Influencer fake activity refers to deceptive practices that some influencers engage in to artificially inflate their online presence, engagement metrics, or the perception of their influence. Brands should be concerned about influencer fake activity on platforms such as instagram. 

For instance,many social media influencers are known for having fake follower count on platforms such as Instagram, in which case, fake Instagram follower detection becomes a necessity. Scrupulous influencer activity can negatively impact the effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns and even damage brand reputation. 

Brands should be concerned about influencer fake activity because -

# 1 Wasted Budget

Most marketers operate under very tight budgets. Every penny counts and if brands end up collaborating with influencers who engage in fake activity will result in wasted marketing budget. Brands pay influencers for exposure and engagement from authentic audiences. However, if the influencers have bots as followers or get fake likes from the click farms, the money spent on them is a waste as the brand will not get genuine engagement. 

# 2 Loss of Credibility 

Brands that end up collaborating with influencers who engage in fake activity unknowingly become part of deceptive practices. This can damage their reputation and be seen as complicity in unethical behavior. It is important to know that ethics and responsibility is very important for a successful influencer marketing campaign. 

# 3 Competitive Disadvantage

Brands that engage with fake influencers may lose out to competitors who prioritize genuine influencer partnerships. Authenticity and credibility can be differentiating factors in a competitive market.

# 4 Failed Campaigns

Collaborating with fake influencers often leads to ineffective marketing campaigns. The lack of genuine engagement and interest from the influencer's audience can result in poor campaign performance, including low conversion rates and minimal brand impact. This can be a waste of marketing resources and a missed opportunity for brands.

With the growing number of influencers across genres, finding genuine influencers to work with can become a challenge. Influencer discovery is much tougher today, than what it was a few year backs. In order to overcome these common challenges of influencer marketing, brands need to be careful when selecting influencers for their campaigns. 

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To mitigate the above mentioned risks, use of AI in influencer marketing is becoming more and more relevant. There is a growing need for brands to invest in influencer due diligence. For example, brands should rely on AI driven tools and techniques to identify fake influencer activity and ensure that they only collaborate with influencers who can deliver genuine value to their influencer marketing campaign. 

Al in influencer marketing has come a long way, and helps in fake instagram follower detection and much more in the following ways -

# 1 Follower Analysis 

AI algorithms can scrutinize an influencer's follower base very efficiently. They look for tell-tale signs of fake followers such as accounts with little to no activity, accounts with dubious profile picture or name, accounts that follow unusually high numbers of people. AI tools in influencer marketing can also pick up suspicious patterns, such as sudden spikes in follower count, which indicate that the influencer may have purchased fake followers from “follower farms”. 

# 2 Engagement Analysis

Some influencers  notoriously buy fake engagement metrics such as likes, comments and shares from a click farm.  A click farm is an unethical activity, often consisting of a large group of individuals or automated bots, that is set up to artificially inflate the number of clicks, views, likes, shares, or engagement metrics on various online platforms. Brands might mistake high engagement rates for genuine audience interest when it's driven by fake engagement.

AI tools can efficiently identify such activities by studying the pattern. For instance, AI tools can detect sudden spikes in likes for a particular post which is inconsistent with the influencer’s follower count. 

# 3 Audience Analysis 

AI systems collect data related to an influencer's follower base. This data can include information such as follower names, profiles, activity, and engagement metrics. AI can pinpoint accounts with little or no activity, such as accounts with no posts, few followers, and minimal engagement with the influencer's content. 

Some AI tools can analyze the geographical distribution of an influencer's followers to identify unusual patterns. An unusually high concentration of followers from specific regions might be a sign of fake followers.

AI can estimate the demographic composition of an influencer's follower base. This analysis helps identify inconsistencies between the audience's demographics and the influencer's niche or content focus.

Concluding Thoughts

To summarize, AI in influencer marketing is allowing brands to find the right influencer for their campaigns. AI-driven influencer analysis is a valuable tool for brands and marketers to identify influencers with authentic and engaged audiences, ensuring that influencer collaborations yield meaningful results and authentic engagement.

galleri5 is an AI driven influencer discovery platform and influencer marketing company that connects brands with the right creator. For more information on this, book a demo today!

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