What I Wish I Knew Before Starting Influencer Marketing Campaigns
Don’t be desperate…
I was desperate…
I am sure entrepreneurs can relate to the feeling you get when momentum kicks in.
I had heard about this online way of making money, called dropshipping. I spent 36 hours doing all the research I could. After a lot of coffee, a dehydrated brain, and far too much excitement; I decided that starting a business, connecting a supplier to a customer, without ever holding stock, was the smarted business I had ever heard of.
The next week saw me connecting with suppliers, building a website, developing a look and feel for my brand, and, ultimately, creating a truly beautiful online store.
Then, reality hit…
I had built too much momentum too quickly, completely forgetting about paying attention to what was going to make or break my business: Customers.
When you move so fast, it is hard to slow down.
How was I going to generate leads?
I have had some bad experiences with FaceBook ads in the past- so that wasn’t going to be an option…
I decided to go somewhere I was more comfortable for help- the wonderful world of influencers…
I had just come out of a season of hanging up my boots as a some-what successful local influencer. It was a great season, but I never wanted to be a celebrity, and having brands dictate my income left me feeling like a walking marketing campaign.
I knew this space… I would work with influencers, from the business side, to generate leads.
Where I went wrong…
I wanted to, so badly, start selling, that I never set specific goals. I never spent time following the influencers I worked with. I never used platforms to see whether they purchased their following.
I. Just. Wanted. Sales.
What happened next…
I sent the free stock to influencers who brought no traffic to my site. I realized that they had many likes (which I later found out they purchased) and bots commenting on their pictures.
The quality of their photographs, of my stock, were poor as the influencers seem more inclined to spend hours finding filters to make themselves look good. Note: Influencers do not necessarily spend as much time working on how your stock is displayed.
Also, one influencer moved and did not tell me, so her stock went to her old house, and it took her weeks before she went to fetch it. Another influencer, just decided to stop being an influencer when she got my free stock…
Needless to say- it was a huge failure.
Momentum is deceptive. Yes, you get things done. But, you also do things half-heartedly.
What did I learn?
Not all influencers are bad. Also, good things take time.
Once I spent time reflecting where I went wrong, as well as reflecting back to my own time as an influencer, I figured out that there are ways to set yourself up for success.
When it comes to working with influencers, you need a checklist to make sure that you keep your wits about you. When you do this, you can make up to $6.50 for every $1 you spend on your Influencer Marketing Campaigns.
Follow the influencer for a few weeks before making contact, set clear objectives, make sure to ask them for high-quality pictures of your stock.
Influencer Marketing is the fastest-growing online customer-acquisition method and it makes sense as to why. A recommendation from a trusted source can be more persuasive than any ad or commercial. Reputable influencers have become this trusted friend to many.
You just have to be patient on your way to find them and be able to recognize early warning signs.
How did my story end, well, I am constantly changing and evolving, but a year traveling around Europe, while running online businesses, showed me that if I spend time doing things right- the results do come consistently.
