Social media influencers are people that can be used to boost marketing and something that small businesses can benefit from, especially when they are first starting off. It is important to “shop around” for the brand-influencer that will be the perfect fit for your company and for your branding. 

You may ask, “Why do I have to shop around for an influencer? Don’t they all do the same thing?” Well, unfortunately, there are some influencers that are not legitimate, and that have boosted their following by buying followers and likes, rather than building themselves up from the bottom. 

So, how do you know if they are fake influencers? 

1. Notice if their engagement has increased substantially, seemingly out of nowhere. 

Maybe this person’s last ten posts have about 200 likes and all of a sudden their latest post has 2,000 likes. This is suspicious and usually means they have bought their engagements. 

2. Are they only on one social media platform?

Legitimate influencers are usually an influence across multiple social media platforms, not just one.

3. Quality of engagement.

Are that influencer’s comments full of spambots? Emojis? Is it the same person commenting over and over? Then they most likely bought these too. 

4. Followers vs. engagement.

Does the influencer have 100,000 followers and only receive 100 likes? This influencer bought their followers which are bots and do not engage regularly with the content. 

5. What are they recognized for?

Influencers usually have their niche and will be well known for their own thing. Look at their work, almost like a portfolio, and verify that it has been legitimate work.