Finding the right way to get your brand out there is hard! The market is competitive and those competitors can be loud, too! As we’ve mentioned before, a good place to start with your online marketing is social media. Making an account is free and you can reach your audience in ways other forms of marketing can’t.
Even if you’re using social media, you might still struggle to reach your target market. That’s why hiring an influencer could be the next step for you. Influencers can help you get your product seen and build you a reputation for positive social interaction.
Following on from our last article on choosing the right influencer, here are some mistakes to avoid in the next stage of your influencer Marketing Campaign – the creation of sponsored content.
As a brand engaging in influencer marketing, it’s not your job to actually produce the sponsored content your influencer will be posting. It is your job, however, to advise the influencer on the nature, tone and purpose of that content.
An influencer can’t create effective content for your influencer marketing campaign if they don’t know what it is you’re trying to achieve!
When briefing your influencer/s about the campaign’s aims, the sponsored content’s purpose, and the tone you’d like to imbue the content with, it’s worth keeping in mind what you don’t want to do.
Here’s some things your sponsored content should aim to avoid.
Disguising the Product
The star of the sponsored post should be your product – why else would you be engaging with influencer marketing if not to draw attention to your product?
Despite the level of fame of the influencer/s you’re working with, it’s always good to remember to frame the post around the product. And frame it in an attractive way! The product should look appealing and attention-grabbing. Hiding it away or letting it be overshadowed by the influencer themselves will detract the viewer from what you want them to do – purchase your product!
A sponsored post featuring a disguised product might very well still pull in high levels of engagement, but what use is that if those engaged people aren’t clearly directed to your brand and clearly shown your product?
Appearing ‘spammy’
Social media spam is on the rise; even the un-savviest of Internet users are becoming wary of it. I’d challenge you to find anyone who doesn’t find it irritating! Though spam can be defined simply as unsolicited or irrelevant content, it’s heavily associated with too-frequent, incessant or bulk posting.
Spamming is a definite no-no. It can bring the authenticity of your product, and even the influencer, into question. One of your and your influencer’s challenges, then, is to convince your audience that the sponsored content you create together is not spam.
Here it might be advisable to listen to your influencer; they are likely more wary of what does and doesn’t constitute spam on their specific platform/s, seeing as their job requires them to be active on and familiar with those spaces.
Coming to an agreement with your influencer on a reasonable posting schedule could be one of the easiest ways to avoid your sponsored posts appearing incessant and spam-like.
Sticking to just one platform
It’s easy to forget about diversification with regards to social media platforms. If your chosen influencer or your product’s niche is most popular on a specific platform, why would you bother going to any other additional platforms with your sponsored content?
It might involve extra work on your part, and on your influencer’s (likely costing you more for their time), but it’s always worth diversifying if you can. More platforms covered will mean more eyes on your content, even if it means having to keep track of more metrics.
In some cases, sponsored content can be easily recycled onto another platform, bypassing the need to make multiple pieces of content for multiple platforms. Instagram being owned by Facebook means there’s toggleable options for in-app sharing between platforms; with a single swipe you are able to post your content on both simultaneously.
Sticking to just one social media platform for your sponsored content can significantly narrow your potential audience. In some cases, it’s near-effortless to share to multiple platforms at once.
To conclude
It’s vital to let your influencer/s know the goals of your sponsored content. It’s also worth briefing them about the desired tone of the content, so that your brand and their content feels, to their audience, an organic match.
However, remember not to disguise, spam or stick to a single platform!
Let your product shine through the sponsored content, listen to your influencer regarding a posting schedule, and diversify your social media platforms. Then, you’ll be all set to co-create some effective, engaging content for your influencer Marketing campaign!
For more help and advice regarding your content marketing strategy, visit Floodmaker.