Why You Shouldn't Buy New Followers For Your Business

Having a lot of fans and followers via Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms look good for business, and many companies are desperate to appear this way to the public. Did you know there's an easy way to gain these followers? You can purchase them.

If you type "Buy Likes and followers" into search engines, you'll get dozens of companies that appeal to new businesses looking to grow their online presence. In addition to buying likes and followers, some companies, such as Buy Instagram Followers, even offer YouTube views and Web traffic.

However, according to a list detailing the top 25 websites to buy fans, only one on the list was said to deliver real people. Before any purchases are made, business owners should seriously consider the drawbacks of purchasing fans.

1. Purchased fans don't increase business. Buying fans spikes your numbers, but it does nothing for engagement. What you are essentially paying for is to look good to other people who see your profile. These fans will like or follow you, but the spike in fan count will not be balanced with a spike in mentions, page views or interactions.

Consider social media profiles to be the equivalent of a business's paperwork. You wouldn't inflate the amount of money you made that month or the business' customer conversion rate. You could lie about the amount of money you made that month, but without that money, you can't do anything to benefit the business. Similarly, you can lie about the number of followers you've rightfully gained, but you wouldn't be able to back up those followers with tangible business. Fake followers don't lead to real money.

2. Reviews are more important than followers. Always read the reviews on any company you plan to do business with. On LikesAndFollowers.com, you can buy 5,000 targeted fans for $349. The site claims that these are not fake people, and they have real profiles.