6 Reasons Why You Should Never, Ever Buy Instagram Followers

When you learn that Instagram has more than 600 million users out of which 400 million log in every day, you can’t help but think about tapping into this huge potential. And, since it’s the easiest way to get some traction, why not buy Instagram followers?

After all, you can get 1k followers for as little as $10, why not do it? You can use Instagram to get eCommerce sales, increase your brand awareness and build a community around your brand or company. And, if you listen to the ads of the companies who want you to buy Instagram followers, it’s as easy as paying a few bucks.

Is it, though?

Millionaire models whose business is solely on Instagram make it sound easy. If they can charge tens of thousands of dollars for a single Instagram post, then there has to be something in this for your business, too.

I would never say there isn’t – Instagram has to be a part of your social media strategy irrespective of the industry you are in.

But when you buy Instagram followers, you don’t build a cohesive strategy. You cheat. And it the ethical reason is not enough, let’s see six other reasons to support this idea.

6 Reasons Why You Should Never Buy Instagram Followers

Before paying $10, $20, or even $20 to buy a few thousand Instagram followers, consider this: how much value can they have? You’ve paid a few bucks, so why would they be worth a few thousand for your business?

Here’s why buying Instagram followers is always a bad idea:

1. Bought Followers Are Always Irrelevant

Got a skin care brand in the US? Great, you can buy 20k Instagram followers from India, Bangladesh and Philippines. Or, you can add an extra $50 and buy US followers that have nothing to do with your brand and are mostly bots.

When you pay $10 to buy Instagram followers, you can’t really comment on their quality, can you? And people who sell this type of service know it. They will buff up your profile with tons of followers, but none of them will ever engage with your brand, not to mention buy from you.

One of Idunn’s customers tested such a service (despite our adamant advice NOT to). They did get followers, but all the likes they got were organic. None of the followers bother to like or comment, let alone buy something.

And can you blame them?

Of course not! They didn’t even know they were following a new brand. And, most likely, they didn’t care for it.

Once of the biggest social media mistakes you can make is be too fond of vanity metrics like the number of followers or likes. They are deeply irrelevant for your core business.

2. You Won’t Enjoy them for too Long

People who sell Instagram followers typically use bots, fake or empty accounts. Most of them get closed by Instagram sooner or later. On an average, I’ve noticed that an account loses bought followers at a rate of 100 to 200 per day.

In other words, if you want your account to have 10k followers three months after you’ve bought them, you need to pay for 20k.

Does this sound like a good investment to you?

3. You Will Be Heavily Spammed

Not all the bought Instagram followers are accounts and bots. Some of them are real, but that’s not always a good thing.

You see, there are those accounts that will like any other profile just because it helps them gain more visibility. Soon, you will start seeing ads for sex toys or far-right political platforms on your account. And it will be hard to depict which comment is on-topic and which is spammy and borderline illegal.

Why?

Because they’ll rarely be in your language.

And, of course, you can delete them. But are you online 24/7 to do that immediately? Most likely not. Take into account the fact that these followers are on opposite time zones from you and you’ll see what I mean.

And it can get even worse: once you’re in the bought Instagram followers “loop”, the service provider will be able to follow other people from your account. After all, they have your credentials.

Soon enough, you won’t just see irrelevant comments, you will also be following a few extremist accounts yourself. Lovely thought, right?

4. Your Engagement Rates Will Be Extremely Low

Again, since your brand new followers have nothing to do with your brand, why would they bother liking your posts? They don’t care about what you have to say or show.

Most people make the mistake of thinking that everyone will love their brand; they just need to get it in front of as many people as possible.

That’s never true!

No matter how much you invest in advertising or how many Instagram followers you buy, not everyone will be a fan. And that’s OK. In fact, it is advisable to care only for those who fit the traits of your buyer persona.

Don’t assume that just because you have 20k Instagram followers, some of them will turn into real fans. The odds of this happening are slim to none. Just think about it: if you promote your US-based anti-aging skin care line for women to Pakistani men, why would they engage with your content?

5. People Can Tell

Tons of followers, but little engagement? That’s the first tell-tale sign that something’s wrong. And this is how your competitors and your clients can tell that you buy Instagram followers instead of playing fair.

Today’s consumer is Internet-savvy, so you have to assume that at least some of your customers know a bit about digital marketing or at least that they’ve heard about the scandal that involved Lady Gaga.

And can you blame them if they don’t want to do business with you anymore after this?

Fairness and transparency are much-cherished values today, in the “post-truth” era. People have learned that they need to take every bit of news and content with a grain of salt. So don’t give them any reason to suspect you of foul play.

6. Instagram Specifically Forbids Buying Followers

I know that no one bothers to read the terms of use anymore. I also know that there are millions of accounts who grew this way, so you may think it’s OK for you to do it, too.

It’s really not.

Even if you have no ethical concerns, think about this: an Instagram rules violation can result in your account being closed without any warning and without the possibility of appeal.

Best case scenario is that, when Instagram detects what you’ve done, they’ll “purge” your account. This means that you can lose up to 80% of your followers. And yes, even some of the “legit” ones.

Why not Play Fair?

Unlike Facebook ads, the Instagram ones are still relatively cheap. You are better off spending your $50 on ads and gaining a few hundreds real followers that buying 20k of them for the same amount. When you buy Instagram followers, you’re not “making your profile look better”. You’re opening it to the possibility of a lot of legal, social and brand-related problems.

If you want to play fair and work with a digital marketing agency that help you grow your social media accounts the right way, we’d love to hear from you! We’ve helped tens of small and medium businesses gain real ROI from their social media investment and we can do the same for you.

Fill in the form below and let’s do great things together!