22% of consumers between the ages of 16 and 60 who use social media have bought fake products that influencers have recommended.
When you were a child, do you recall your legal guardians telling you to avoid negative influences? In the social media age, that’s far easier said than done. Let’s start by defining an influencer and what they do before discussing the drawbacks of influencer marketing and how it can still be beneficial.
They are a person who has developed a devoted fan base in a particular specialty that they actively participate in. The amount of their following is typically determined by the kind of niche they are involved in.
Because of their standing, authority, expertise, or connection to their audience, they have the power to affect other people’s purchasing decisions.
Influencers are a very attractive channel for businesses to use to market their goods and services through strong brand alliances. Because of this, it is even more important that their followers understand the high instances of influencer fraud that are supported by faulty metrics, such as engagement rates and false followers.
The Threat of Influencer Marketing Fraud
Given the data presented in this article’s opening paragraph, which indicates that the annual value of counterfeit goods is estimated at $509 billion, it is imperative that more consumers are shielded from deceitful influencers.
Thousands of people die every year as a result of products pushed by powerful, shady influencers who have control over an oblivious, ignorant public, these products include but not limiting to unsafe electrical goods, bogus medications and cosmetics, and inferior foods that are all sold online.
The degree to which reality and fabrication are blended on social media—a cynical mixture hidden beneath a powerful motivator of social proof—makes it more harmful. Let’s examine the increasingly transparent influencer marketing façade first, beginning with the main black-hat tactic of creating phony followings, then moving on to the more equitable side of real influencers.
Metric Inflation and the Rise of Fake Followers
Beneath the Colgate grins and never-ending stream of praise, a little investigation will frequently uncover a dark theme among dishonest influencers: an equally phony fan following.
These accounts consist of dormant profiles, bots designed to imitate actual users (a problem that has become especially common with the introduction of AI), and even bulk purchases of followers from dubious web services (are you familiar with click farms?).
Influencers create the appearance of having a sizable and active audience by building a fictitious following. This also affects the level of interaction they achieve because metrics like likes and comments get skewed. The ability of bots to like and comment on their own these days makes it much more difficult to separate fact from fiction. Fake followers are empty vessels used solely to manipulate metrics and fortify a facade of influence.
Why Do Influencers Take This Route?
You would probably find someone rather depressing and be reluctant to have a friendship with them if you knew someone who boasted about having IRL pals they made up to boost their social status.
The issue is that, compared to real life, where people are more inclined to demand empirical evidence for your assertions, it is far simpler to get away with this kind of fraud online.
Naturally, marketers view influencer status as directly correlated with fan base size. For certain influencers, this makes exaggerated follower counts a difficult deception to believe.
Many influencers have turned to chasing bigger numbers (ironically, at any costs) in order to be more marketable, to be able to demand higher prices, and to discover a shortcut to governing their niche. However, this comes at the steep expense of inauthentic interactions with an imaginary audience.
The Impact of Phony Followers
Influencer marketing that depends on exaggerated metrics and phony followers is a surefire way to start a negative chain reaction and a waste of time and money.
Companies invest a lot of money in joint ventures for marketing initiatives that reach unresponsive populations and yield little to no interaction. Customers begin to distrust influencers and their advertisements when they consistently avoid or fall for their deceptive advice.
However, the damage goes deeper: if online authenticity and reliability are undermined more and more, this has a profound impact on the social media marketing environment as a whole. For sincere influencers who conduct business honestly, it makes things nearly impossible because they find it more and more difficult to establish enduring bonds with their loyal following.
The Way Forward
The most important component in any influencer marketing campaign should be collaboration. Collaborating with social media influencers in the right way may be a fantastic way for companies to expand their reach and increase awareness. When you start your search, consider these four easy things to ask:
- Do their viewers fit the demographics of my target audience?
- Does their content fit my brand or industry?
- In what way do they interact with their viewers?
- What is their reputation on the internet?
There are various online tools that can empower brands and consumers against the onslaught of influencer marketing deviants.
- SparkToro
- Buzzsumo
- HypeAuditor
These are just three kinds of software out there, but there are many more. These tools analyze follower demographics, engagement patterns, and follower growth rates. They reveal red flags and nasty narratives, such as follower surges or low engagement from a large audience, helping you identify accounts that are potentially fraudulent.
Conclusion
Don’t let the dark nature of fake followings overshadow the massive potential of influencer marketing. By prioritizing genuine engagement, metrics that matter, and partnering with real influencers, brands can and do achieve jaw-dropping results. For those who commit to transparency and forge actual trust, the future burns bright
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