We were at the recent Marketing Kingdom conference in Amman, Jordan where marketeers at the top of their game from all over the world gathered to share tips and lessons learned.
With “influencers” making event appearances and promoting brands left and right these days, we picked the brain of the accomplished Hussen M. Dajani – Digital Innovations and Leadership Director at Digital Ape, Digital Strategy and Social Media Lecturer at DM3 Institute and mentor at Turn8 and Arabneur – for common misconceptions brands have about influencers.
1. We should deal with influencers as companies, not people
No. Influencers are human beings, not products.
2. Working with influencers will immediately generate sales for a company
Not necessarily.
3. Brands should not pay influencers when engaging with them in an influence marketing campaign
False.
4. Influencers are only those with high number of followers on social media
It’s about quality, not quantity. What are all of those followers worth if they are fake accounts?
5. Influencers are the same thing as brand advocates, ambassadors or celebrities. The more famous an influencer is (the more brands have worked with him/her), the more other brands should work with them as well
Be careful with over-exposure.
6. The choice of influencer isn’t contextual. They can be effective for any brand, in any market and about any topic
The right influencer with the right audience should be paired with the right brand.
7. An influencer will handle all inquiries/customer support about the brand on their platforms
They aren’t customer service.
8. There is no need for a brand to build a relationship with influencers beyond an influencer marketing campaign
Think ahead.
9. Brands working with influencers should tell them what message to post or send out to their followers
This comes off as forced and too direct. The message is best conveyed when influencers use their own voice.
WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss ‘There Is No Single Secret To Social Media Success’.
