Influencer marketing is still a new term for many of us. While some have more experience than others, rules for successful influencer marketing are still being written as we go. With that said, mistakes are unavoidable when you are new to this.
The biggest influencers on social media have hundreds to thousands of following. They are the tastemakers. They are powerful enough to drive the interest of people in a certain direction whether it comes to fashion, pop-culture or music. Do you know 49% of consumer decisions depend on influencer recommendation? Clearly, a lot of scope for influencers. At one side, being an influencer can be a lot of fun but there are a lot of responsibilities too. As we know with every perk there comes a pitfall associated with it. And in influencer marketing some are too big that it can mess up your entire influence before it even gets started. Being an influencer you are promoting other brands but don’t forget you yourself are a brand and cultivating that brand is equally important. So stay alert and don’t make these 5 mistakes when you are a social media influencer. Let’s start reading:
Don’t insult, be a racist or use anything of that kind :
Being a bigot on social media is the quickest way to lose all credibility among your fan following. So don’t do it. You might believe those things personally but keep them to yourself and out of public view at all costs. And it’s better you don’t have them at all. When you personally hold these things then even if you don’t say these bigoted words, your actions can be interpreted in that way, so check yourself. It becomes even more typical when you are visiting a different country since it’s not very easy to adopt a different culture. Research is your saviour there.
Avoid trash-talking about the brands you influence:
If you are a massive influencer in a particular industry and brands rely upon you for their success, don’t talk rubbish about them on social media. In fact, give them a professional critique on your social media or create amazing social media graphics to give them a boost. As an influencer, don’t disparage a competitive brand. It is a good practice for influencers that they also review that competitive brand as well down the road. Be a positive influence not a negative one.
Avoid Controversies:
Anything you say or do on social media platforms can viralize in seconds when you are an influencer. And controversies spread even faster. That can get you instant fame or hurl you into PR hell in no time at all. Being straightforward or politically correct is boring but as an influencer it’s your job to represent it creatively. So when possible, don’t comment or post anything on controversial topics. Though, these controversies are the most trending on social media and to hold your strong foot in the industry you have to participate in them. Hence show awareness of what is going in the world by spinning them in a way that they positively reflect on your brand.
Don’t post poor quality images, videos and other graphics:
Social media is all visual today. Facebook, Instagram and pinterest are all graphic based these days. So for an influencer or anyone it is not advisable to post ugly pictures on social media. Pay attention to the quality of your posts and create amazing social media posts that grab your audience eyeballs.
Don’t leave it all to AI:
We all know the benefits of automation is enormous when it comes to marketing. But when you are an influencer, brands would love to talk on behalf of a human not some automated messages. Nothing replace the human element when it comes to promoting on social media. So find ways to connect with your audience in a genuine, empathetic, human way as often as you can.
Managing your brand on social media will let you manage other brands effectively. Just avoid the above pitfalls and you will enjoy less stress and more fun along the way.