The Pitfalls of Influencer Marketing

We think of influencer marketing as a purely 21st-Century thing. Nope. From Mark Twain-endorsed fountain pens to Michael Jordan-inspired Nikes, companies have recruited celebrities and other notable figures to endorse and promote their products since the birth of advertising. But the Internet has changed everything, especially advertising. You no longer have to be a celebrity or notable figure to become an influencer who promotes products.

Why Are Companies Choosing Influencers?

Brands are consistently pivoting toward influencer marketing on social media rather than partnering with notable celebrities. Word of mouth has always been one of the most effective ways to advertise, and social media has amplified the concept to new heights. Companies using influencer marketing are seeing explosive conversion rates.

As always, there’s a catch. Here are a few tips to stay smart when choosing whether or not influencer marketing is right for you.

Quality, not Quantity

When it comes to an influencer’s reach, more followers isn’t always better. An influencer with a higher follower account but a less targeted audience won’t necessarily yield better conversion rates. Identifying an influencer who attracts a specific audience and demographic will often result in a much more targeted approach that results in more leads and conversions. Choosing the right influencer will help you tap into a target market that is much more inclined to engage with your product or service.

Don’t Ignore Engagement Levels

A high follower account doesn’t mean an influencer has a high engagement level. If an influencer doesn’t have a high level of comments, likes, or retweets, they likely won’t have much of an influence on their audience. If you want to see a large number of generated leads and conversions, an influencer with a well-established and engaged base is critical.

Focusing on One Platform

Though you may have already found success using social media on one platform, there’s always room to expand. Are you looking to reach new audiences? Using an influencer on a platform you’re already successful on may not be the best idea. Breaking through to new audiences on a platform you’ve yet to reach is a great task for an influencer with a strong hold on that platform’s audience.

View your Influencer as a Partner

Finding the right influencer is hard enough—don’t treat them as just another bullet on your list of advertising methods. Building an ongoing relationship with your influencer will encourage them to keep your brand fresh in the mind of their audience. Introducing new campaigns and products will also seem more natural when coming from an influencer that already has a vested interest and relationship with your brand. Also, influencers are usually very savvy people. Viewing your influencer as a consultant will help your brand plug into new trends and unlock new ways for your business to grow.

Follow the Rules

There are some pretty tight rules when it comes to influencer marketing. The US Federal Trade Commission has recently enacted rules for endorsements. If content is sponsored in any way, it must be explicitly denoted as such. Violating these rules can lead to some pretty bad consequences, so make sure your influencer is given clear instructions on how to sponsor your product or service appropriately.

Don’t Neglect your Foundation

There’s plenty of challenges when it comes to using influencer marketing. If you don’t have a good enough web presence to lead customers back to, an influencer is the least of your worries.

For more information about digital marketing and taking advantage of influencer marketing, contact Content-1 today.

It’s about time Content-1 did a smartwatch animation

Content-1 worked with SQUEAKS to develop a short-animated video introducing the latest version of the SQUEAKS Industrial Communication platform, now with built-in smartwatch capabilities. This one started with the music bed and the visual portions of the project just played themselves out naturally as the strong back-beat dictated. It was great fun figuring out a brief, attention-getting solution that’s fun to watch while delivering key product messages.

5 Best Marketing Books to Read in 2019

When it comes to marketing, sometimes your magic intuition just isn’t enough. Every now and then, you have to school yourself. Reading as much as you can is probably one of the best ways to sharpen your tools as a marketer. It’s just like your diet: you are what you read. Here are a few recommendations to get you started on the journey.

The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin

Most of us know the story of Icarus. Icarus’s fatal flaw involved his refusal to heed the advice of his father: never fly too close to the sun. Needless to say, Icarus was incinerated.

Seth Godin taps into the concept of our inherent yearning as humans in order to explain the reasons why we may feel stifled or uncreative in our current jobs. He encourages us to think radically, move outside the box, and to not be afraid of going somewhere without a map. Most importantly, he highlights the other part of the warning Icarus’s father gave him: “Don’t fly too low to the sea.” Because seawater would ruin the lift of his wings, flying too low is just as dangerous as flying too high for Icarus. It feels deceptively safe. Flying too low is something every marketer should be striving to avoid.

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Robert Grant

In parallel to the thinking of “The Icarus Deception,” author Robert Grant offers a different view on riskiness. He seeks to identify just how easy and beneficial it is to conform. We all conform for a reason - doing things differently is risky. But Robert Grant aims to illustrate how possible it is to not conform without risking everything in the process.

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

Whatever you’re marketing, it’s important to realize the significance of habits for a consumer. Identifying the patterns, products, and services that keep a customer coming back for more is the key to a business’s success. Using years of behavioral design research, Nir Eyal brings us a book that illustrates exactly how to do that. This is an ideal book for anyone looking to innovate new products and business.

Contagious, Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger

Perhaps for the first time in human history, becoming viral is now a good thing. In this book, Jonah Berger explores the reasons why certain information and content goes viral. This book and the understandings it brings is essential reading for any marketer looking to get ahead in the game.

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay

This blast from the past (1841) is more relevant than ever. MacKay seeks to explain how the delusion of crowds manifests into the trends of popular culture. Just like with any subject, studying the history of marketing allows us to understand the present and, most importantly, the future.

Not big on reading? We’ve still got you covered. Contact us at Content-1 for all of your digital marketing needs! We’ll get our noses out of books for a bit to respond.