So one of my client (a small but overzealous startup ready to make its mark) asked me recently, “But why should I spend on Facebook Advertising that yields a CPL (cost per like) of 10 cents (~Rs 6) when there are sites that claim guaranteed likes of 5000/30USD plus another 1000 free as a special offer?”
If you are an end consumer focused business/service that want to project growth in terms of facebook likes and fans, you might be lured by this proposal, in fact, almost ready to sign off your hard-earned 30 USD, esp. since the offer says it’s completely legal and safe.
Yes, it is legitimate to buy facebook likes and fans. But let’s just go over what you are going to end up with.
Without naming names (but it should ring a warning bell if the name has “killer” or “fragilesoul” or “earthsaviour” in it), these facebook “like” sellers have a system where they either have bots or third-world, unemployed labor creating fake profiles and generating likes for you.
So in essence, they are mere numbers, i.e. inactive accounts that can do nothing much for you…for sure, not buy/comment/rave about your product/services! So even if they seem to have made you popular, they cannot make you rich.
And worst of all, they will be detected and deleted in some time. Yeh Facebook hai, yeh saab janta hai..Facebook hai! 🙂 Between Google and Facebook, they can figure out the entire genealogy of your clan and maybe your dogs too; fake likes/profiles stand no chance!
Facebook has started purging fake likes/profiles with its Operation Unlike. Check out the story on how the top 20 brands lost significant facebook likes in a day!
Now you may think, I just need numbers to impress my investors. But beware on that too. Unless your investors are dumb (and they rarely are), they will know how to track fake facebook fans on a page!
So a piece of advise for all the startups out there: There are no shortcuts, boss! If you take shortcut, you can get cut short!
Note: Any similarity with Sunday’s TOI article around the same topic is purely coincidental.
Preeti Somani is the India Head of a digital marketing consultancy agency Social Strategi. She also occasionally blogs @Everyday gyaan, albeit in perpetual beta. Feel free to connect with her at psomani@socialstrategi.com.