Some people have created myths about influencer marketing so we have created a list of 7 of those myths and answered them all for you.
- Influencer marketing is risky and you have no control over what influencers post – the truth is, you have to give a brief. Not restricting the influencer to their creativity, but aligning the goals and values of the business so they understand the KPIs. Reviewing the influencer’s content before posting is essential. The collaboration would not just be put online without going through everything first.
- It’s cheaper to do influencer marketing in-house rather than getting an agency – the truth is, it gets more expensive getting an influencer in-house and takes more time. Time is money and you also have to look at building relationships with the influencer, making sure they are the perfect fit for your brand. With an agency, the database is packed with influencers who are trusted and who the specialist can advise further for your product or service. The legal aspect also takes a long time – negotiating contracts, setting rates, licensing as well as having the knowledge of keeping up with trends and what is “in” at the moment. There is also the risk of fake influencers and scans which is a waste of money and therefore less cost-effective.
- To make influencer marketing collaborations that are trustworthy and that are credible, you need to work with an influencer over a long period of time – the truth is, yes, it is good if you work with an influencer over a set period of time, but it doesn’t have to be the same one as there are so many others. You need to test to see which influencers work best for your brand and match up with your KPIs. Some may work with you continuously, and others may not. If you find influencers who align with your goals and strategy then this is perfect, but otherwise, you shouldn’t judge an influencer on the first collaboration, as the second one may be much better.
- Either you choose to work with big celebrities, macro-influencers or you work with many micro-influencers- the truth is, you can and you should do a mix! When you start working with influencer marketing you should also use trial and error as the results work on different factors. For example, you can collaborate with bigger influencers to create hype around your brand or build a relationship with them to become your brand ambassadors. On the other hand, the micro-influencers would come to use for start-ups and as a basis to interact with more of a tighter niche of a market as micro-influencers have a closer connection with their audience and more engagement.
- Influencers always resemble their followers – the truth is that an influencer can display many different characteristics. It’s important to keep in mind there are various reasons for someone to follow an influencer and it’s not always because they feel or have a similar lifestyle to this person. The influencer could have a specific niche and therefore why they have followers to be educated on that specific niche, or they may be getting something else from the influencer’s page. It is always important here to keep an eye on your data as the ages may vary and even gender. What does this mean for brands? Previously, influencer marketing was very profile-focused to work with a specific person which is dangerous for a brand. An example would be if a brand is looking to target 30-year-old men, then they would think of choosing a 30-year-old influencer. But by analysing the data, you would find it’s not men that are following the influencer page, but the majority of the percentage of followers comes from women in their 20s.
- Influencer marketing is not trustworthy as influencers get paid to say certain things – the truth is, if you do it correctly, influencer marketing is the most effective way of building relationships and trust with your target audience, but you need to ensure it’s a right match. A hair care brand would not partner with an influencer who is a chef for example as the relevance isn’t there unless the chef spoke about hair damage while cooking and related in some way to their followers. The engagement would still be weak and not as strong as an influencer who is a hairstylist or hairdresser promoting the brand. Influencers must have an interest in the brand and align with the values as previously noted.
- Influencer marketing cannot be measured – the truth is, it’s even easier to measure influencer marketing compared to many other traditional media channels. There are so many new features that social media platforms and apps are releasing to make them more data conscious when looking for results. Analysing data on apps such as comparing likes, comments, and shares to other posts, or when the best time to post is, can all be found on one or more apps. Digital media is growing fast and everything can be found online.
Was your influencer marketing myth answered? Let us know your favourite one by tweeting us @itpliveme.