We want to address a recurring issue that has been going on in social media for ages and why we all should focus on fighting against it. You might think that you could make it BIG with fake influencers and fake campaigns; but keep in mind, a brand’s purpose should always be to be as real as possible. Even when facing the darkest hour, a brand needs to keep it as real as it can in order to connect with users and possible customers.
Now, before we get down to the nitty gritty, we’d like to stress the importance of working with people. One of the benefits of working with God & Beauty is that we have a real relationship with our Influencers… We’re not some platform or a piece of software that doesn’t know the people behind the handles. We’re constantly checking up on our people and we don’t encourage bad behavior from them just to juice results. Our personal relationship with our Influencers is one of the key pillars in the #GNBFamily strategy that helps combat and weed through a lot of the fakers out there.
Let’s take a look at some numbers. A study done by Wall Street Journal shows that brands like Pampers, Olay, Neiman Marcus and L’Occitane are among the top 10 list of brands with fake followers. The study also found that mid-level influencers (those with 50,000 to 100,000 followers) typically have about 20% fake followers. Some Instagram Influencers may buy likes and comments, some may be part of comment pods where other fake influencers engage with their posts, and the list goes on. When brands are not reaching real consumers who will be interested in their products or they don’t see a return in the money they spend on influencer marketing, it could be because they are caught up in a web of lies and fake followers.
Now, in most cases, it’s not the brand or the Influencer’s intention to be plagued with fake followers. Instagram has created machine learning tools that will help remove inauthentic activity but there are just so many of these fake follower/bot companies coming up everyday and creating accounts that attach themselves to everyday Instagram users, including Influencers, that a simple unknowing login credential share could share your information with other third-party apps.
The one key thing you need to understand, is that Influencer Marketing is a game and it’s not all about numbers; it’s not about how many likes you get in a picture or how many followers you have in your account. It’s about engagement. About how people organically interact with your Influencer and the products/services being showcased in their feeds. Once you understand that the game takes time but the rewards are big, you’re on the right track to revolutionizing your strategy.
“The one key thing you need to understand, is that Influencer Marketing is a game and it’s not all about numbers; it’s not about how many likes you get in a picture or how many followers you have in your account. It’s about engagement.”
Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant who specializes in sales funnels, targeted traffic, and website conversions. He came up with five smart tricks to identify fake Instagram followers that could save your campaign and marketing dollars. Take a peek and get your study on:
Look for unusually low engagement rates
Analyze the quality of interactions
Examine their follower profiles
Analyze their follower growth rate
Analyze their audience quality
Fake followers can be bots, or real people who artificially boost their following and engagement by paying for it. Their goal is to create accounts that, on the surface, may be of interest to advertisers, but fundamentally, do not influence many people. People will go through great lengths to collect the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and even more if that pot of gold will get them free stuff and a good paycheck without actually having to put on the work, and you as a brand need to keep an eye on the people (not influencers) you trust your brand with.
So, bottom line is, do your homework! Don’t get mesmerized by the high amount of followers and so called “Influencers” that don’t have any influence at all. One of the first stages of rolling out a successful marketing campaign is choosing the right person to work with. This can be a very time-consuming process, but when done right, it will sow great benefits. So next time you get starstruck high numbers, ring that fake follower alarm and analyze harder.
The good news is that we can talk the talk and walk the walk by backing up what we say with hard data. The greatest thing the #GNBFamily can offer to your campaign and brand is the variety and multiple personalities that are part of our group. From stylish fashionistas, to kitsch photographers, to world travelers- you name it, we have it. It’s all about knowing your essence and applying it to your strategy to work with the right influencer. At the very end, that’s what we do, influence.
Let us listen to you and your ideas and wow you with a strong Influencer Marketing strategy. Let’s collaborate and celebrate strategies for your brand. See if we have the perfect profile to what you have in mind. Check out our roster and let’s get down to business!