5 Common Influencer Marketing Mistakes That Brands Make
Whether you are a new brand or a seasoned household name, this fact remains to be true. Working with influencers will bring a slew of great benefits to your brand. There is a reason why they have over a billion dollars to their net worth, and their effectiveness shows.
While influencers or content (digital) creators have found their success long before the pandemic began, COVID-19 only fueled their demand even further. As on-site offices and companies closed, it was time to rethink their strategies.
INFLUENCING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
One such strategy included how to still reach their target audience without breaking the bank too much. We all know that while effective, traditional (ATL) ads cost a lot of money. Spots on television, radio, and print amounted to thousands, especially for prime areas (and prime time!).
On top of that, COVID-19 forced the world into isolation. The digital space did, in fact, become the world’s workplace. But despite that, this only spiked the need for anything outside of that, including some sort of human interaction other than the people they were facing at home.
So, this was where the influencer industry grew even more. They provided a human element to the brands they were advertising, and such testimonies proved reliable enough for brand audiences to follow through and purchase.
FALLING THROUGH WITH INFLUENCER CAMPAIGNS
But like anything we work on, there are moments where we fall through with the process. Whether it be disagreements, creative restrictions, and the like, such obstacles hinder any success from the campaigns we work on, even with influencers.
So here are some of those common mistakes to avoid committing the same ones in the future:
1. COLLABORATING WITH THE WRONG INFLUENCERS
Here is a cold, hard truth. Following count and high engagement don’t really matter if your influencer does not belong to the niche you are promoting.
Unless the influencer you tapped is a celebrity (or a mega influencer), chances are your products’ promotions will not go very far. Categorizing your influencer as the “wrong” one is not necessarily because of their personality, but the niche they are focused on.
Let us take for instance lifestyle influencer Aly Arellano, who specifies herself as a food and travel vlogger.
If she were to be sent products outside of her niche (like let’s say, car motors), her posts will not be as effective.
Why? Audiences are looking for authenticity. If a product belongs to the niche of that influencer, it is easier to integrate that said product into their lives and use it.
On the flipside, they do not result the same way if they go outside of their focus.
2. CREATING UNCLEAR CAMPAIGN GOALS
Just like with any marketing campaigns, brands should be able to explicitly state what they want out of the partnership. It is important that even prior to meeting with the influencer, they already know what objectives and goals to achieve with this.
If they want further insight or to accomplish goals better, brands can work hand in hand with the influencer prior to launching the campaign to get a sense of both sides. But it is important that the reasons why these influencers were tapped.
It is also important to note that going viral is not a proper end goal. In order to go viral, you must be able to define what that is. What engagement rate should be achieved? How long should this be achieved?
Specifying your goals can help you reach where you want to go. On top of that, you can also quantify your successes properly.
A good way of doing so is using the SMART way. You have to ensure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
3. RESTRICTING AN INFLUENCER’S CREATIVE FREEDOM
At the end of the day, influencer marketing is a creative game. Not only do you have to ensure uniqueness each and every time, it must be effective enough to reel in the sales you want.
While branding is essential to a company, it is critical that you do not restrict the creative freedom of an influencer.
Unless they are overstepping your brand boundaries (e.g. posting explicit content, posting about the competition in your video), push your doubts aside and replace that with trust.
Being too overbearing with their content can result in loss of creative flow, and an unrealistic result. You can compromise on certain things during your agreement, but leave the execution to them.
4. REFUSING TO ANALYZE THE RESULTS
The reason why some campaigns repeatedly fail to reach their goals is the utter refusal to analyze post-initiative. Sure, you have the numbers, the results, and the analytics, but have you wondered why they have resulted in such?
Analyzing after a campaign is important, if not critical, not only to the success of your present campaign but for the results of the succeeding ones.
Why? You can make sure to see what went right and wrong, what should be improved on and what you can keep on. Looping in your influencer can also help so that you can both discuss what happened afterwards.
5. DROPPING YOUR INFLUENCERS POST-CAMPAIGN
Finishing with the campaign does not mean that you should drop your influencers like a hot potato and move on. They are your living and breathing brand ambassadors, and deserve to be treated right, especially if they delivered what you wanted.
It is an exercise in care and compassion for your partners. You do not have to go all out each and every time, but simply engaging with them from time to time is enough.
Want to get started on your influencer marketing campaign journey properly? Let Near Creative help you out with that.