The Pros and Cons of Buying Facebook Likes

Let us all take a moment to admit that some companies top-up their Facebook likes by buying them. One reason why corporate organizations with a presence on Facebook buy Facebook likes is to portray themselves as an established company providing high end services and trusted by a significant amount of people. This is especially so if they are playing catchup to a more established competitor. However, could the real cost be more expensive than the momentary gain? Let us consider the advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of buying Facebook likes

1. It can be very cheap to purchase likes. It can cost as little as $5 for approximately 2000 likes.[1]
2. If you already have thousands of likes, then an extra couple of thousand can easily be added without looking suspicious to your current followers.
3. Increase in volume of Followers[2]. This will in turn lead to enhanced credibility due to apparently larger customer base
4. It also saves time when compared to the growth speed of organic following

Disadvantages of buying Facebook likes

1. Calls the credibility and trustworthiness of the organization into question as it shows lack of transparency and integrity[3]. This could lead to a damaged reputation
2. If Facebook discover a lot of the fake accounts are attached to your page, there is a high possibility that they will take action against your page. Such actions may consist banning for a while or outright page deletion.
3. Facebook has become more diligent in deleting fake accounts. In August Facebook announced they have plans to disable more than 83 million fake accounts. This means that all your new likes can be taken away just as quickly as you purchased them.
4. Because the accounts are fake, the engagement metrics will take a serious hit. The real fans are bound to notice when a page with high likes have little or no engagement
5. Visibility of posts to relevant users will drop. You might see an initial bump in the visibility of your posts, but as soon as Facebook realizes your page isn’t generating comments or interaction, it will assume your page is not relevant or providing interesting material and reduce your visibility accordingly
6. Facebook is only valuable to your business if your fan base is made up of real users engaging with your brand. Otherwise, your brand’s Facebook efforts will only become an expense. Without a genuine online audience, there are no gains[4].
7. Translation to actual sales will become even lower due to the lower number of people who see the posts
8. Having fake followers can be like inviting hooligans to your party. They can target your genuine, lovely audience with phishing scams and dodgy links[5].

Recommendation

Building a brand on social media takes time and diligence and this will only pay off if the brand is interacting with real people who have been brought on board organically. Having achieved a level of relevance with the right audience, buying likes will be jeopardizing your brand.

The use of organic posts and engaging content will lead to increased conversion of Facebook interaction to actual sales for the business

[1] https://www.stuffedweb.com/pros-and-cons-of-buying-facebook-likes/

[2] ?https://www.businesszone.co.uk/community-voice/blogs/jkconsultancy/to-buy-or-not-to-buy-do-you-buy-social-media-followers

[3] https://www.businesszone.co.uk/community-voice/blogs/jkconsultancy/to-buy-or-not-to-buy-do-you-buy-social-media-followers

[4] https://www.sociallystacked.com/2012/11/buying-facebook-likes-here-are-6-must-know-facts/

[5] https://thedigitalbandit.com/wp/2013/12/fake/