Is It a Wise Decision for Businesses to Buy Bots for Their Social Media?

Marketers utilize social media to collect extensive data on user profiles to create scientifically informed and targeted marketing campaigns. However, they might be fooled by the data because the subjects of their marketing research may not be real people but also bots.

Due to the industrialization of social media, the web is flooded with automated accounts used to provide fake data such as clicks, views, reposts, comments, and other types of engagements. These bots and fake accounts have changed and threatened digital marketing’s relationship with social media.

But, on the other hand, is it beneficial for marketers to buy bots for their marketing planning? This blog will explore the world of bots and the Internet behind them, analyzing the opportunities and risks of bots for marketers.

See more on what bots and fake followers are: https://www.hipb2b.com/blog/how-fake-followers-are-changing-social-media-marketing.

Some stunning statistics about bots and “fake” accounts

Without studying the data, you might not even imagine how bots and “fake” accounts have filled up social media. Data from the University of Southern California and Indiana University in 2018 shows that nearly 15% of Twitter users are bots. The report Bots in eCommerce Sites shows that more than 27% of the information traffic on the web is from bots. There are over 95 million bots on Instagram, a number that has increased dramatically by 71% since 2018.

But why is there a sharp rise in bots in recent years? At present, it may also not be people who create fake accounts but software. The emergence of bots and fake accounts is “quantity,” which means that the speed of bots’ generation is significant. Rather than going through the manual process, it is better to use software to create accounts quickly. As the software itself is updated with new features, it may be difficult for people to distinguish between bots and real people in the future.

Opportunities that Bots might Provide

It is not suitable for businesses to buy fake accounts from an ethical perspective. It is a deceptive practice. But it also throws up a moral dilemma: when society is tolerant of “fake accounts,” and competitors buy bots, do you buy them?

Sometimes brands are “forced” to buy bots. From influencers to politicians to businesses, all are involved in a reality that is hard to distinguish from the real. Social media has been “kidnapped” by data. Because follower counts are the most direct indicator of social media influence, people must acknowledge the importance of counts even if they know they exist.

On the other hand, the purpose of bots is not just to create fakes. Some bots are suitable for digital marketing and are generally ethical. Chatbots, for example, can help more customers locate their problems and improve the customer service experience. Many businesses currently have a combination of human customer service and automated chatbots.

Risks that Need to be Considered

In the era of rapid innovation, the answers to many questions are open-ended. We cannot directly deny the use of bots. But what needs to be affirmed is that using bots to create fake data is never the wisest option, and alternatives need to be actively sought. It is a practice that would damage the brand image and brand loyalty.

Fake accounts can also cause a series of possible poor campaign performance issues. Brands eager to engage with real people but whose own follower counts are all bots will be in a passive position. After all, the potential for bots to bring in revenue will always be indirect; it is a means that brands use to talk to real users.

In addition, social media platform is updating their system for detecting bots. If the act of bots is detected, the account might be punished.

In conclusion, the use of bots by the business cannot be directly characterized as unethical. In some cases, bots can be an efficient solution to a brand crisis. But brands that do not rigorously assess the possible risks of buying bots can have subsequent issues. It is significant for all marketers to carefully imagine the negative side of letting fake accounts dominate their social media presence.