Over the last two years, there have been quite a few companies that have sprung up that allow people and companies to purchase followers, fans, views, retweets, repines and a variety of other social media services. These services have been utilized by major celebrities, political figures as well as companies and brands. It wasn’t until recently did the services come to light and start to receive scrutiny from the social media networks as well as other social media experts, but it was only a matter of time before quick fix options became a business (social media services is now on its way to being a 100+ million dollar industry in just a few years).
For Sale?
Facebook continues to update and adjust it’s advertising services and allows you to bid on CPC campaigns to get more fans, which seems to be an elaborate approach to buying fans, is it not? Twitter’s advertising solution allows you to promote your account in user’s stream and thus get more Twitter followers and yes, this service costs, so isn’t just another way to buy fans? YouTube gives you the opportunity to setup video ads that appear before people watch YouTube videos which after they watch there’s a call to action which can include asking them to subscribe, this service costs and gives you YouTube views and subscribers, so isn’t that another way to buy them?
Personally, I have developed social media strategies to help companies build their following using content strategy methods, specific delivery times and two-way interaction, but I do understand how social media services you purchase can be useful. I think it all comes down to this:
When you purchase services, it’s for perception, to appear bigger than you are and get people to follow you based on that, but the relationships are unreal and non-existent. But when you build your following in a more organic manner, then you develop true relationships with them and create a longer lasting, mutually beneficial online social media relationship.
Social Media Prostitution
Which goes back to my title, if your goal is to just get fans in numbers, then take the prostitute route and just pay for it and get the immediate results. But if you want to develop a true interactive online social media following then you have to put in the time and work it takes to wine and dine them, advertise to them, promote posts and tweets and tell them you really care.
Paul Clifford (@PaulAlanClif) says
I’ve gone through a lot of trouble to build my lists and followers (13,500 on twitter for example). I could just buy them I guess, but I don’t really get why I’d want to.
Bought followers are mostly bots. I want real people, not accounts set up only be sold.
In fact, the only reason I can think to buy followers is if you were in hollywood or getting a book deal and whoever thought that they should pay you more based on your social reach.
Otherwise, it strikes me like thinking your tv show is popular b/c it’s the one that Walmart leaves on all their TVs at 3:00 in the morning. If nobody is engaging, it’s just a waste and smacks of desperation.
Paul
Josh Brown says
There’s no point spending your hard earned cash to buy fans that will not respond to what you have to offer, most of the fans people buy are bots, It’s not really a big deal. If you’re a fan just bc other people are, then you’re a sheep and what does it matter who the herdsman is? (I.E. Who got you to like them.) I thumbed up the mention here because I think it confuses people