Buying Social Media Followers Will Hurt Your Business More Than Help It

In the race to build a strong social media presence, some businesses may be tempted to take shortcuts—like buying followers to artificially inflate their numbers. At first glance, this may seem like an easy way to make your brand appear more popular and credible. However, purchasing social media followers is a dangerous strategy that can do far more harm than good.

This article will explore why buying followers is not only ineffective but can actively damage your business’s reputation, social media performance, and bottom line.

Instead of resorting to risky tactics like buying followers, businesses should utilize in-business solutions like It’s Relevant TV, which allows you to organically build a loyal and engaged audience through smart in-location promotions.

The Dangers of Buying Social Media Followers

1. Low Engagement Rates

One of the biggest red flags when you buy followers is that they are typically comprised of fake accounts or bots. While your follower count may grow, your engagement rate (likes, comments, shares) will not. Social media algorithms prioritize engagement, so if your posts are not getting interactions, your content will be less visible to a real audience. So even though your follower count will be higher, the number of people actually seeing your posts may become lower! The lower engagement signals to both the platform and your genuine followers that your content isn’t valuable.

Why this matters:

• Engagement is the key to growth: Social media algorithms (on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X) are designed to show users content that sparks interactions. If your posts aren’t getting likes, comments, or shares, your content will get buried.
• Customers notice: When a business has thousands of followers but barely any engagement on their posts, it becomes obvious that many of those followers are fake. This erodes trust and can make your business look inauthentic. If you take shortcuts with your social media, customers may assume you are taking shortcuts in other areas as well.

2. Consumers Can Tell When Followers Are Bought

Today’s consumers are savvy. They can quickly identify when a business has bought followers based on the disparity between follower count and engagement. For example, a business with 10,000 followers but only a handful of likes on each post will raise eyebrows. When customers sense that a business is trying to deceive them, it damages your brand’s credibility.

How it hurts your brand:

• Lack of trust: Authenticity is key in building customer relationships. When consumers realize that you’ve bought followers, it can make them question the legitimacy of your business and its offerings.
• Negative reputation: A business that takes shortcuts like buying followers can quickly develop a negative reputation, which spreads easily through word-of-mouth and online reviews.

3. It Skews Your Analytics

Another downside of buying followers is that it corrupts your social media data. Analytics are crucial for understanding what content resonates with your audience, how to improve your strategy, and where to invest your time and resources. It can also provide you with valuable feedback on the products or services you are promoting. When you fill your follower base with bots or inactive accounts, your analytics data becomes skewed and meaningless.

Consequences of distorted analytics:

• Bad decision-making: If you’re basing your social media strategy on faulty data, you’ll likely make poor decisions, wasting time and money on content that doesn’t perform.
• Missed opportunities: You won’t be able to properly track what content your real audience likes, leading to missed opportunities for engagement and growth.

4. Risk of Being Penalized by Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter regularly purge fake accounts and bots from their systems. If a large portion of your follower base is made up of these types of accounts, your numbers can drop drastically overnight. Additionally, platforms can penalize accounts that engage in these practices by limiting the reach of their content or even shadow-banning or suspending the account altogether.

The potential fallout:

• Follower loss: When platforms detect fake followers and remove them, your follower count can plummet, exposing your deception to the public.
• Account suspension: If your account is found to be in violation of platform policies, you could face serious consequences, including temporary or permanent suspension.

5. No Real ROI

Ultimately, buying followers provides no real return on investment. Fake followers don’t interact with your posts, buy your products, or refer others to your business. Without real customer engagement, your social media presence becomes nothing more than a vanity metric that doesn’t contribute to your bottom line.

Instead of wasting money on fake followers, businesses should focus on engaging genuine customers who are interested in their products and services.

The Alternative: Building Genuine Followers with In-Business Promotions

1. Target Customers Inside Your Business

Using TV platforms like It’s Relevant TV enable you to reach customers in your physical location—the very people who are most likely to follow you on social media. These customers have already demonstrated an interest in your business simply by being there, making them the perfect audience to engage with on social media.

• Higher likelihood of engagement: Customers who are physically in your business are more likely to follow you on social media, engage with your content, and share their experience with others.
• Stronger connection: Since these customers already have a connection with your brand, they are more likely to trust your content and recommend your business to others.

2. Promote Social Media Without the Risks of Public Feedback

Unlike public social media platforms, It’s Relevant TV doesn’t show customer reviews, comments, or ratings. Instead, it allows you to display only the posts that you create on your own social media profiles. This gives you full control over the messaging your customers see, without the risk of negative comments or bad reviews influencing their perception of your brand.

• Total control: You decide which posts are shown, ensuring that only your best content is displayed.
• No negative distractions: Without public reviews or comments, you can promote your social media content in a risk-free environment.

3. Leverage High-Engagement TV Content

Static signs that ask customers to “Follow us on Facebook” are no longer effective. People are naturally drawn to digital screens, especially those displaying dynamic, engaging content like TV. It’s Relevant TV taps into this attention by seamlessly integrating your social media promotions into the programming your customers are already watching in your business.

• Eye-catching content: Moving images and videos grab more attention than static signs or posters.
• Built-in call-to-action: By displaying your social media handles on a TV screen that’s already drawing customers’ attention, you create a natural and effective way to encourage followers.

4. Build Trust and Authenticity

Using It’s Relevant TV to promote your social media allows you to grow a genuine, engaged follower base. By targeting the right people—customers who have already visited your business—you’ll cultivate an audience that is genuinely interested in your products and services. This authentic engagement is much more valuable than a large but inactive follower base filled with fake accounts.

• Trustworthy growth: Genuine followers are more likely to engage with your content, recommend your business, and return as loyal customers.
• Positive brand perception: Building an authentic following creates a stronger, more credible social media presence that customers can trust.

Skip the Shortcuts, Build Real Followers

While buying social media followers might seem like a quick fix, it’s a strategy that will ultimately hurt your business more than help it. From low engagement rates and damaged credibility to skewed analytics and potential penalties from social media platforms, the risks far outweigh the temporary boost in follower count.

For less than $90 a month, businesses can focus on building genuine, engaged followers—and It’s Relevant TV provides the perfect solution. By promoting your social media accounts to customers already inside your business, you’ll grow an audience that is genuinely interested in your brand, without the risks associated with buying followers.