In today’s social media-driven world, Facebook followers have become a valuable commodity. For businesses, influencers, and public figures, having a high follower count brings credibility and reach. This has led some people to consider buying Facebook followers to inflate their numbers.
But is buying Facebook followers ethical? And does it even work to boost your account? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the pros and cons of buying followers on Facebook and help you decide if it’s the right choice for your needs.
The Appeal of Buying Followers
It’s easy to see the temptation of instantly increasing your Facebook follower count. Here are some of the potential benefits of buying followers:
Perception of Popularity
More followers make you look more established and influential on Facebook. For businesses, this can increase trust and interest in your brand. Even if the followers are fake, studies show people are more likely to follow pages that already have a large fanbase.
Reach
With more followers, your posts have the potential to be seen by more people. This expanded reach can drive more organic visibility, engagement, and real followers. It also looks appealing to advertisers and potential partners.
Vanity Metrics
Follower count is often used as a social media vanity metric. Buyers are often motivated by simply wanting the satisfaction and status of having a higher number.
Algorithms
There is speculation that having more followers positively manipulates Facebook’s algorithms to further boost your organic reach. However, Facebook denies its algorithm can be tricked this way.
For someone struggling to grow their account, buying followers can seem like a quick fix for stagnant follower growth. But there are also substantial risks involved.
The Risks of Buying Followers
Before purchasing followers, consider these potential downsides:
It’s Against Facebook’s Terms of Service
Facebook explicitly prohibits buying followers or fake accounts. They monitor this closely and regularly delete inauthentic accounts. Getting caught could get your page penalized or banned.
Low Engagement
Purchased followers are typically bot or spam accounts with no interest in engaging with your content. A high follower count with very low engagement looks suspicious to real users.
No Increase in Organic Growth
Despite the claims, most studies show buying followers does not help you gain more real, organic followers. The algorithm also limits fake accounts’ visibility.
Security Risks
Shady follower sellers may expose you to privacy and hacking risks. They often gain account access or post spam content to your page.
It’s a Bad Investment
The fake followers have no monetary value for your business. Once deleted by Facebook, you lose the followers you paid for while damaging your brand integrity.
Overall, any boost buying followers provides is extremely short-lived until the followers are removed. It’s an unsustainable practice long-term.
Does Buying Followers Work?
| Potential Benefit | Does it Work? |
|---|---|
| Increased Perceived Popularity | Temporarily, until followers are removed |
| Reach More Users | No – engagement remains low |
| Boost Vanity Metrics | Temporarily, until followers are removed |
| Manipulate Ranking Algorithms | No – Facebook’s algorithm is sophisticated enough to detect fake accounts |
| Increase Sales | No – the accounts do not represent real potential customers |
This table summarizes that most intended benefits of buying Facebook followers fail to materialize or are very temporary. While your follower number may initially increase, the practice provides no real business value.
How to Get Real Facebook Followers
If buying followers won’t genuinely help your account, what are some better options to get more real followers?
Improve Your Content
Followers are attracted by great content that entertains, educates or inspires them. Analyze your best-performing updates and refine your content strategy.
Engage With Your Audience
Reply to comments, ask questions and encourage followers to be participatory. This builds connections that keep people engaged.
Run Targeted Ads
Facebook advertising allows setting precise demographics, interests and behaviors to reach your ideal audience.
Partner With Influencers
Give free products to microinfluencers with followers in your niche and ask them to post about your brand.
Optimize Hashtags and Mentions
Including relevant hashtags andHandles in your posts makes them discoverable by more users when searching those keywords.
Interact With Complementary Pages
Follow, share and engage with other pages’ content that complements your brand to connect with more potential followers.
Consistency and patience are key – real followers develop organically over time through providing value. There are no shortcuts if you want qualified, engaged followers.
Warning Signs of Fake Followers
Here are some red flags to look for to identify if someone’s high follower count is artificially inflated:
- Engagement rates are very low or nonexistent on posts
- Followers have generic-sounding fake names and no profile photos
- Sudden spikes in followers that are too big to be organic growth
- Follower numbers frequently drop in big waves as fake accounts get deleted
- High number of followers compared to likes on posts
- Many inactive or “ghost” accounts in their followers that never engage
No follower-buying tactic can mimic the behaviors of real engaged users – the signs of fakery are there if you look closely.
The Ethical Considerations
Beyond just being ineffective, buying Facebook followers also raises ethical concerns:
It’s Deceptive
Presenting an inflated, disingenuous image misleads people about your brand or personality. It lures engagement under false pretenses.
It Can Constitute Fraud
Companies advertise follower numbers to attract clients or investment. Fabricating these metrics can be considered a form of financial fraud.
It Manipulates Algorithms
Trying to trick algorithms designed to show users the most relevant content is ethically dubious. You undermine the system’s integrity.
It Can Drown Out Legitimate Accounts
The influx of fake accounts makes it harder for genuine users to stand out in crowded niches.
Overall, the ends don’t justify the means. Being inauthentic ultimately harms your reputation and credibility when the deception comes to light.
What Are the Alternatives?
You can achieve your social media goals through ethical and sustainable strategies like:
- Producing high-quality, valuable content
- Engaging meaningfully with other accounts in your niche
- Running paid ads targeting ideal audiences
- Being patient and consistent in building up organic reach
- Focusing on quality over quantity, prioritizing real engaged followers
Staying authentic keeps your audience’s trust long-term.
Conclusion
While buying Facebook followers may seem tempting, the potential risks and downsides outweigh any temporary vanity boost. It goes against Facebook’s rules, lacks real engagement, and can actually harm your account.
There are no long-term benefits or shortcuts – the best approach is to earn followers organically through great content and community-building. Focus on the quality of your followers over the quantity. With consistency and patience, this grows real followers who provide value.
Buying followers is an unsustainable band-aid solution. Approach growing your reach on Facebook the right way by playing by the rules – your account and brand integrity will thank you in the long run.