Don’t be fooled by the headlines; influencer marketing campaigns help a variety of brands grow. Like any marketing campaign, they only work when done right, but “right” includes many different strategies and tactics.
One of those strategies is using the right influencer or influencers for your brand. What makes an influencer the “right” one depends on several different variables you’ll need to determine.
We have broken down how to build an influencer campaign in our previous Perspective, Leveraging Influencers in Your Marketing Efforts, where we explore how to position influencers in your overall marketing strategy.
However, many common mistakes could occur during an influencer marketing campaign. Many can be easy to avoid, for the most part, when starting a new influencer campaign.
We’ll walk you through the five most common mistakes and how to avoid making them:
1. More Followers Are Not Always Better
Influencers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and there is no one-size-fits-all influencer who meshes well with every brand. A common misconception in influencer marketing campaigns is that the more followers an influencer has, the more likely that brand will experience campaign success. This is not always true. More followers will not guarantee better performance, especially if it’s the only metric brands look at.
Outside of follower count, other variables to review could be the kind of followers this influencer has, the engagement rate on their posts and the tone or aesthetics they use for their content. Analyzing many of these aspects will help brands know whether or not an influencer is the right fit.
2. Missing Goals, Especially KPIs
This step is crucial once you’ve picked out an influencer and agreed on the kind of content to share and post. Just like with any campaign, setting clear goals based on measurable, tangible metrics is vital to monitoring the success of your campaign over time.
Using specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) when creating a marketing campaign with an influencer will help measure the campaign’s success and align it better with business objectives. KPIs provide clear, quantifiable metrics that allow you to track the effectiveness of the influencer’s impact, whether they’re increasing brand awareness, driving engagement or boosting conversions. This also helps evaluate the influencer’s performance and ensure marketing efforts are strategically targeted.
3. Not Following Regulations
The last thing either the influencer or brand wants is a PR nightmare. An example of a PR nightmare could be repeatedly failing to disclose that the product or service an influencer posts about is an ad. Many influencers have come under fire for this and have upset followers and potential customers.
Checking in on the content posted on behalf of your brand and following best practices help avoid eroding any built-up brand loyalty, especially in the social media landscape. Reputation is everything, and so is knowing and following advertising regulations.
4. No Plan B (or C or Even D)
Most marketers know that things can go sideways very quickly. While being able to pivot is an important skill to have, it’s safer to have a backup plan. When building a campaign with an influencer, it can be helpful to think about possible pushback and worst-case scenarios, and even to ask the influencer what they think.
The important thing to remember is that the influencer you’ve chosen represents your brand along with your product or service. It’s crucial to set boundaries that communicate how to navigate tricky waters if or when things go wrong.
5. Letting Influencer Relationships Fade
After a project is over, many marketers jump into their next project so quickly that they might completely forget about influencer outreach. Maintaining professional relationships with influencers after a project or campaign ends is vital for marketers, because these ongoing connections can lead to future opportunities.
Keeping a solid relationship with an influencer ensures that they stay loyal to your brand and are more likely to advocate for it in the future. It also fosters trust and mutual respect, which can result in more authentic and impactful collaborations.
Influencer Marketing Pairs Well with a Robust Strategy
Influencer campaigns are great investments for brands, especially when paired with a well-crafted strategy. These strategies range from the act of choosing an influencer to measuring campaign effectiveness, and other variables, to ensure your campaign is a success.
