Don't Buy Followers
Sharon McLaughlin, MD, MBA
Power of Peacefulness/Female Physician Entrepreneurs Group/ Best Selling Author/ Podcaster/Certified Executive Coach/ Senior Medical Director
A while back, I used ads to boost my Facebook page likes when I was promoting a wellness program. Unfortunately, it led nowhere. Despite having legitimate FB ads, the followers gained offered no engagement. They didn't appear to be real people/accounts either
Why would someone like a page without engaging? Perhaps out of support, because they were asked, or for a financial incentive. Not sure in the above case.
I then hired someone to grow my account. Initially, I was impressed as my follower count skyrocketed. However, engagement remained low, with only a few comments on posts. Upon investigating, I found out many of the new likes were from bots—fake followers who had no interest in my content or program.
If you purchase followers, expect little engagement. I delved deeper and discovered that some people buy entire social media accounts with pre-existing followers. Is this a good idea? Probably not. When the content changes, followers often drop off since it’s not the material they’re accustomed to, even if it’s in a similar industry.
Additionally, these followers are unknown entities and could spam your genuine followers.
Engagement pods are not very effective if there's no common interest. The platform may get confused about what content to show you since you’re interacting with different industries.
In my group, Female Physician Entrepreneurs, I often hear members say, "I post a lot but no one is seeing it." Social media platforms reward engagement. When users interact with your account, it signals a good user experience to the platform, prompting it to show your content to more people. Achieve this by consistently posting content that resonates with your audience. This requires testing different types of posts and determining the best times to post.
Social media requires being social. You can’t just post and leave. Spend time on the platform. Engage actively and consistently. Reply to comments, interact with other accounts, and support others. The discover section can help you find new accounts to connect with. People appreciate being thought of and connected.
Use hashtags. Despite some claims that hashtags are dead, I still gain followers through them.
While scheduling posts is helpful, ensure you're active on the platform by checking notifications and responding.?
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Explore the discovery section for interesting posts.
Consider managing different accounts for distinct brands. I recently started an Instagram channel for Female Physician Entrepreneurs, separate from my personal brand which focuses on the Power of Peacefulness. Mixing the two confused my followers. Now, the platform shows me content more aligned with my interests, and my followers get clear, focused content.
What has helped you with social media?
Resources:
Download my Grow Your Business Workbook
Need peace in your life?
Follow my podcast at the Power of Peacefulness
Download my peacefulness workbook
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Founder of PlansConnect, LLC | Strategist for Networking in the Sciences | Fora Travel Advisor
9 个月Things to think about! Thank you.
Empowering High Achievers to Create Sustainable Well-being ? ??Professional Speaker ? Physician ? Podcaster ? Mental Health Advocate (Read About Section)
9 个月Very informative article Sharon McLaughlin MD FACS! You can’t create overnight authentic and real connections. While I can absolutely understand the temptation and frankly the entrepreneurial need, it simply doesn’t work. I didn’t realize people were “buying followers” ?? Appreciate all that you do in supporting women physicians????
Senior Medical Director - Utilization Management, Fidelis Care (Centene) | Endocrinology E-Consultant | Certified Physician Executive
9 个月Very informative