Prime 5 Harmful Myths About Influencer Advertising and marketing

With its rising recognition, influencer advertising and marketing is a key subject on each marketer’s agenda. As a marketer, you may have a number of on-line sources to show to for data, however most of those sources fail to offer correct recommendation. With out correct data or coaching for influencer advertising and marketing, you are at risk of doing it mistaken.

That’s why Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Advertising and marketing, determined to take the heartbeat of his neighborhood, together with advertising and marketing trade leaders and consultants, to dispel essentially the most harmful myths about influencer advertising and marketing. Lee lately introduced the findings in a presentation alongside Nicolas Chabot, VP EMEA at Traackr, on the Digital Advertising and marketing World Discussion board in London. The next abstract has been curated from the TopRank Advertising and marketing weblog.

Try the highest 5 myths in influencer advertising and marketing to know what’s actual and what’s a hoax in terms of the apply.

Fantasy #1: Recognition = Affect

Busted: 

It’s a Fantasy that Influencer Advertising and marketing is Advertising and marketing Based mostly Solely on Recognition, Mistaken for Affect. Neville Hobson – Senior Enterprise Advisor, IBM Social Consulting

Lee’s take: 

Whereas viewers and attain are crucial, it’s what folks do when you’ve reached them that pays the payments. What good is being promoted to a Twitter viewers of one million followers if nobody clicks the hyperlink, shares the tweet or is in any other case affected?

Fantasy #2: You Ought to Purchase Influencers Like You Purchase Promoting

Busted:

The notion that you may purchase influencers like media is harmful. It’s a relationship enterprise, not actual property. – Stephen Waddington, Chief Engagement Officer, Ketchum

Lee’s take: 

It’s true there’s an natural and a paid strategy to working with influencers identical to the rest from search to social to content material. The parable right here is that you simply at all times have to pay influencers and that simply isn’t true…Paying influencers comes right down to what they’re doing for you. Once you pay somebody that has expertise AND and viewers to advertise to, it is sensible to pay them. Once you establish a model fan or advocate and invite them to co-create content material round issues they already care about, that’s extra of a collaboration.

Fantasy #3: Manufacturers Don’t Have Time to Develop Influencer Relationships

Busted: 

Manufacturers should make the time to authentically construct relationships with influencers and there’s no higher method to do this, than co-creating content material. – Jason Miller, Senior Supervisor, International Content material Advertising and marketing, Advertising and marketing Options, LinkedIn

Lee’s take: 

Right here’s a state of affairs you may relate to. An incredible marketing campaign is concepted, created and able to drop. And it’s steered that you simply attain out to some influencers that will help you promote. There’s no time to create a relationship on this state of affairs aside from the financial type. Alternatively, when influencers are included from the beginning, from planning to creation, they’re invested within the success of the top product. The act of collaborating on the creation of the content material facilitates the connection. By the point the content material is able to promote, the influencer is prepared too.

Fantasy #4: Influencer ROI is Measured By way of Participation and Social Media

Busted: 

True influencer ROI goes method past social shares and output counts; it’s within the doorways these influencers can open for you and the relationships they enable you construct. – Shonali Burke, President & CEO, Shonali Burke Consulting

Lee’s take: 

It comes right down to objectives and the way you’ll monitor progress in the direction of these objectives in addition to attaining them. In case your aim is solely to create extra broad consciousness in your model, then enhance in social community measurement, social shares and different engagement metrics could also be your focus. But when your objectives are to encourage enterprise outcomes like leads, gross sales, and income, then you may have a unique mixture of metrics to work with.

Fantasy #5: Influencer Advertising and marketing Replaces Present Advertising and marketing

Busted: 

Influencer advertising and marketing can and may match into your current advertising and marketing actions, complementing them and accentuating them. – Joel Harrison, Editor-in-chief, B2B Advertising and marketing

Lee’s take: 

Some nonetheless see influencer advertising and marketing as a silo inside PR and comms or advertising and marketing and others see it extra holistically as one thing that would work cross functionally in your group as depicted within the diagram beneath from Traackr. Whereas I occur to agree that influencer advertising and marketing packages can truly be each, the parable that influencer advertising and marketing replaces different advertising and marketing relies in worry. Approaching advertising and marketing strategically, with empathy to the shopper expertise and with an understanding of what influences encourage motion amongst your neighborhood, it could be silly to not incorporate influencer engagement at strategic planning levels for advertising and marketing.

And there you may have it! By listening to essentially the most “harmful myths” of influencer advertising and marketing, you are extra prone to execute the apply the suitable method. And whereas this weblog submit is only a curated snapshot of Lee’s tackle the highest myths in influencer advertising and marketing, ensure to take a look at the full submit for added insights. Past the “harmful” myths are 20+ extra from further members of Lee’s neighborhood and the workforce at TopRank Advertising and marketing.

Do you may have any myths so as to add to Lee’s checklist? Depart a remark and be a part of the controversy!