Influencer Marketing has really taken off in the last year or two and many brands large and small are now starting to get involved. The benefits of Influencer marketing are many, if you do it right. Your brand can tap into the audience of a well-known social media celebrity and benefit from the 21^st century version of word of mouth marketing.

Influencer marketing involves finding social media influencers and getting them to mention your brand or product to their followers. This can be done through building a relationship with the influencer or by paying them. The influencer will promote you to their followers who trust them as an authority and will then hopefully follow your brand or buy from you.

While it can be extremely effective, influencer marketing is not a failsafe marketing strategy. If you get it wrong, it will be at best ineffective, and at worse can be damaging to your brand. Here are a few mistakes you’ll want to avoid when you’re starting out on your influencer-marketing journey.

1. Using the wrong influencer. The right influencer is the key to an effective influencer marketing campaign. Your ideal influencer should be someone who has respect and is known in their niche with a strong, engaged following. To be effective, their audience should be the same as your target customers. Many brands make the mistake of targeting a well-known influencer solely based on their profile without considering how relevant their audience is going to find their products.
2. Not setting proper goals. Goal setting is part of any successful marketing campaign, and this is just as true of influencer marketing as anything else. Before you start targeting influencers it’s a good idea to consider what it is you want to achieve with your influencer marketing campaign. Do you want more social media followers? Increased sales? More visibility? Narrowing down your goals at the beginning will allow you to create a more targeted and effective strategy over the long term.
3. Not revealing your true relationship with the influencer. If you’re paying an influencer to mention your products it’s important that is communicated to your followers, or you could find yourself facing trust issues. The influencer you choose should also be aware of your preferences – it’s easy for them to add a ‘sponsored’ notification when they mention you so people are aware that you have a business relationship. When it comes to influencer marketing and social media marketing in general, trust is all-important.
4. Choosing your influencer based solely on follower numbers. Think a huge following means your influencer will be influential? This is not always the case. If you want to be sure you’re choosing an influencer who has a good relationship with their followers and who is respected, look for one with a high engagement rate rather than basing your choice on follower numbers alone. You can see how many of your influencer’s posts are shared, commented on and reposted, and how often they interact and engage with their followers. This is generally a good indicator of how much reach a follower has within their target niche.

Influencer marketing is an excellent marketing strategy for brands of all different shapes and sizes but if you’re going to get the best benefit from it, you’ll need to avoid these four simple mistakes.

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