Mistakes That Will Kill Your Relationships With Influencers

Influencers can be your long-term advocate and brand ambassadors. Spending even $1000 on influencers can yield amazing returns. You don’t want to kill your influencer relationships because of some overlooked or careless mistake. You can build invaluable relationships with your influencers that can be mutually beneficial.
Truth be told: Relationships are fragile. When it comes to business, you have to maintain relationships with your partners, customers, and employees.
Influencers are interesting people because they are your partners, customers, as well as employees. With your stringent timelines and busy schedule, you might lose track of your relationships with influencers.
In an article by The Huffington Post, marketers pointed out the mistakes they made in managing their influencer relationships. Taking some valuable insights from marketers, here’s this comprehensive list of everything you need to know to build strong relationships with influencers.

Mistake #1: Not Creating a Win-Win Proposal

Influencers can offer your brand many benefits. But they will expect something in return for their partnership. Companies often underestimate influencers and offer them minimum possible return to get their work done.
But with the increasing popularity and usefulness of influencer marketing, influencers have more options and decision-making power. If your proposal is benefiting you and not them, they may not agree to work with you.

Source: Bloglovin

How to Avoid This Mistake

• Research the influencer and their past work before drafting your proposal.
• Plan fair compensation for your influencer after observing the previous work done by them.
• Ask your influencer about their expectations, and if their expectations can help you achieve your objective, then compensate them accordingly.

Mistake #2: Being Disorganized with your Marketing Plan

Marketers, this is not a new topic for you. There are times when your marketing plan changes suddenly, and you may lose people along the way.
Influencers need to know your marketing agenda in order to effectively plan and create content, be it images, or blog posts, or video reviews.
If you keep changing your marketing plan or expectations, it can annoy influencers and jeopardize your relationships with them.
Source: The Huffington Post

How to Avoid This Mistake

Influencers need to know what your marketing agenda is for your influencer marketing campaign. It could be something like:

• Promoting a new product launch
• Promoting an event
• Promoting a contest or discount
• Boosting brand awareness
• Increasing conversions or traffic

Whatever your marketing agenda is, you need to know in advance before you start discussions with influencers.

Mistake #3: Underestimating their Creativity

Influencers are known for creating quality content that can boost your traffic and SEO. They are aware of their audience’s likes and dislikes, and that helps them plan and create content.
You can ask them to align their content with your company by showing them examples. But do not force it upon them. Influencers will not promote content that will hurt their reputation with their audience. And forcing them will affect your relationship with them.

How to Avoid This Mistake

• See what your influencer is currently doing, and how can you add your company’s flavor to it.
• Watch how other companies are using your influencer’s content.
• Give influencers creative freedom, and see what they create for you.

Mistake #4: Not Fostering Relationships

Influencer marketing is an ongoing process. Unless your influencer fails to deliver you value, you will likely want to work with them again. Effective marketing is all about effective communication.
If you only reach out to your influencer when you need them, you are only maintaining a transactional relationship. In a study by Linqia, 50% of the marketers spend more than 25 hours on an influencer marketing program. Giving time to your influencer is the first step in fostering a relationship with your influencer.

Source: Linqia
It’s also important to make direct contact rather than through an agency. Platforms like Grin have made that possible so brands can form close, long-term relationships with influencers.

How to Avoid This Mistake

• Add them to your newsletter. Send them emails about your new products, events, etc. If you can send them a personal email, that would be much better.
• Send them discount coupons or free products when you launch your new products. This will make them feel privileged and connected to your brand.
• Share their content. Add them on social media. Make them feel like they are part of your company.

Mistake #5: Asking Inexperienced Employees to Deal with Them

It is not uncommon for marketers to be busy with multiple projects. And it’s possible that they assign someone to deal with influencers who is inexperienced. Sometimes, your employees may make bad decisions on your behalf. They might not treat influencers respectfully or communicate with them effectively.

How to Avoid This Mistake

• Ask employees to cc you on all the emails so that you are well-informed.
• Check on the influencer yourself once in awhile.
• Ask your team to provide influencers with clear instructions and the materials needed for content creation.

Mistake #6: Setting Unrealistic Targets and Expecting Quick Results

Sound familiar? This happens all too often in marketing. Excited about our campaign ideas, we set unrealistic targets and then expect quick results. Because of the difficulty of measuring the ROI of the influencer marketing, you may then get impatient and start pestering your influencers.