The Do’s and Don’ts of Influencer Marketing: How to Run a Smart Campaign Without Missteps
Influencer marketing may seem simple—find influencers, get them to promote your product, and you’re done. But in reality, it’s a bit more nuanced. If you think you can just throw money at a social media star and call it a day, you're setting yourself up for failure. Let’s break down the essential do’s and don’ts to make sure your campaign hits the mark.
Why Choose Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is about more than just paying someone to promote your product. Influencers are their own brands, often without the backing of a big team, which means their personal endorsement carries significant weight. Their approval or rejection can have a serious impact on how your brand is perceived. When done right, influencer marketing can bridge the gap between your brand and your audience, fostering trust and loyalty in an authentic way.
DON’T: Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Big influencers might seem like a shortcut to instant success, but relying on just one person can backfire. Remember Pepsi’s failed campaign with Kendall Jenner? A single misstep can damage your brand’s reputation and derail your entire campaign. Large influencers often don’t have the same personal connection with their audience that smaller creators do. Instead of focusing on one influencer, spread your strategy across a few. This not only diversifies your risk but also allows you to leverage various styles and voices to reach different segments of your audience.
DO: Diversify Your Influencers
Since influencers are human, they’re bound to make mistakes or say something controversial. To protect your campaign from any single influencer’s misstep, work with multiple influencers across different niches. This not only lowers your risk but also helps you reach different audiences. By diversifying, you ensure that one bad PR moment doesn’t derail your entire campaign. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to experiment with various content styles and see what resonates best with your audience.
DON’T: Assume Bigger Means Better
It’s easy to get caught up in numbers, but a large following doesn’t always translate to better results. Sometimes, smaller influencers with a more dedicated audience are far more effective for niche products. If your product serves a specific interest, like home improvement or fitness, a micro-influencer might have a more engaged audience than a general lifestyle celebrity. Focus on the right influencers for your product rather than getting distracted by follower counts.
DO: Choose Influencers Based on Reach and Engagement
Influencers come in different sizes, and each tier impacts their followers in unique ways:
- Nano (1,000–10,000 followers): Tight-knit communities with high engagement; followers feel a personal connection.
- Micro (10,000–100,000 followers): Wider reach, still good engagement, and a balance between personal and broad appeal.
- Macro (100,000–1M followers): Larger audience but engagement starts to taper off; great for larger campaigns.
- Mega (1M+ followers): Massive reach, ideal for brand awareness, but often at the cost of personal connection.
For more niche or targeted campaigns, smaller influencers often deliver better results. Consider which tier best aligns with your goals before making a decision.
DON’T: Copy-Paste What Worked for Other Brands
What worked for one brand won’t necessarily work for yours. Every product, audience, and goal is different. Just because a brand found success with a particular strategy doesn’t mean it will translate to your product or target audience. Affiliate links might be effective for one type of campaign, while another brand might get better results from a more visual, content-driven approach. The key is to tailor your influencer marketing strategy to fit your unique objectives—whether that’s building awareness, driving sales, or enhancing your brand’s reputation.
DO: Match Your Strategy to Your Goals
Here’s a breakdown of common influencer marketing tactics:
- Sponsored Posts: Ideal for brand awareness, where influencers showcase your product in their content.
- Product Seeding & Unboxing: Generate buzz by sending products for influencers to review and share their experiences.
- Affiliate Marketing: Best for driving purchases, where influencers earn a commission per sale generated from their unique links.
- Brand Ambassadors: Long-term partnerships that build brand prestige over time and create a consistent brand message.
- Product Collaborations: Partner with influencers to co-create and promote products that align with both brands.
Each method has its purpose and can yield different results, so choose the one that best supports your specific campaign goals.
DON’T: Treat Influencers Like Ad Platforms
Influencers aren’t just billboards for your brand. If you treat them as such, it shows. A poorly executed campaign can feel forced, like when Volvo partnered with an influencer whose content didn’t align with the brand’s message. For influencer marketing to work, there needs to be a genuine connection between the influencer’s style and your brand’s identity. Otherwise, the promotion will feel inauthentic and ineffective, potentially alienating the very audience you’re trying to reach.
DO: Align Your Brand with the Influencer’s Voice
One standout example is the History Channel’s Curiosity campaign, which allowed influencers to create content in their own style while promoting the channel’s message. The result was authentic, engaging, and aligned with both the brand and the influencer’s personal identity. When influencers can express their passion for your product in a way that feels natural to them, it resonates more with their audience. It’s about creating an authentic narrative that connects your brand with their established voice.
Final Thoughts
Influencer marketing isn’t about quick fixes or chasing viral fame. It’s about building genuine, mutually beneficial relationships. When done right, influencers can become some of your brand’s most valuable advocates. Get to know your influencers, align their voice with your brand, and create campaigns that benefit both sides.
The landscape is ever-changing, so stay adaptable and open to learning. By doing so, you'll not only enhance your current campaigns but also pave the way for future successes in influencer marketing.
Image obtained from Freepik.com.
