6 Influencer Marketing Mistakes You Could Be Making (And How To Avoid Them!)

One thing is for sure, influencer marketing is on the up-and-up and many brands are ramping up their influencer marketing efforts. But it's not like any of us studied it at uni! If you’re a marketer or business owner looking to dive into influencer marketing, here are 6 common influencer marketing mistakes brands often make. Take note to avoid making the same mistakes and scratching your head wondering what went wrong.

1. Forgetting you’re a goal digger

Being a goal digger is just as important in your influencer marketing strategy as it is in your business plan. Not having clearly defined goals is one of the most common mistakes brands make when implementing an influencer marketing strategy. Take a moment to think about why influencer marketing is important to your brand. What value can it bring? And, what outcomes you are looking for? Next, define your goals and shape your strategy around them. If you want to get a deeper insight into goal setting, check out our article Defining Your Influencer Marketing Goals and Shaping Your Strategy Around Them. When setting goals for your influencer campaign, make sure they are realistic and achievable. If you plan to spend a few hundred dollars on a single post, you’re not going to triple your online sales overnight. Instead, think of how influencer marketing can increase brand awareness, attract new target markets and increase your brand's social media presence in the long-term if you are working with a small budget.

2. Not doing your research

While some may be fooled into thinking that influencer marketing is as easy as shooting off an email to any influencer who catches your eye - this definitely isn’t the case. Not every influencer is right for your brand, much like every consumer is not the right fit for your brand. You need to find the influencers who are making a difference in your niche area, which means you have to do your research! It’s important to follow and engage with the influencer before you reach out, get to know their content, and what their audience likes. This will help you envision how you can work and collaborate with them to achieve your business goals. Don’t have hours up your sleeve to research, find and outreach to the influencers that suit your brand best? Scrunch allows you to easily search over 20 million influencers and filter the results by topic, hashtag, location, reach, platform, engagement and more.

3. Opting for reach over authenticity

Brands tend to opt for reach over authenticity, but this strategy might not always deliver the results you were hoping for. Remember your high school days? Whether fondly or not, there was probably a group of popular kids whose opinion ruled the school. Think of these popular kids as the influencers with hundreds of thousands, or even millions of followers. You might overhear them talking about the “cool” new jeans they just purchased and think you’d like a pair of those yourself (you know, to keep up with the cool crowd). Now think of your best friend as a micro-influencer - someone who is not one of the “popular kids” but is someone that you trust and whose opinion you value. Imagine she is raving about a new pair of jeans she bought from a local online store with great customer service, and better yet, someone complimented her about the jeans on her way to meet you. Whose opinion do you trust more, and who has more influence? (your bestie knows best, right?) This is the power of authenticity over reach Think of the famous celebrity or model as the cool kids in school, they may grab your attention, but you trust and respect your best friend's opinion more and are influenced by them. Your best friend is just like a micro-influencer, they are someone who has gained your trust because they only tell you about things that they truly love and support. You can learn more about the importance of Micro-Influencers in our article Why Micro-Influencers Are The Key To Influencer Marketing Success.

4. Forgetting the importance of building a relationship

While all businesses prioritize building relationships with their customers, some forget about the importance of building relationships with other stakeholders, which includes influencers. Building a relationship with the influencers, partners and ambassadors you work with is crucial to the success of the relationship. Like any good relationship, creating shared value can go a long way to establishing a genuine connection with the influencer . Think about the ways your brand can bring value to the influencer, not just how the influencer can bring value to your brand. Another tip - Don’t forget your manners. Remembering to simply thank influencers for their efforts when they work on a campaign for you can go a long way to maintaining a positive long-term relationship with the influencer. Taking the time to keep in touch and stay up to date with what the influencer is up to, even when you may not have any projects for them at the time, can also go a long way.

5. Not being clear about your expectations

It’s important to be clear with the influence from the outset. If there’s one way to ruin a relationship with an influencer, it’s by not giving clear expectations from the get-go. Make sure you let the influencer know the ins and outs of your campaign and business, and what you’re trying to achieve by working with them. If it’s imperative that the that the influencer promotes your brand handle and campaign hashtag, make sure they know that. If there’s a particular time you’d like to the post, give them a heads up. And if you want them to get across a certain key message, have an idea of how the content looks. They’ll never know unless you tell them, and it’s important to be upfront - clarity and honesty are key

One way to ensure influencers are clear on your expectations is to send them a campaign brief during your initial outreach. You can learn the ins and out of briefing influencers in our article How To Brief An Influencer For Your Campaign

6. Not using Scrunch to find and connect with the right influencers to save you time & frustration

Ok, so this one might be a little cheeky 💁🏼. But, in all seriousness, we’re not the only ones who think Scrunch is the bomb, just ask Jane Schofield, Head of Digital Brand Strategy at Style & NewsCorp, “Partnering with Scrunch has added another layer to our influencer-led campaigns. We are able to source the right influencers and engaged audiences, very specific to a brief.” Scrunch is the smarter way to find, connect and manage influencers to amplify your brand. Plus you’ll get a dedicated account manager to help you along the way! You now have a better understanding of some of the common influencer marketing mistakes brands make and how to avoid them to make your campaign a success. What mishaps and mistakes have you made with your influencer marketing? And more importantly, what did you learn from them? Comment below and let us know!