The ethical side: where’s the line between smart marketing and misleading the audience?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I help manage a small clothing brand on Instagram, and we’re trying to grow our presence. Someone suggested buying followers to look more “established,” but it got me wondering — isn’t that kind of dishonest? On one hand, it feels like a marketing tactic, just like running ads. But on the other, it feels like we’re faking popularity. Where’s the line between clever strategy and deceiving people?
Discussion
I’ve noticed a lot of small businesses use different tricks to look more professional at first — better visuals, paid ads, influencer shoutouts, even sponsored comments. At the end of the day, most people care more about the quality of what you offer than how you got attention in the beginning. Consistency and authenticity usually end up speaking louder than the numbers anyway.
I get that completely. I used to run a page for a local photography studio, and we faced the same question. In the end, we tried a small boost from a service that offered buy instagram followers no drop — mostly just to get the ball rolling. I think the key difference is intention. If you’re doing it to attract real clients and then focus on genuine engagement, it’s more of a marketing move than a lie.