The differences between mass following and buying followers

26 Jun 2024

Growing an online business can be a real uphill battle. Indeed, it requires a lot of time, effort, and even money. For this reason, more and more brands and companies are resorting to mass following, which is quite different from the technique of buying followers.

Mass following: short-term marketing strategy complementary to growth hacking

Web marketing encompasses several strategies and techniques that allow for rapid business development. Many start-ups resort to some of these methods for their development, among which is the technique of 'growth hacking.' This is a web marketing strategy combining hacking techniques to optimize the growth of a business or brand. This strategy aims for strong growth through methods that deviate from the normal system. This approach is not always legal, but it is conducted within the limits allowed on the web.

The growth hacking uses techniques such as mass following to boost visibility. This is a method that involves artificially increasing an audience. You should know that the popularity of an account, whether on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, depends on its number of followers. In this case, the more followers your professional account has, the more visibility you gain and the more credible you appear to your subscriber community. Mass following involves following accounts en masse in the hope that they will subscribe back to your account.

Mass following: a strategy favouring follow back

The principle of mass following is to subscribe to several accounts at the same time to be followed back. This is known as follow back. This practice is manifested by following a profile that has followed yours. The goal is to thank them and return a sign of politeness. It is the principle of reciprocity. Follow back is, in a way, the fruit of mass following, which is widely used and much more effective and reliable than buying followers. The very functioning of social media algorithms almost demands its use.

If you subscribe to hundreds of accounts each day, you are sure to gain more followers. This mass following practice is effective but time-consuming. There are now automated follow back methods based on the grey-hat approach aimed at increasing the number of followers. This involves setting up automatic routines managed by bots that follow hundreds of profiles each day. Thus, the number of subscribers continually and drastically increases. Even if this technique is prohibited by some social platforms, it remains effective. Of course, provided that one takes many precautions.

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Buying Followers: To Have an Artificial Community

It takes a lot of time and energy to develop a community around a brand or business on social media. That is why several companies are tempted by the purchase of followers or likes. It is an easy approach that seems to be an economical and quick solution. It allows, among other things, to have an artificial community.

When you buy followers, the first thing you need to keep in mind is that the vast majority of your new subscribers are just bot accounts and ghost accounts. They do not actually exist and are mostly inactive. Generally, they offer no added value to your posts, as they merely inflate your subscriber list.

This artificial community becomes noticeable very quickly if you are not careful. The risk is enormous compared to the little advantage that these fake followers can bring you. Moreover, this practice is banned by most social networks. Thanks to the algorithms of social networks that are in constant innovation, these fake accounts will be detected and then removed. Thus, you risk finding yourself overnight stripped of several hundred fake followers.

Buying Followers: A Strategy that Does Not Reflect Your Reputation

The number of subscribers that social networks reflect the reputation of your brand or business. Indeed, if you have several thousand followers, it means that your customers are satisfied with your offer. You will gain credibility in the eyes of other users who will be tempted to follow you. However, this satisfaction cannot be measured with fake followers. Therefore, this strategy will have no impact on your reputation, since the accounts that follow you are not even real.

With this kind of approach, the fake subscribers made available to you are generally inactive. Inactive accounts cannot increase your visibility since they are not real people. On the contrary, you will be considered a cheater and you risk losing money and damaging your brand image. Moreover, fake accounts are easily noticeable and your real subscribers might see fake accounts listed among your followers.

By buying subscribers, you risk:

destroying your engagement rate,
losing your credibility at a rapid pace,
entering a vicious cycle,
discovering shadowban.

Mass following and purchasing subscribers rest on the same principle. The only difference lies in the nature of the followers. The mass following acts on subscribing to real accounts, while the other is fueled by fake accounts. A difference that My Name Is Bond made you aware of to act with caution.

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