With KOL and influencer marketing being all the rage, and for good reasons, it is one of the best marketing tools you can leverage to create authentic connections with existing and new customers.
However, while it can be tempting to jump on the bandwagon, doing so might result in the development of certain blind spots that can adversely impact your final results. So, take some time to conduct proper research and come up with a solid campaign strategy.
And although there will never be a guaranteed manner to know what will work and what will not, we have compiled some of the key mistakes that you should avoid altogether.
1. Assuming celebrity endorsements as the only form of influencer marketing
Celebrities are definitely social influencers in many different aspects. However, they are not everything in the creator economy. In fact, they make up only a small percentage. There are other types of influencers that you can work with:
- Celebrity or mega influencers: >1M followers
- Macro influencers: 100,000 – 1M followers
- Micro influencers: 10,000 – 100,000 followers
- Nano influencers: 1,000 – 10,000 followers
Most brands do not have extensive fundings to work with celebrities when they just get started. In fact, while influencers like them have huge followings, they typically do not have the same degree of authentic engagement as compared to the other social media influencers. While they are ideal for building a significant amount of brand awareness due to their reach, they might not be able to build brand loyalty or promote purchases.
In contrast, an influencer with smaller followings might offer a lower partnership rate but has the capability to optimise and maximise your brand campaign, reaching more targeted audiences. You might also want to consider working with niche influencers who “specialises” in your specific industry.
How to fix it: While there is not much you can do after signing a partnership with an influencer, use this knowledge in the next campaign.
2. Not personalising your outreach message according to each influencer
It can be easy to mass-send a generic cut-and-paste message to influencers, hoping they would be keen to partner with your brand. However, in doing so, it will make things seem transactional rather than a close partnership. It never fails when you add in personal touch, such as commenting on their latest post or that you truly enjoy their content.
In your outreach, address them by their name, including details, such as what you like about their content and why you think they would fit your brand campaign. And to make things a little more sincere and enticing, include any information about potential payment methods in your subject line.
How to fix it: If you have already sent a generic email and the influencer has not replied, you might want to follow up by sending a more personalised message.
3. Partnering with controversial influencers
A recent example of working with controversial influencers would be the director of the South Korean Netflix series Squid Game 2’s decision to cast former BigBang member T.O.P, who was convicted of drug abuse in 2017, leading to a two-year probation. Many netizens and fans of the show were unhappy with the casting, with many deciding to boycott the popular series.
The role of an influencer’s job is to be in the spotlight. Hence, partnering with controversial influencers can cause distrust for your brand. The public will inevitably get upset when their favourite brand funds influencers who have made them upset in any way, often transferring these negative emotions to your brand, hence, why many brands choose to end partnerships when such controversy happens (not squid game 2, though).
A quick Google search is the way to know if you should know about any concerns regarding the influencer you might potentially partner with.
How to fix it: if your brand is under fire for working with a controversial influencer, it might be best to craft a public message addressing the people’s concerns, let them know what you are doing in response, and accept the responsibility. Sometimes, you might have to make the drastic move of terminating the partnership.
4. Targeting the wrong social media platform
A strong social media presence can go a long way in assuring campaign success. However, many brands are not able to optimise the power of social media because they target the wrong social media platforms to reach their targeted audience.
In the modern world, social media has become a vital aspect of running a brand. Even small brands have their own Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok pages. Hence, it is even more vital to target the correct social media platform when launching an influencer and KOL marketing campaign. Doing so will help you reach and interact with the right target audience you require for brand growth.
Conduct some research on the various platforms. See where most of your targeted audience is and focus on those. For example, if you are targeting Gen Zs, perhaps TikTok might be the social media platform to target.
How to fix it: If you have already signed a contract with your influencer and realise you have targeted the wrong social media platform, see if they are also as active on the targeted platform. Then, communicate to the influencer about switching the required platform for their tasks, explaining why you had to make that change and seeing if they are ok with it.
5. Expecting immediate results
Influencer and KOL marketing, while being able to reach your targeted audiences almost instantly, is a long-term strategy. So, do not expect to see instant results after a single campaign. It is a slow and steady process to achieve increased brand awareness and popularity.
How to fix it: Set attainable goals and choose a more reasonable deadline. Then set several key performance indicators that allow you to track your campaign progress. Always be ready to adjust and optimise your campaign accordingly to ensure the maximum results.
Conclusion
A strong influencer and KOL marketing strategy is much more than just engaging the most popular content creator. There is a lot of planning, research, and understanding of the user landscape too. Hopefully, with these 5 tips, you will avoid making unnecessary mistakes which lead to unnecessary spending of campaign resources.
At the end of the day, engaging an influencer specialist, such as Kobe, can help you avoid unnecessary marketing mistakes. As the first and only one in Singapore that delivers consumer-first social media marketing campaigns, our team has, over the years, helped many brands and organisations grow exponentially by matching the right influencer and KOL with them.
Visit us at https://www.getkobe.com/ to inquire about our award-winning solutions for your KOL and influencer marketing needs today!
