The 7 Deadly Sins of Influencer Marketing

By Kennedy Uduny

(Posted 06th January 2022)

Influencer marketing is no longer about blindly throwing precious budget in search of influencers with large followings. It’s about collaborating with content creators & developing relationships.

#1 Gluttony

We all want to reach a huge audience. But with influencer marketing, it’s not paramount. Size is NOT important. How an influencer engages with their followers, is important. Micro and nano-influencers have smaller audiences, but they engage – big time. Your brand message shoots, scores, and WINS!

#2 Lust

Rand Fishkin says, don’t “… pay half-naked Instagrammers to post a photo with your product. Let’s hope this is one trend that reverses itself in the years ahead.” Likes for pretty pictures, don’t mean a thing. You want thought leaders and experts to create authentic content that drives conversation and brings engagement. These guys are keepers. Don’t let skin influence your decision making. Lol!!

#3 Sloth

A brief won’t write itself. Share details about your campaign with your influencer – publishing schedule, KPIs, goals, deadlines, corporate guidelines, hashtags, landing pages, CTAs. Avoid over-branded content or sounding too scripted. Your influencer must speak with their own voice or their fans will ignore or complain. Clear goals and authenticity = BIG WIN!

#4 Wrath

Don’t fall prey to controversial influencers. Yes, they’re a great way to stir up a conversation. But could you handle the potential backlash? Avoid risky topics unless they align with your brand purpose and business 100%. Working with antagonistic influencers can damage your brand health. Fight to WIN!

#5 Greed

Don’t run before you can walk! Reaching out to every social media user in the world would be amazeballs. But, without targeting your ideal consumers and working with the influencers they listen to, a large percentage of the engagement will be worthless. Target people, target content, target WIN!

#6 Envy

Don’t covet your competitors’ influencer campaigns. Replicate them. Use competitive intelligence to monitor other industry players. What topics they’re discussing. What strategies are working for them? Find niche markets and new content ideas. Be inspired. Be a WINNER!

#7 Pride

One influencer post does not wrap up your campaign. Be proactive and continue to work with your influencer – give feedback, brainstorm ideas, drive brand conversations. Who else is sharing your post? Pride comes before a fail. Play to WIN!


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