, but if nobody knows who these people are, they’re not likely to trust your business any more than if you had three followers who are actual human beings.
What Else Can I Do to Get People Interested in My Business?
There are nearly limitless ways to interact with your flesh-and-blood followers on social media—and best of all, most of them won’t cost anything. Simple actions such as “liking” other neighborhood business pages, responding to inquiries and comments on your posts in a timely manner, and posting information to entertain and inform your audience are great ways to engage with your target audience: actual people.
When it comes to social media, quality will always trump quantity. To find out how to interact with your audience in an effective and organic way, contact us today at 866-460-3724 to discuss ideas for a robust social media strategy.
Is Your Law Firm Or Medical Practice Getting Leads From Your Social Media Marketing Efforts?
Not convinced your current social media marketing is converting leads into clients? No worries! Foster Web Marketing can help. Please contact us online or call our office directly at 888.866.0939 to schedule your free consultation with our experienced marketing team. We have been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 and are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.
