It's no secret that influencer campaigns are our jam, but hosting a successful campaign encompasses a lot of moving parts which also means mistakes can be made. 🤦♀️
To make sure your next influencer campaign is a success, we're sharing the top 4 influencer marketing campaign mistakes to avoid below. Keep reading for the full scoop.
image via: @jaclynjames.co
Mistake #1: Not aligning with the right influencers for your brand
Influencer marketing campaigns can absolutely miss the mark if you don't carefully align your brand with the right influencers! It's vital to know each influencer that you're considering in-depth to ensure their character, actions, and integrity align with your brand.
You'll also want to focus on building a great relationship with prospective influencers. You'll be working closely with them for the duration of a campaign and want their authenticity to shine through. If you have a great working relationship, odds are they will also feel more committed to providing great content and results.
Mistake #2: Not being clear about expectations and guidelines
Like any working relationship, it's very important to set clear guidelines and expectations around what the goal or success of the campaign is. We always hop on a call with influencers and talk through what is expected from them so we can answer any clarifying questions and make sure both parties are aligned. This is a major step that leads to a great working relationship and helps provide the influencer with everything they need to produce great content to reach the brand's goal.
Mistake #3: Not engaging with your influencers during the campaign
It's super important to celebrate and engage with your influencer's content! It lets them and your customers know that the brand is active and involved in the collaboration. Again, this lends to great relationship building as you celebrate their work. We always assign a member to monitor content going live, which is super important in the case there are any campaign errors, too. Sometimes a link might not be working and we can quickly reach out to an influencer and help correct it. The engagement doesn't stop after the campaign is over either. We encourage our brands to continue to engage and build relationships with the influencers through social. Like influencers are committed to us/brands, it's important for the brand to reciprocate that!
Mistake #4: Treating influencers like just another paid media channel
Influencer marketing is not just another paid media channel. *Gasp* It's true! Many brands make the mistake of treating influencers similarly to paid advertising when in fact, they are individuals who are creating this highly customized content with thoughtfulness. It's important to embrace their creative ideas and individual views - no influencer is the same and the process of working with them isn't either!
What other mistakes do you think are big "No's" in the influencer marketing industry? Drop them below!