In influence marketing, fighting fake followers

Influencers have helped brands capitalize on the appeal of large social media followings in today’s digital marketing environment. The digital space has also seen the rise of bad practices by influencers who take advantage of the new digital landscape by purchasing fake followers. Influencer marketing has become a major component of brand sales and growth.

This indicates that numerous brands are establishing business relationships with influencers without actually establishing genuine relationships with their followers.

It’s a good thing that there are businesses out there who are aware of the unethical practices that are taking place in the digital landscape and are determined to fight against them. Unilever, Samsung, eBay, and Diageo are four such companies that have made it a priority to provide customers with experiences that are meaningful and satisfying. This includes being open about who they partner with and refusing to work with influencers who engage in dishonest practices and scams like buying followers.

To combat influencers who purchase fake followers, all three companies have publicly pledged to collaborate with partners who provide consumers with a voice.

“At Unilever, we are of the opinion that influencers are a crucial means of reaching customers and expanding our brands. “Keith Weed, chief marketing officer at Unilever, stated at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that their power comes from a deep, authentic, and direct connection with people. However, certain practices like buying followers can easily undermine these relationships,” he said.

During a festival panel session, eBay, Samsung, and Diageo expressed this sentiment.

“What I want to do is give our sellers a voice rather than influencers who are willing to write a post and have a following.” It ought to come from people who are genuine. Godert van Dedem, vice-president and chief marketing officer of eBay EMEA, stated, “I am going to try to shift our influencer spend to that class of influencers. They are specific to eBay, authentic, and their stories will be helpful to buyers.”

At the panel, Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer of Samsung Electronics America, stated that Samsung wants to tell a story about creators. Diageo also takes a novel approach by concentrating on influencers, but only in a limited way.

The marketing of influencers is changing. Signing the biggest influencers and using them to promote or sell a product is no longer necessary. Working with influencers who truly care about a brand and its customers is becoming more and more of an emphasis in influencer marketing. Partnering with influencers who share your interests is the key to getting people to buy your products on a deeper level.

Now, brands are determined to collaborate with authentic and engaging influencers. Working with influencers who have an engaged audience is necessary for this. This lack of engagement is evident among influencers who purchase followers solely for the purpose of expanding their following.

Shoppers and brands the same are beginning to have the option to differentiate between legitimate powerhouses and forces to be reckoned with who are in it for the cash. Therefore many brands are currently cooperating with powerhouses who have bona fide reach while moving away from forces to be reckoned with who partake in fake exercises to acquire supporters.

It has been reported that automated accounts designed to resemble real people account for 48 million of all active Twitter accounts, or 15%. In 2015, Instagram revealed that it had up to 24 million fake bot accounts, while Facebook has also stated that there are approximately 60 million fake accounts. These figures are pretty unbelievable.

Brands must reevaluate their influencer marketing strategies in light of the increasing number of bot accounts appearing on various social media platforms and begin to establish meaningful connections with customers.

The author of Influencer Marketing, a Journey, Edward Kitchingman, suggests altering how brands collaborate with influencers. According to Kitchingman, brands should first focus on the community and the engagement it generates rather than the size of an influencer’s following. He also recommends concentrating on the ways in which an influencer can creatively benefit a brand while also concentrating on relationships and growth over the long term.