The Complete 2023 Guide to SocialPlus and Instagram Growth Services

Instagram has become a dominant force in social media marketing. With over 2 billion monthly active users spending upwards of 30+ minutes per day on the platform, Instagram offers incredible potential for brands looking to build audiences and awareness.

However, breaking through the noise is certainly getting harder. With over 200 million businesses now competing for attention on IG, simply creating content is no longer enough.

88% of users say they primarily use Instagram to guide purchases. So brands desperately turn to growth hacking tools promising shortcuts to more followers and engagement.

But are any of these Instagram growth companies actually legitimate? Or are you putting your account at risk?

The Rise of the Instagram Growth Industry

Over the past 5 years, there has been an explosion of services claiming they can safely grow your Instagram following. But let‘s separate fact from fiction here:

The Instagram growth industry is absolutely overrun by fake accounts and automation. Recent third-party audits reveal over 20% of Instagram followers are actually bots or inactive accounts.

And why shouldn‘t it be? Facebook itself admitted up to 11% of worldwide accounts are actually duplicates or fakes.

So fraudsters take advantage of people‘s desires for vanity metrics to make quick money. But how?

Behind the Scenes of a Shady Growth Service

While some legitimate companies exist, the vast majority rely on brute force spam and bot networks to inflate meaningless numbers.

They typically operate in a few standard ways:

• Bot databases – networks of thousands of fake, stolen or compromised accounts to perform automated actions

• Spam apps – basically force-following/liking/commenting tools blasting content via API connections

• Shady resellers – low-level workers manually grinding out engagements from click farms

While numbers may temporarily rise, there are catastrophic downsides to using these services:

• Account bans – Instagram is cracking down hard, deleting millions of fake accounts a day

• Reach destruction – spam signals tank your actual visibility and engagement rates

• Audience irrelevant – even "real" followers are often totally fake or purchased, remaining inactive and unrelated to you. Garbage in, garbage out.

So what we have here is an industry operating a downright scam, selling the Instagram equivalent of fool‘s gold.

Sure the numbers might shine, but upon closer inspection there‘s nothing of actual value.

Yet newcomers are seduced every day as social proof and peer pressure make even the most glaring of warning signs easy to digest.

What Exactly is SocialPlus Up To?

SocialPlus claims to "help you get results that are going to stick around for a long term and benefit your brand." Pretty bold claims in this minefield of an industry!

Upon first glance, it attempts to position itself firmly in the "industry experts driving real growth" camp:

But let‘s dig into the details and see if anything raises some red flags:

Reviewing the Pros

• Secured website – Leverages HTTPS encryption to protect data transmission. Checks out.
• Pricing shown – Starting at just $1.95 for likes, going upwards for followers packages. Surprisingly reasonable.
• FAQ included – Answers some common questions about delivery speeds and policies.

So far, a bit better than typical scam sites on first glance. However, looking closer…

Examining the Cons

• No company details – Website shows no information about who runs SocialPlus or ages of company. Strange lack of "About Us" these days.
• No direct contacts – No phone number or email addresses. Many shady operators hide to avoid accountability.
• Reviews feel fake – Very generic, no real specifics or identities provided on testimonials. Smells manufactured.

And clicking through other site pages starts revealing familiar patterns:

• Stock photos used – Main hero image is purchased stock media, not original. Very common tactic.
• Counting animations – Fake counters of "current visitors" try manufacturing urgency/peer pressure.
• Layout similarities – The overall site design and layout shares many elements with uSocial and other known spam services.

Likely Yet Another Bot Network

So while SocialPlus does make some effort towards appearing legitimate, too many warning signs point to likely being yet another rebranded bot network operation.

Some of the analysis gives it away:

• Fake scarcity counters
• Attempts to demonstrate authority via trust symbols without certificates
• Cookie-cutter site design and stock assets
• No transparency over company or owners

Cross-referencing this with SocialPlus user reviews starts confirming significant issues:

With the overwhelming majority of ratings being 1 star, and reports consistent with typical spam service actions, SocialPlus appears unsafe.

Top Legitimate Alternatives for Real Instagram Growth

Rather than put your account at risk with SocialPlus, there are legitimate Instagram growth services worth checking out.

The best companies in this space have a few distinguishing factors:

💎 Extensive expertise running successful Instagram campaigns previously

💎 Fully customized engagement strategies tailored to your brand

💎 Responsive real customer service and support teams

💎 Satisfaction guarantees – pay only for actual, measurable value

Here are the top services on the market actually helping brands see real, sustainable growth:

Nitreo

Price – Packages from $49/mo
Services – Followers, Likes, Story Views, Comments

Nitreo is an Instagram-focused growth platform used by over 50,000 brands and counting. Founded by long-time social media marketers, they employ targeted paid ads and word-of-mouth referral campaigns.

Best for larger brands looking for custom growth strategies and dedicated account management.

Kicksta

Price – Plans from $49/mo
Services – Followers, Likes, Comment Likes

Kicksta is focused 100% on Instagram growth specifically. Via tailored engagement sequences targeted at high-value users, they guarantee 80% real retention rates after the initial growth phase.

Best for personal brands needing an easy way to build niche communities organically.

UseViral

Price – Packages from $49/mo
Services – Full Service (Followers, Likes, Views, Comments, Stories)

UseViral is a social media automation platform with advanced analytics for optimal timing. Through content curation and community outreach, they deliver targeted new audiences.

Best for any brand that wants transparent reporting and money-back guarantees.

The Path to Real, Sustainable Instagram Growth

While it may be tempting to take shortcuts with shady growth hacking sites like SocialPlus, the much better path is through expert services focused on playing the long game.

True success on Instagram requires quality content, dedicated community building, and advanced targeting around personalized personas.

There simply are no shortcuts, despite what the crooks boiling the social media seas want you to think.

As Instagram continues evolving its platform and security efforts against fake accounts, legitimate organic growth strategies will win out every time.

Invest in the foundations instead of chasing vanity metrics. Build audiences who genuinely care instead of faceless bots and farmed numbers.

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Still Thinking About Trying SocialPlus? Don‘t Do It!

Hopefully this complete guide has revealed the truth behind shady operators like SocialPlus in the Instagram growth industry.

While displays of social proof might look appealing at surface level, virtually every reputable piece of evidence speaks to risks outweighing any perceived rewards.

Your Instagram account survival and long-term growth depend heavily on playing by platform guidelines and building authentic audiences.

Our verdict: Steer very clear of SocialPlus!

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