Influencer marketing is still relatively new, which means people are prone to making mistakes. Check out some of the most common influencer marketing mistakes, along with tips you can use to avoid them.
Going with the Wrong Compensation Model
If you go with the wrong compensation model, one of two things will happen. You will underpay the influencer, which means he or she will be unhappy and won’t continue with the project, or you will overpay and blow your budget. Either one will wreck your campaign.
If you have a very tight budget, go with the pay-per-post compensation model. You and your influencer decide on a set number of posts, and then you pay your influencer accordingly.
Cost-per-engagement and cost-per-click are both excellent options if you want to pay for results. You only pay if someone clicks on the post or engages with it.
These are just a couple of your options. Always make sure that your compensation method aligns with your goals and your budget.
Letting the Influencer Run Wild
Companies tend to let their influencers run wild. They don’t give any guidance, and they are surprised when the relationship doesn’t work out.
You need to define your goals and then give the influencer the information necessary to help you reach them. That includes the marketing message and information about how to use your product. The more information your influencer has, the better he or she can serve your brand.
Only Looking at Followers
If you find an influencer who has more than 100,000 followers, you are immediately interested. You want that person to represent your product.
Here’s the problem, though. Many of those followers are likely outside of your target audience, and engagement levels can go down as followers go up.
Instead of looking at followers, look at engagement levels and the target market. This is much more important than the number of followers the person has.
Failing to Disclose the Relationship
Rookie influencer marketers often try to hide the fact that they’re compensating influencers for mentioning their brands or products. That’s a huge mistake. First, it’s a violation of the FTC regulations, and second, it will make your brand look like a fraud. The relationship will eventually get exposed, and when it does, the influencer’s followers will never trust you again. The influencer doesn’t have to put it in big bold letters, but he or she at least needs to create a hashtag letting people know that it’s a sponsored post.
Rushing Influencers
You want results quickly, but you won’t get results at all if you give influencers short deadlines. Rushing can hurt your brand, so let the influencer work at his or her own pace. The influencers should have enough time to craft the messages in a creative way and then reach out to the audience. Talk to the influencer, in the beginning, to find out how much time he or she needs. If it is reasonable, give the person that amount of time to get results.
Influencer marketing is one of the most powerful marketing options out there. If you avoid these mistakes, you will be a pro in no time.
