You’re probably thinking, “Shannon, you’re crazy! I’ve worked really hard to build those Instagram followers and NOW you’re telling me to remove some?” Yes! You would rather have a real, engaging community instead of fake followers who don’t care about your business.

It’s true, there are people and well-known brands that purchase fake followers because they want to appear popular to their current real following, certain brands they want to collaborate with, and potential customers. Please don’t fall into this trap because social media is not a popularity contest.

Consistency in your marketing is the key to cash, NOT your follower count. I know of several small business owners and coaches, including myself, that have a successful six-figure business due to an engaged and real community, not because of our follower count.

How does one spot fake followers? Go into your following and look at the profile of everyone who follows your account. If they don’t have a profile photo, nothing posted on their grid, zero to a handful of followers but are following 1000s, or an odd bio that isn’t appropriate, they are fake. Remove them as your follower.

Another way to find these fakes is to follow your gut. Have a look over their profile and see who they follow! If they have any combination of anything I just mentioned … nothing in their grid, odd inappropriate bio, no followers, no engagement in their grid feed, REMOVE!

Lastly, think about your dream clients. You want your dream clients to follow you so if someone who is following you doesn’t fit your dream client vision, remove them as well!

Removing fake, spam, and even real followers who are not your potential dream clients from your following list is a great way to boost your engagement. This gets the kind of people you want viewing your posts in your social media feed.

Action step: Audit your current followers and any incoming ones to see if they’re fake, spam, or your dream client.