The Dos and Don’ts of Influencer Marketing: Best Practices for Success

Social media plays a significant role in daily activities for people of all ages, so it’s no surprise that Influencer marketing has become a powerful tool for brands to reach and engage with their target audience. The global influencer marketing market was valued at over $16 billion last year.

It’s important for businesses to stay up-to-date with the latest trends to create effective campaigns that generate brand awareness, drive sales, and foster long-term customer relationships. There are many benefits of influencer marketing in today’s modern world. But like any marketing strategy, there are things you should and shouldn’t do to maintain your brand image.

Most influencer marketing agencies like Peersway know influencer marketing best practices, how to use influencer marketing, and the dos and don’ts of influencer marketing for success. Learn how to leverage the popularity and authenticity of influencers to check all these essential tasks off your to-do list.

The Dos of Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy that can help your company reach a target audience, increase brand awareness, and drive sales. The first step in using this method effectively is learning how to use influencer marketing and getting familiar with things you should do in the process.

Determine Your Goals

One of the most important elements of a successful influencer marketing strategy involves outlining your goals. Do you want to increase brand awareness? Is your goal to generate leads? Or do you want to promote a specific product or service. Clear goals will help you identify the right influencers and measure the success of your campaign.

Research and Choose Relevant Influencers

Selecting the right influencers is one of the best practices for influencer marketing. Understand your target audience and their preferences, which will help you find influencers with a strong following among your desired demographics.

Look for influencers who align with your brand’s values, target audience, and industry. Analyze their content, engagement rates, and audience demographics to ensure they can effectively reach and resonate with your desired customer base.

Work with a Reputable Agency

Following best practices for influencer marketing can be challenging if you don’t have sufficient knowledge about the industry. Working with an experienced influencer marketing agency will enable you to get access to a fully-managed marketing campaign that helps you meet your company’s overall goals. At Peersway, we aim to take care of everything – from finding the right influencers to ensuring that your campaign delivers the best possible results.

Build Long-Term Relationships

To make the most of your influencer marketing strategy, take the time to create long-term relationships with influencers who consistently deliver positive results. Repeat collaborations can strengthen the connection between the influencer, your brand, and the audience.

Set Clear Expectations

You and your influencers must be on the same page when working together. The best influencer marketing strategies will involve clear communication and sharing guidelines with influencers. Outline the deliverables, posting schedule, content format, and legal or disclosure requirements. This ensures that both parties are on the same page and minimizes potential misunderstandings.

Promote Creative Freedom

While providing guidelines as a part of your influencer marketing strategy is essential, it’s equally important to give influencers creative freedom. One of the key benefits of influencer marketing is that they know their audience best and can craft content that resonates organically. Empowering influencers to showcase their unique creativity will result in more engaging and effective campaigns.

According to the International Association of Business Communicators British Columbia, giving influencers creative freedom over their content is important because it reduces the risk of being misled as to your company’s goals.

The Don’ts of Influencer Marketing

At Peersway, our goal is to implement influencer marketing best practices to enhance brand awareness and reach our target audience more effectively. Although this significantly involves learning the best practices for influencer marketing, it also requires us to aware our clients of the don’ts of influencer marketing.

Engage in Misleading Influencer Activities

One of the best practices for influencer marketing involves being authentic so that your customers can trust your brand. So, it’s important that you avoid engaging in deceptive practices such as buying fake followers or likes. Not only can this damage your brand’s reputation, but it also undermines the trust between influencers and their audience. Focus on genuine engagement and authentic connections to achieve long-term success.

Overlook Micro-Influencers

While macro-influencers with millions of followers may seem appealing, don’t overlook the power of micro-influencers. They often have a highly engaged and niche audience, which can lead to better results for your brand. Consider a mix of macro and micro-influencers based on your campaign objectives.

Neglect Due Diligence

One prominent influencer marketing best practice involves being cautious when working with someone new. After all, this person will play a significant role in promoting your brand to the audience. Before partnering with an influencer, conduct a thorough research by reviewing their past content, collaborations, and engagement rates. Ensure that the influencer aligns with your brand’s values and maintains a positive online and offline reputation.

Ignore Analytics and Performance Metrics

Following numerous influencer marketing best practices but avoiding analytics and performance metrics can influence your company’s overall success with influencer campaigns. To understand the effectiveness of your influencer campaigns, measuring key performance indicators is crucial. Track relevant metrics such as engagement rates, reach, click-through rates, conversions, and return on investment. Analyzing these data points allows you to optimize your strategies, identify successful tactics, and make informed decisions for future campaigns.

Benefits of Influencer Marketing

Once you learn how to use influencer marketing to your advantage, you can enjoy the many benefits of influencer marketing.

Increased Brand Awareness

Influencer marketing is a great way to reach a wider audience and create brand awareness. By partnering with influencers with a strong following, businesses can gain exposure to potential customers who may not have been aware of the brand before. In fact, 61 percent of users trust recommendations from influencers on social media platforms.

Successful Product Launch

Influencer marketing can play a crucial role in successfully launching a new product, as influencers can create content showcasing the product’s features, benefits, and unique selling points, effectively demonstrating its value to their followers. Their genuine enthusiasm and personal endorsement can build trust and curiosity among their audience, encouraging them to explore and try the new product.

Targeted Reach

When you get familiar with influencer marketing best practices, you will find that you are taking a more targeted approach to your audience. This is because influencers can target specific demographics, interests, and niches. This allows businesses to reach their ideal customers more effectively and efficiently. By selecting influencers whose audience aligns with the target market, companies can ensure that their message reaches the right people, leading to higher conversion rates and better returns on investment.