Instagram
What Are Fake Followers?
Fake followers are the ones who don't have a genuine interest in the influencer's content but follow them. Fake followers can be bots, follow-for-follow followers, and share-to-share followers.
Few influencers might inflate their follower count to portray their social media account as popular, credible, and trustworthy.
Such followers in no way benefit the influencer engagement growth or any brand that collaborates with such influencers.
How to Spot Fake Followers?
Limited Profile Information
Examining the basic profile information of a follower gives a fair idea about the influencers genuinity. If their username is of random letters and numbers, or the profile picture is a stock image, those are both signs that the user might be fake.
You could analyze bio as well, but many real profiles don’t prefer adding them. You can pass this section.
Always consider the follower-following ratio. An account cannot have 1 follower while following 1000+ accounts.
Spam Comments
Read the comment section of the influencer. What does it sound like? An automated response or an actual person talking. The spammy comments indicate that something isn't quite right with the influencer’s follower count!
Unusual Follower Growth Rate
The sudden surge in follower count is a way to figure out their following rate. Doing consistent campaigns and growing followers organically can be considered real followers. However, if you see a big spike in followers without any corresponding increase in engagement (likes, comments), it's likely that these new followers are bots.
Reduce in Engagement Rate
The followers count show the number of people interested in the influencer’s content and engaging with it. When conduction fake follower aduit try anlayzing the engagement rate. If engagement is far too low for the influencer’s high follower count, there is a high chance that the account has fake followers.
Here’s an example of fake instagram account:
Impact of Collaborating With Influencer Who Has Fake Followers
Lower Engagement Rate
Fake followers are unlikely to engage, leading to a lack of engagement. Collaborating with such influencers affects the brand's marketing efforts and may not reach the target audience.
Brand Credibility Takes a Hit
Brands that collaborate with influencers with fake followers are viewed as dishonest or untrustworthy, damaging their reputation and credibility among its target audience.
Lower Return on Investment
Brands invest resources, time and pay influencers to promote their products. Brands end up paying for exposure to an influencer's audience that does not exist, resulting in a low ROI.
How Does a Fake Follower Checker Help?
A fake follower checker tool helps brands identify whether an influencer has genuine or fake followers. The tool analyzes an influencer's follower count and engagement metrics to determine the authenticity of their following.
The sudden spike in the number of followers shows that there are high chances the influencer has got fake followers while the gradual growth in the graph shows the consistent increase in follower count is organic.
Genuine Engagement
Genuine engagement is a key factor in the success of influencer marketing campaigns, as it indicates that an influencer's audience is interested in their content and is more likely to engage with a brand's products or services.
Protecting Brand Reputation
Protect the brand's reputation by identifying influencers' follower growth rate and ensuring marketing efforts reach a real audience. This helps avoid negative feedback from consumers whose fake followers may have misled an influencer.
Maximizing ROI
Brands invest time and resources in promoting products or services via influencer marketing. Working with influencers who have a real and engaged following, brands can increase their visibility, reach a wider audience, and achieve a higher ROI.
Compliance with social media policies
Collaborating with an influencer who engages in fraudulent practices can violate policies, leading to account suspension or removal.
Stay Away From Fake Instagram Accounts
Fake instagram account checkers help brands decide when shortlisting influencers to collaborate with.
By performing fake followers audit, ensuring genuine engagement, protecting brand reputation, maximizing ROI, and complying with social media policies, a fake follower checker can help ensure the success of influencer marketing campaigns.