Influencer marketing has taken the digital advertising by storm in recent years, yet many brands are still hesitant to invest their marketing dollars into these partnerships. There have been horror stories like last year’s Fyre Festival debacle, as well as distasteful displays by influencers, which can create embarrassing situations for brands. While these concerns are valid, these dramatic situations are very rare, and the valuable benefits that come from working with influencers should not be ignored. We’re here today to debunk the five major myths about Influencer Marketing that tend to prematurely scare off businesses.
After 90+ influencers received warning letters from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), many brands have shied away from working with influencers. While they do not want to risk bad publicity and fines from an FTC investigation, they also mistakenly believe that following the disclosure rules will take away from the impact of an influencer’s post. However, many survey results actually show that consumers appreciate honesty and transparency from their favorite influencers. Keep in mind, thousands upon thousands of people are following these influencers for shopping recommendations, and want to learn about new products this way!
Another common mistake that we see brands make is contracting only one or two influencers for a single post to test whether influencer marketing will work for them. Just like with other forms of marketing, potential customers need to see an advertisement multiple times before a marketer can expect to receive the desired response. Brands should instead look to work with multiple influencers for a campaign, or one influencer that will post at least 3 times, to start to see any results.
It’s easy to get swept up in the numbers game and only focus on the size of the influencer’s audience. Casting the right influencers for your campaign is crucial to seeing success from your investment. First, brands should evaluate the influencer’s engagement rate and make sure that these followers are interested in the content that is being created for them. It is also incredibly important to analyze the influencer’s audience and make sure that this person will reach the brand’s target demographic.
There’s no question that Instagram is king when it comes to the platform of choice for influencers! However, depending on your business goals, your brand may be better served by working with influencers on other platforms. For example, if you are trying to reach an older demographic, your business will see more success from teaming up with popular accounts on Facebook. If you are marketing a product that customers have had difficulty using, contracting YouTube stars to provide video tutorials for their fans and those already searching the platform for assistance, will be extremely effective.
While reach is a huge component of any influencer marketing campaign, there are numerous ways your brand will benefit from partnering with talented tastemakers. Macro influencers with large followings can provide credibility to new companies that are just starting out. There is also incredible value in the content that these influencers create on behalf of your brand. These people are experts on how to take photos and videos that will connect with people on social media! Based on your agreements with influencers, your company may be able to repurpose the influencer-generated content from the campaign as a bonus.
Interested in running an influencer campaign for your business? We would love to help! Please contact us at info@socialflyny.com.