Influencer marketing is a major trend in today’s time and is undoubtedly showing no signs of slowing down. One can open any social media account and will find influencers from all walks of the society promoting one thing or another. Ever wondered the reason why many brands are finding it as a great opportunity to market themselves and are even succeeding in doing so…yes, because they have found the way out and are not doing some common mistakes while carrying out their campaigns. So, check out these mistakes and make sure that you are not doing the same else start avoiding them! Are You Choosing A Right Influencer Or Confusing Your Influencer Marketing For Celebrity Endorsements? If you think Influencer Marketing is all about considering celebrity endorsements just because they have a comparatively hefty number of followers, then it’s not wrong to say that your equation is short-sighted! It’s not suggestive to mistake yourself that Influencer Marketing is a post from a Celebrity or Brand Ambassador; it’s far deeper than this. Of course, they are a great option to consider when you want to broadcast your message and build awareness to a large group of people. But, the latest statistics reveal that niche and everyday influencers tend to drive a deeper connection with the target group and they are more capable of driving more engagement. This makes one thing pretty clear, choosing a right influencer is crucial to any marketing campaign and it is of utmost importance than just their follower count.    One should consider how the interests, demographics, market competency, attitudes, industry expertise of the influencers align with your brand efforts so that you can reap the best results out of it. So, how are you now going to chose your influencer?  Is Your Content Organically Branded Or Overly Branded? The essence of Influencer Marketing lies in its authenticity. So it is essential that focus is more towards the content being original and subtle rather than just as a branding piece. Though branding is the ultimate purpose of an influencer marketing campaign but the results would show up far better if the key message is conveyed through storytelling wherein the influencers pay more attention towards narrating their own experiences and personal reviews that will integrate the brand rather in a more convincing manner. Brand Marketing Messages need to be designed very tactfully, influencers need to seed and negotiate the message with such content that appears to flow naturally. Overly branded messages can form inorganic and disruptive incorporation causing hindrance in the expected success. Do You Give Importance To Reach Or Engagement?   Another thing that is important to understand here is the measuring scale, brands often measure success in terms of reach or sales. But that’s a wrong criterion, aspects like brand awareness, positive sentiments; engagement can be equally or rather more important elements to measure. Do You Understand The Importance Of Building Long-Term Relations With Your Influencer? Building good relations with your public be it internal or external is very crucial. So is with your influencers. If you want to see your marketing success skyrocket then maintaining and sustaining long-term trustworthy relationships with your influencer is a must. The success of Influencer Marketing Campaigns rely on the foundation of faith and should be looked as a futuristic relationship rather than deploying a one-off campaign. Once you have an influencer who is apt for your brand’s marketing then there is no point in considering another just because you want to taste every food item in the buffet. It’s preferable to be smart enough to identify one influencer and carry on with him with a strong bond and cultivate that genuine connection between your brand and the influencer and observe your gradual progress. Do You Have Clarity About Your Key Performing Indicators? What common mistake organizations make is that they do not define their KPI’s. Yes, it is really important to decide your KPI’s before you start off with an influencer marketing campaign. Doing this just requires proper planning and communication with your influencer and this would, in turn, save your later struggle to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. The pre-conceived notion that many brands have, Higher Engagement = High rate of Conversion is not actually and always true. That is why abiding by some KPI’s is really important for the growth of any brand. If the objective is to drive a lot of traffic and engagement towards your brand and not just sales and you are planning an influencer led campaign then it is a pre-requisite that you clearly define what KPI’s are of utmost importance to you, only then can a campaign be activated and would render positive results. This would also clear your stand to the influencer you are collaborating with and he can work accordingly in order to fulfill the desired expectations that your brand/product/service demands of. So if you are planning out influencer marketing for your business or you are already into it then you now know what all you need to avoid. So get going and see wonders happening to your business and brand with these influencer campaigns!  

Author is Mr. Gautam Madhavan, Founder and CEO at Mad Influence