Influencer marketing has risen in prominence over the years and has earned its place as a key pillar of digital marketing. However, despite its rapid growth, some misconceptions surrounding influencer marketing still exist.
As the industry continues to grow, it is crucial to address some common myths so that more brands can benefit from a successful influencer marketing strategy.
Myth #1: Influencer marketing is expensive
Brand partnerships with macro-influencers or celebrities often come with a hefty price tag. Fortunately, there are also inexpensive ways to carry out an influencer campaign.
One way is to do a gifting campaign, where you send your products to influencers and key opinion leaders (KOL) within your niche and ask them to post a product review online. This will help you extend your brand visibility without busting your budget.
Another way is to look at micro-influencers (who have between 10,000 to 100,000 followers on a specific social media platform) or nano-influencers (who have 1,000 to 10,000 followers) as they typically cost less to engage.
Prices also vary based on how you plan to work with these individuals. A one-off post for a specific campaign is more affordable, but a long-term collaboration may be more cost-effective in the long run.
Myth #2: Nano and micro-influencers are less effective
When it comes to influencer marketing, bigger isn’t always better—more followers do not necessarily equate to more value for brands. It would thus be best to consider other key performance metrics instead of solely focusing on follower count.
For one, it is crucial to consider the influencer’s niche. For example, a make-up brand would not engage a food influencer even if they have a high follower count. You need influencers who focus on influencing your market and are aligned with your brand’s values, so that you can reach the right target audience.
Furthermore, you should consider the influencer’s engagement rate. In this regard, nano and micro-influencers may be better choices, as they tend to have higher engagement rates than top-tier influencers.
Myth #3: Paid partnerships are hard to set up
Did you know that you only need a Business profile to access Instagram’s Branded Content tools?
You simply have to go to “Settings”, select “Business,”, scroll down to “Branded Content” and turn on the “Manually Approve Tags” button. After this, you can allow other accounts to create sponsored content for your brand.
Myth #4: All influencers buy followers
If you’re paying for an influencer partnership, it is natural to wonder if your influencer’s followers are real people, not just bots. The good news is that buying followers has become a less common practice as increasing emphasis has been placed on active engagement rather than follower count.
You can also take steps to ensure that you are not working with influencers with many fake followers, such as checking their engagement rate and using tools online that can separate real people from bots.
Myth #5: Influencer marketing isn’t for B2B brands
Influencers exist in every industry, whether it is B2C or B2B.
B2B influencers help the targeted businesses assess whether the promoted product or service is essential and beneficial for the brand. Hence, while B2B influencers do not necessarily drive instant purchases, they are vital in improving brand sentiment and building brand trust.
Conclusion
Hopefully, debunking these myths has helped you better understand the influencer and KOL marketing strategy. There are influencers of many different kinds: some are more expensive, and others are more affordable; some work for B2C brands, while others are better suited for B2B. Hence, it is important to choose the right influencer to work with to optimise your results.
For those looking to work with the right social media influencer in Singapore, check out Kobe. We are an influencer marketing agency experienced in matching brands with influencers for optimal results. Contact us at https://www.getkobe.com/ to find out more.
