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SALT LAKE CITY -- On Twitter you can go from literally no followers to 1,000 followers in a week using sites like uSocial.net, but it will cost you $87. If you need more than that, the site lets you buy up 100,000 followers in a year for just under $3,500.
On their website, uSocial.net says: "The more followers you have, the more money you will inevitably make marketing your products and services to them."
The company says the biggest hurdle for businesses looking to grow is to getting people to become followers. In fact, company leaders are so confident they can deliver the amount of followers they promise that they offer a guarantee saying they'll find even more followers than you pay for if they fail to deliver on their original promise.
Is it a good idea or a waste of money?
Some social media analysts say paying for people to watch you on Twitter may not be money well spent.
"A lot of the times when you buy followers, they're going to be just random followers that are generated by some sort of bot (computer program)," said Scott Duehlmeier, with The Summit Group.
Duehlmeier says purchased followers may not stay loyal for long, and even if they do follow you, they may not be the active customers you're looking for.
"If you buy 10,000 followers, you may have 10 to 100 [customers], if that. That's being very optimistic," he said.
How do you find followers?
Duehlmeier says the best way to build a loyal following is to picture Twitter as the internet's largest conversation, and you just have to join in.
"Re-tweeting somebody, replying to what they say, that's a really good way for people to start following you," Duehlmeier said.
He and Pete Codella, with the Salt Lake Social Media Club, say if you follow someone else on Twitter, many times they'll follow you back.
For another web strategist's perspective on uSocial.net and buying followers on Twitter CLICK HERE.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
