For some strange reason, people and businesses have been buying fake Twitter followers for a while now. It’s amazing that popular sites like Fiverr.com even have ads where people offer 1,000 followers for just $5 to $10.

Businesses may get tempted to use these services to gain thousands of followers overnight and project their business as a very popular one and in great demand.

Is it a good idea to buy fake followers though?

The answer is a big, fat, resounding NO!

Brands or their social media managers buy fake followers mainly for these 4 reasons:

1. Showcase their business as popular by having a large, inflated, albeit fake, Twitter follower base.
2. Attract real followers by using the fake follower numbers as a ‘bait’.
3. Perceived ROI or Return on Investment. However, $5 for 500 followers is NOT how a business should measure social media ROI.
4. A bigger audience to leverage

In reality, most of this is just a myth. The fake followers that a business buys almost always have no interest in the niche that they are in and are often not even real people.

One might garner thousands of followers but if they do not translate into paying customers or advocates of your brand then they are just a number and mean nothing.

How to Find Out if Your Business Has Twitter Followers

 

 

With tools like Fake Followers Check,  it is very easy for people to see if you really have a popular business with an engaged audience or if you are just trying to get big numbers on social networks for your business.

I think with more and more information and tools to track fake followers this trend will possibly die a natural death or at least get less popular. Businesses who are concerned about their brand’s online image must check with their social media managers to see if such practices are being indulged in and stop them right now!

Do you think fake Twitter followers can harm a brand’s image online? Share with us in the comments.

Top Image Credit: Victor Habbick/Free Digital Photos