7 Mistakes when Creating an Influencer Marketing Strategy
When it comes to online marketing, you can count on one thing — an average consumer is getting seriously tired from the amount of ads being forced onto them. Wherever they go, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram, social network users are overwhelmed with commercials. On the other hand, social platforms are considered the most effective and the least pricey way to reach your target audience — that’s another fact you should have in mind.
But, how to gain their attention without being perceived as just another spammy business that’s trying to force their products, because in that case, your target audience will just continue to scroll down.
The answer is quite simple — use influencers. However, the process of getting in touch with an influencer and conducting a strategy properly might be a bit more challenging than the answer. In the following text, we will talk about the mistakes you need to avoid when creating a strategy.
1. Lack of Influencer Marketing Strategy
For starters, you should be aware of the fact that your relationship with an influencer doesn’t begin with your first contact. It starts much earlier, and you don’t need them for the initial part.
Influencers have their hands full, and if you get in touch with them just to greet them and see if they might, by any chance, be open for collaboration in the future, and asking them about their conditions just in case, because you might have something to offer them… chances are that your message will be ignored.
They are businesspeople. After all, what would you say if someone dropped by your office to see how you were doing lately? Therefore, make sure that your first contact is actually an offer that contains your influencer marketing strategy.
While we’re on the subject, you should also explore other types of advertising so that you’re confident that you’re going with the right one.
2. Don’t go with Just Anyone
The fact that someone is an influencer in your business niche doesn’t make them the right candidate.
Before you actually decide on a person, you need to dig a bit deeper, and start by making a list. That won’t be too difficult — just ask Google. The next part will be a bit time-consuming because you need to conduct some professional stalking (in lack of a better word).
For your influencer marketing strategy to work out, you need to develop a professional relationship with someone whose social media image corresponds with your brand. So, once you make your list, go through their profiles one by one until you find the right influencer for you.
3. Generic First Contact
As we mentioned, influencers are busy people, and their inboxes are filled with all sorts of messages. For your strategy to work out, your proposal needs to stand out so that you’re noticed.
What you first need to prove is that your business is legit. I’m sure you yourself know how frustrating it is to receive generic messages from people with fake profiles offering you something that’s obviously a con. You first need to make sure that your pages contain branded content that’s original and unique. Only then should you start with any kind of ad strategy.
So, you need to do everything in your power to make your initial contact as legit as possible. First of all, you should look for a channel your desired influencer uses to make business deals — perhaps they don’t use social platforms, but rather emails.
Secondly, make sure to implement valid links to your mail, which will support your position. Keep it short, concise, and valid.
4. Being Stingy
Most influencers make their living thanks to their active social network accounts. They are experts in their respective niche and their services don’t come cheap. Expecting a lot from an influencer and offering a small fee in return is a bad move.
Therefore, be prepared to allocate enough funds to your influencer marketing strategy. Like with any other form of advertising, that’s the only way to get a positive ROI.
5. Improper Communication
The word improper implies several different aspects here. For starters, the most problematic situation when it comes to communication is inconsistency. Once you develop a professional relationship with an influencer, they will become your partner. So, make sure that you establish rules when it comes to the regularity of your communication.
On the other hand, you shouldn’t try to keep your influencer on a tight leash. Too many messages will smother them (as they would with any business partner), but this can also result in another consequence — coming off as too promotional.
If you go about it like this, your influencer’s post will just fit into the pattern of any social platform ad. As we mentioned in the beginning, those ads are majorly ignored. So, for the sake of your strategy, give your influencer some space for creativity.
6. Not Paying Attention to Analytics
OK, so your strategy is finally out there, and your influencer is using their social contacts to spread the word about your business — so, what now?
Now you need to keep a close eye on important metrics; the number of hits on daily basis, page visits, changes in the number of likes and followers on your social accounts, etc. One of the most common influencer marketing mistakes is exactly this — not paying attention to analytics.
Metrics will lead you to a list of conclusions and, if you monitor them, you’ll know if your strategy is working out, whether your choice of influencer was good or not, and what improvements you can make.
7. Expecting the Impossible
An influencer isn’t a miracle worker. Many factors will influence the outcome of your strategy; your timing, the quality of your products, the interests of your target audience, etc. In order to become a popular brand on social platforms, you need to count them all in.
Advertising through influencers is the 21st century form of word of mouth advertising; this is how people communicate now, and they seem to find these kinds of recommendations reliable. That is the main reason why you should invest in this type of advertising. So, make sure to steer clear from the mistakes listed above, and you should be happy with your numbers.
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Originally published at www.creator.ai.
