When it comes to influencer marketing brands need to work carefully in order to create the perfect balance between branding their product and building trust with their audience.
As it’s a somewhat new marketing discipline, it can be a challenge to work out the exact path to follow. And also areas to stay clear of when partnering with influencers to promote your products or services.
These are the most common mistakes that brands make with influencer marketing and the impacts they can have on your campaign.
Brand Mistake #1: Focusing Too Much On the Brand and Product
When collaborating with influencers, take into account that their audience follows them because they are invested in their lives and opinions.
Expecting the brand and product to be the sole focus of the collab is the most common mistake brands make when kicking off marketing work with influencers.
Placing too many restrictions. Demanding and imposing brand standards on the influencer’s content. All this will only force them to create content that feels inauthentic to their own personal brand.
Once that happens, the content will no longer express the influencer’s personality. And so their audience will find it less trustworthy. Also, it will decrease the organic reach and relevance that influencer platforms offer.
Finally, it may even lead to influencers not wanting to be a part of the campaign at all.
Brand Mistake #2: Unrealistic Marketing Expectations of the Influencer
Another huge mistake brands make at the start of influencer marketing is focusing solely on their number of followers. And actually expecting the branded content to reach the entire audience.
An influencer’s reach is one of the most important aspects of the marketing campaign. It can be the deciding factor when brands are choosing which influencers to collaborate with.
Try not to look at the surface numbers and base all of your expectations for the campaign on them. Instead, look deeper into the more relevant metrics and statistics. These include the average reach per post and the engagement rates of the influencer’s content.
Once you have a better idea of the influencer’s reach you will be able to make a more informed decision. And so you’ll be able to place your expectations for the campaign in a more realistic range.
Brand Mistake #3: Not Being Upfront About Sponsored Content
In most countries, there are laws concerning hidden advertising. However, it’s still common for brands and influencers to try to hide the fact that a post is sponsored.
Concealing the sponsored nature on the influencer marketing post is a terrible mistake as it will create mistrust. The audience will most likely have a negative response to your brand if they realize you had “tricked” them into making a purchase.
Depending on marketing laws in your area, you may face legal repercussions along with your content being pulled or demonetized.
There will be different requirements when it comes to labeling sponsored content as such. So do your research ahead of time. And to avoid more marketing mistakes, inform the influencers how you expect the sponsored posts to be marked.
Brand Mistake #4: Rushing the Influencer Marketing Campaign
A surefire way to create a sloppy campaign is to impose unrealistically short deadlines on the influencers you’re working with.
Rushing a campaign is a huge mistake but is often the result of a brand that is still considered an influencer marketing virgin. They are not aware of the time it takes to initiate a collaboration and to create the content required.
Take your time at the start of the campaign. Fully brief the influencer. Give them enough time to create content that is relevant. Creative. And most crucial — reflects both your brand and their personal values.
Now would you like to learn about the mistakes Instagram influencers should avoid?