With the influencer marketing industry growing YoY and more brands investing dollars into influencer campaigns, we’re providing expert insight into the simple downfalls holding brands back from maximizing the success of their programs.

Make your influencer programs work harder for you by avoiding these common mistakes:

1. Delaying a campaign launch. Delays happen, but delaying too far out or too many times can lead to partners backing out of influencer campaigns. Keep an open line of communication and do your best to stay on track.
2. Being overly stringent with content development. Posts perform the best when the influencer has a say in how content comes to life. They have the pulse on current trends, platform best practices and audience insights to know what will perform the best. As long as the content hits key message points and product features, let the influencers work their magic! 
3. Not properly vetting influencers. Brands should look at engagement, prior partnerships, channel vibes and vet for any controversial topics surrounding influencers before deciding to move forward. We use a combination of human and machine review to ensure our partners are brand safe and will deliver premium results.
4. Asking for too much usage and exclusivity. Brands should only pay for the usage and exclusivity they actually need. Given costs have significantly increased in recent months, it’s better to go in low and renegotiate once the content is live and has proven results.
5. Not following disclosure guidelines. It’s all good and fun until someone gets dinged for not disclosing partnerships properly. Make sure that partnership disclosure is clear, above the fold in captions, and on Instagram Story frames. More information on disclosure can be found on the FTC website.
6. Having unrealistic expectations about influencer fees. Expecting influencers to work in exchange for product doesn’t fly as much as it used to. Make sure you’re up-to-date on influencer rates to avoid partnering with low cost partners who either receive less engagement on channels or produce poor quality content.
7. Using licensed songs without usage rights. While influencers and online users may choose to use songs and sounds in organic content, tapping licensed assets in paid content may have implications. Influencers making profit off an asset they (and the brand) are not paying royalty fees for can lead to serious legal implications. 
8. Not building relationships with influencer partners. Creating a network of influencers and treating them as an extension of your team will yield stronger partnerships and lend to more successful influencer campaigns. Influencers tend to be bigger brand advocates and give extra love to brands that make them feel seen and heard. 
9. Not following a strategy. Programs should ladder up to a goal. Tailoring influencer partner selects (size, platforms, and verticals), content mix and key messaging will maximize results and provide better learnings for optimizations in the future. For more information on how to select the right partner, see our blog here. 
10. Not repartnering with top performers. Pay attention to results! Partners who yielded strong results should be kept in mind for future campaigns due to their proven success.

If you’re ever in doubt, we’re here to help! Our team of influencer marketing experts specialize in CPG, B2B, Consumer and Corporate Reputation influencer programs. We’re here for all of your affiliate marketing, content development, campaign planning, and influencer event management needs!

Written By: Angie Bolotin, Head of Influencer Marketing