The aim of setting up any business is to ensure that products and services reach the consumers thereby ensuring a return on investment (ROI). If consumers do not buy what you produce or avail themselves of your services, you are definitely not in business.
Businesses have over the years developed and designed various ways of creating awareness and making their brands household names but in order to have a clear-cut competitive advantage, any business cannot afford to relax. This is more so as a result of how the social media has impacted our lives.
To effectively ensure that a good ROI is made, one of the ways businesses have been cornering their fair share of the market is by employing influencer marketing. Celebrities, leaders, and people who call the shots in the society with large followership are engaged to talk about the brand and expectedly get the much-desired result.
Available statistics actually show that this is working. A report says that a whopping 94 percent of marketers who use influencer marketing strategies believe it is effective. While from another source we have it that 70 percent of millennial consumers are influenced by the recommendations of their peers.
The problem, however, is that you may be going at it on the wrong footing, all in a rush to join the queue. This article points out seven reasons you’re doing influencer marketing in the wrong way.
Terms of contract
It is absolutely necessary that from the onset, you have a proper working document with the influencer you wish to engage. Most businesses do not cover this angle and if you fall into this group it is completely to your detriment.
Nothing stops an influencer from been engaged in a competing business once your work is done. Ideas and innovations that were employed in your case can be harped upon and better fine-tuned.
A properly articulated legal document will ensure that you don’t make mistakes and ease the cases of misunderstanding and budget overages.
Blurred vision of campaign
Some businesses fail woefully to have concise and straight out campaign visions. In certain instances, the influencer is not allowed to bring the requisite creativity to play.
Unnecessary adherence to strict and set rules stifles the creative ability of the contractor who should be an expert in the field. Why engage the services of the contractors in the first place if they have to be bogged down with hiccups?
Leveraging on an influencer is to be able to create real authentic or custom content campaign.
Failure to build solid relationship
You must not see the relationship between you and the influencer as a mere contract that will come to an end after the expiration of the agreement. Rather look at it from the angle of a lifetime relationship.
Ensure that when the influencers are finally disengaged, your products or services will still be promoted among their friends, relatives, and even bought by them.
Genuine love for the brand
You must endeavor to engage influencers who have genuine love for the brand. You must not force the influencer into a false love for the brand.
The influencer’s love for the brand must be exuding sincerity. That’s the only time you will get value for your money.
Your subject matter doesn’t resonate with your target audience
When you’re not resonating with your target audience, the whole stuff is a wasted effort. The age and sex of your target audience play a vital role here.
Users 18-34 years old are 4x more interested in watching a video on YouTube than in viewing any other platform.
Any influencer marketing campaign that targets Generation X customers will be adept on Linkedin or Facebook.
Impatience on the part of brands
An influencer marketing campaign and the ROI expected thereof must not be seen as something that should have happened yesterday. A great deal of patience is called for here.
You must realize that a prospective buyer must move through the marketing funnel to the consideration and decision stages.
An added fact is that the best influencers know that their audiences are fickle and can easily leave, so they tend to handle their campaigns with the utmost care. They can’t afford to rush over things.
Failure to measure and analyze performance
You can only determine if you are performing by using the correct measuring tool to analyze conversion across other digital properties such as your website.
Tools like trust and sentiment analysis are quick ways of measuring brand performance. These two revolve around how often a buyer repurchases your product or services and a quick way of understanding customer’s attitude.
Correcting these wrong steps will greatly enhance the success of your brand with influencer marketing.