Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing where the brands get their word out through a group of people who have a strong social media base commonly known as influencers. Brands have been following this style of marketing and it has been found extremely effective, but there are a few trends that are pretty common in the world of influencer marketing that is not effective and a waste of time and money!
But do not worry, we have a list of these trends that you should ditch and thus save your time and effort.
The barter system :
The barter system is a type of trading system between two parties without the use of money. We have ditched this trend long back so why does it still exist in the world of influencer marketing? In barter, the brands give out their products to influencers so that they can promote them on their socials in some or another way. There are a lot of cons to this, it does not build brand loyalty. The influencer might promote the product for a day or two, but then it disappears into oblivion.
So then what should a brand do? There is a much better alternative, it is known as affiliate marketing. In this trend, an influencer can sign up to be your brand’s affiliate and is provided a link or a code which is unique for every affiliate and so they will be paid on a commission basis, which means, if someone buys your product through the affiliate’s link or code, they will be paid a part of the amount. This ensures brand loyalty and long-term partnership.
Collaborating with influencers with fake followers :
This can not only harm the influencer's image but also the image of brands he/she has partnered with, do you want to be one of those brands? Of Course not. Keeping it real and genuine is the basis of any style of marketing, partnering with influencers with fake followers will not get you any returns because they really don't have an influence, secondly, it will damage the brand image. Having a genuine partner base is very important to keep your chart rising. Finding the best influencers to collaborate with is a bit of a task, but in the end, it’s worth it! Do a bit of research before you reach out to them.
Collaborating with big influencers :
As shocking as it may sound, it is true! Collaborating with big influencers who have millions is not a very effective way to promote your brand as it has been noticed that small influencers have a better engagement and that is what a brand needs. If you are looking for influencers to promote your brand, it is a suggestion, go for micro-influencers. One of the main reasons is that the audience feels more connected to them as they interact, unlike big influencers who are unable to because of the huge audience.