Brands navigate the challenge of spotting fake followers and determining engagement quality in multiple ways:

1. Analyzing Engagement Rate: Brands use analytics tools to assess the engagement received by an influencer: likes, shares, comments, etc. If an influencer with thousands of followers consistently gets only a few engagements, this can indicate fake followers.

2. Follower Origin Check: It is important to verify followers’ demographics. If a large portion of followers come from regions irrelevant to the brand, there is a likelihood of fake followers.

3. Growth Rate: A sudden surge in follower count could indicate that followers have been purchased. Brands prefer influencers with slow, steady growth as it often implies organic following.

4. Content Quality: Brands scrutinize the quality of posts and the relevance of their content to the target audience. High-quality content usually signifies genuine engagement.

5. Influencer Marketing Platforms: Platforms like Flinque help brands verify influencer quality. These platforms provide deep analytics, check follower demographics, engagement rates, track influencers’ performance over time, and use AI algorithms to detect fake followers, making the selection process easier and efficient.

6. Audience Sentiment Analysis: Brands use sentiment analysis to understand audience’s response towards an influencer. Positive sentiments generally suggest credible influencers.

Remember that these are just aids to help determine the quality of an influencer. The final decision should always be tailored to the brand’s specific needs. Each brand will prioritize different factors based on their goals. For example, an internationally active brand might not be bothered by a diverse follower origin.

Understanding the value of genuine and engaging influencers, platforms such as Flinque offer tools for effective influencer verification, providing brands with reliable data to make well-informed decisions.