Running an influencer campaign is no easy feat. Brands have to ensure that they have clear goals in place before embarking on their search for a suitable influencer to work with. Even then, finding the best-fit for your brand doesn’t come easy. This explains why some brands are not as inclined to engage influencers. Sounds like you? Well, you’re not alone. Research shows that 61% of marketers struggle in finding the right influencer to work with.
Read on to uncover mistakes typically made by marketers over the years and how you can avoid them.
Common influencer marketing mistakes
1) Unclear objectives
To first determine an influencer’s deliverables, brands have to be crystal clear about their marketing objectives i.e. brand exposure, drive conversion or increase engagement. For instance, an influencer may do an informative post to raise awareness for your brand, but it doesn’t necessarily contribute to higher sales, at least not immediately.
Coming up with clear objectives would also ensure that both your brand and the influencers are aligned, giving everyone a good idea of what they have to do and how to get there. Setting specific goals earlier not only streamlines the process of identifying the most ideal influencer-type to engage but also makes it easier to measure the success of the influencer campaign.
2) Over-emphasizing the brand
One of the main reasons why influencer marketing has proven to be more effective than traditional advertising is because they tend to be more honest with consumers.
As mentioned by The Shelf, 92% of consumers do not react as well with brand content. Instead, they rely heavily on content curated by influencers - even if it’s one that people are not exactly familiar with (aka nano influencers) - when making purchase decisions. It’s similar to how you would ask your friends and family if a pair of shoes look good on you, as opposed to the sales staff who is more inclined to withhold their honest opinion in the name of sales. Likewise, nano influencers are seen as friends; someone who genuinely has your interests in mind.
However, sometimes brands get carried away and require influencers to angle their content from the brand’s point of view, ultimately drowning out the voice of influencers. This is a major turn-off for the influencers’ followers since they may sound bias, and backfire on brands. The key is to actively engage in discussion with the influencer and find a way to plant your message in a subtle manner that flows naturally. After all, nobody knows his/ her followers better than the influencers themselves. Give influencers adequate space to do their magic and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
3) Focusing on following count instead of brand compatibility
Brands often want to get influencers with a large following to help them spread the word in the fastest time possible. Little do they know that finding the right influencer goes beyond their following count. Think about it - an influencer may promote your brand to a large number of people instantly, but it defeats the purpose if the message only resonates with a small percentage of them. On top of that, the cost of engaging an influencer that can reach hundreds and thousands of people is not going to come cheap. Selecting the right influencer is paramount for attracting potential customers because 49% of consumers rely heavily on influencers when making a purchase decision.
This is why brands should start turning to nano influencers with a smaller following (for more effective communication with followers who are truly passionate about their common topic of interest) and receive better engagement (averaging between 7% to 10%). Keeping that in mind, brands should conduct ample research on an influencer before going through with the partnership. Some things to look out for include the type of content usually posted, their follower demographics, and their interactions with followers.
For a clearer picture, celebrity Shay Mitchell who has been endorsing Biore for 2 years received backlash when she got fans wondering if she actually uses Biore’s products. One Twitter user even said “Just makes me think the product isn't worth buying if she had to lie.” Does she have a large following? 27.5 million. Was she genuinely a good fit for Biore? Evidently not. Did Biore benefit from collaborating with her? Maybe initially, but after the backlash? Probably not.
4) Not measuring ROI
There is no point in engaging influencers if you don’t know whether they’re benefiting your brand.
Influencer marketing involves money, time and risks - it’s an investment. Hence, brands should always check if the influencers they engaged are effectively helping them meet their marketing objectives. Moreover, collecting this data would help fine-tune future influencer marketing campaigns, resulting in a more optimal outcome. Perhaps you don’t do it because you relate to the 78% who have trouble determining the ROI of their influencer campaigns. If that sounds like you, you’re at the right place.
The trick is to tie up each objective with a suitable metric to make life easier for you post-campaign. To get you started, a few metrics to look out for include reach, engagement, sales, and website traffic. Of course, there are many more metrics to keep an eye out for but don’t be alarmed; there are a plethora of tools online which not only track the results but also generate reports. Alternatively, you may work with us. Having worked with influencers of all tiers, our team of experts at Partipost are more than willing to settle the nitty-gritty details on your behalf.
5) Not playing to the strengths of influencers
It’s good that you’ve ventured into non-traditional marketing channels. However, entering a new terrain requires a suitable mode of transport.
Traditional marketing channels are typically referred to as “offline” marketing. This includes newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and billboards. On the other hand, non-traditional or “online” marketing involves the use of social media platforms, websites, Google ads, influencer,video marketing and the list goes on.
Influencer marketing has an edge over traditional marketing in a few ways. Firstly, it is more cost-effective to advertise with influencers. Secondly, influencers are basically social media stars and social media is where consumers are consuming the bulk of the content from. Lastly, the greatest selling point of influencers is that they are actual people whose opinions are valued by their followers. For that reason, influencers can inject their personality and voice into the branded content, making it more personal and appealing to consumers.
Influencers are seen as fun people, which is what your influencer campaigns should be! With the rise of influencer marketing, brands should set themselves apart with fresh and creative ideas to better capture the attention of consumers. For instance, Circles.Life partnered with local influencers and made headlines for their daring marketing stunts. Your brand can achieve that too, so long as you’re open to trying new methods!
Running an influencer campaign can be daunting, especially if it is your first time. Don’t be disheartened if your first few experiences with influencer marketing are not as ideal - Steve Jobs did not become a revolutionary hero overnight. Making mistakes is part and parcel of life but some of the best lessons are learnt from these mistakes. With these common slip-ups in mind, we’re sure your influencer marketing campaigns will be off to a good start!
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