There are no shortcuts to online engagement.

If you’ve got a business presence on social media (e.g. a facebook page or twitter account), you might have received direct messages from users promising to hook you up with a lot of followers, subscribers, facebook likes or fans.

You might have some emails sitting in your junk folder claiming the same benefit. Or, maybe you’ve seen ads for this service on sites like fiverr.com or craigslist. For a low fee, these individuals claim you’ll get 500 or 5,000 or 50,000 likes on facebook or twitter followers.

Having more followers or likes is a good thing, right? Everyone wants to be popular, and having fans will give you credibility.

But not all followers are created equal. Is your end goal to brag about your number of subscribers? Or is it to create relationships with your customers, past present and future? Most of these purchased followers and likes are bots and fake accounts. They’ll never buy your product or service and they’ll never tell their friends about you.

To effectively grow your fan list, subscribers, “likes” or followers, you have to engage with real people by creating worthwhile online interactions and content. There are no shortcuts.

 

If you’d like to learn more about digital strategy and how to use social media to promote your brand, pick up the free Intro to Online Marketing Strategy for Small to Medium Sized Businesses eBook.