While influencer marketing can yield significant results for your brand, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it.
An influencer campaign started on the wrong foot doesn’t necessarily mean it’s doomed. But as with any marketing, it’s important to make changes as soon as you see something that isn’t working.
Avoid these mistakes from the beginning to get your campaign off to a strong start.
1. Communicating Poorly with Influencers
You need to be clear about your expectations. Communicate the goals of the campaign right at the beginning of the relationship.
While influencers can be extremely useful to your campaign, it’s important to be on the same page. Your influencers need straightforward guidance from you to get the job done.
Without this guidance, the influencers won’t know the audience they’re targeting. They could be unsure of what kind of image to put out for your brand.
They’ll need to know what language to use, and what call to action they’re supposed to encourage. If any of these aspects for your campaign go undiscussed, the result could be a marketing campaign that completely flops.
If you want results, start with communication.
2. Using the Wrong Social Media Channels
Along the lines of communicating, your campaign’s success also depends on knowing where your target audience spends time talking. Think about the different aspects of your target demographic. Make sure that if you have only one influencer, they’re active on the right channels. With multiple influencers, you can have a wider reach. But keep in mind that this also means changing the message around. Always keep your audience in mind, first and foremost.
3. Forgetting Analytics
Avoid the mistake of plunging into your influencer relationships without first considering the best metrics of success. As in any marketing campaign, effectiveness can be measured in results.
But what results matter most to you? Research analytics tools on the market to find out which will help you understand the measurable results of your influencer relationship.
Some pretty universal aspects worth noting include your influencers’ reach.
- How many people are seeing and interacting with the influencers over your brand?
- Are they following the call to action, perhaps following the links from influencer posts to your website?
4. Expecting Magic
Results can take time when it comes to influencers, but some companies expect magic and desert their influencers when it doesn’t happen.
Consider where your consumers are coming from. If your influencer campaign is meant to bring in new customers, they need time to work through the steps to your door. They may not be ready to make a new purchase on the type of item you’re selling.
Hitting them with consistent messaging may be a matter of getting the message across at the right time, which isn’t necessarily going to be right when you and your influencers first set out.
In some cases, it’s best to think about influencer marketing as planting the thought in the minds of consumers, just letting them know who you are, and that you’ll be there when they’re ready to make their purchase.
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