9 Misconceptions Marketeers Have About Social Media Influencers

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’.