Overheard today:
- I know almost all of these twitter followers are fake, but I figure a few of them have to be real, and they have real followers, so I am still getting benefit from all these bots.
The people having this conversation have had several like this in the past, comparing who is getting the most followers as though they are comparing who has the most Pogs (if you don't know what Pogs are . . . you aren't missing much).
The fact of the matter is that whether you are working with e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, or any other social networking tool, if your followers aren't engaged you are wasting your time. Let me say it again in case you didn't catch it the first time: You are wasting your time!.
When it comes to reaching people online you can either pay for it, or do the work. You simply can't jump online, get a bunch of empty bots, or people with the same mindset as you, that aren't going to listen to a thing you have to say and expect to get benefit from it.
Advertising online does work, if you want quick results and/or to reach a wider audience there are a lot of options that work very well. However, if you want to have followers that will engage and have a relationship with your brand, you need to put in the time and engage with them at the same time.
