You’ve heard tons of stuff about influencer advertising and marketing: It’s wonderful, it’s pointless, it prices rather a lot, you must do extra of it, you must do much less of it. What precisely is the reality?
There are rumors and myths on the web about every part, together with influencer advertising and marketing. It’s exhausting to know what “influencer” even means!
So proper now we’ll clarify the influencer which means and debunk widespread influencer advertising and marketing myths.
Influencer which means: who they’re and why they matter
Earlier than we dive into influencer advertising and marketing myths, let’s make clear what being an influencer really means.
An influencer, additionally known as a “content material creator” or “creator,” is somebody who creates on-line content material, grows an viewers, and influences their viewers to purchase services or products from different manufacturers.
The influencer which means may be complicated. It’s possible you’ll assume “influencer” is a foolish phrase that doesn’t imply something to your small business. However what if it might imply extra consideration in your model and better gross sales numbers?
If that appears like one thing you need, influencer advertising and marketing can assist you get there… if you recognize the details.
12 influencer advertising and marketing myths and details
1. Influencer advertising and marketing is only a fad
The parable: There’s no purpose to put money into influencer campaigns. Folks aren’t inquisitive about influencers anymore. You missed the boat and now it’s too late.
Truly: You didn’t miss a factor. The influencer advertising and marketing business has grown 12 months over 12 months, going from $1.7 billion in 2016 to an insane $24 billion in 2024. Even when the business instantly misplaced half its worth tomorrow, it could nonetheless be value a number of billions greater than it was in 2020 ($9.7 billion). This can be a monster-sized business, and each manufacturers and influencers are reaping the advantages.
Take into consideration how a lot content material goes on-line each day. Content material is continually being put into the world, and individuals are consuming it up. Audiences are hungry for good content material, and influencers create good content material. The connection between an influencer and their viewers is a particular factor – and you’ll grow to be part of it.
2. Solely huge companies use influencer advertising and marketing
The parable: When you’re a small enterprise simply getting off the bottom, there’s no want to consider influencer advertising and marketing. It’s sophisticated and costly, so it’s only for giant, established companies.
Truly: When you’re a small, newer enterprise making an attempt to get your identify on the market, influencer advertising and marketing is for you too. Your preferrred prospects barely know you exist, however influencers can do one thing about that.
You’re on the stage the place you’re making an attempt to determine your model and introduce it to the world. Collabing with influencers can carry you publicity and talk your model’s story, values, and vibe. This creates a repute to your model and a stable basis for it to develop on.
3. Influencer advertising and marketing is just for bodily merchandise
The parable: Influencers solely promote bodily merchandise like make-up, meals, instruments, equipment, and many others.
Truly: It’s true that there’s loads of influencer content material about bodily merchandise, however that’s not all influencers promote. In addition they promote service-based companies, subscriptions, memberships, resorts, and even charities.
Whenever you consider influencer content material, you could consider a brief video the place an influencer holds up a product and talks about it. However influencer content material can are available in many types and promote many alternative issues. So when you assume influencer advertising and marketing received’t work for your small business or group, assume greater. Brainstorm out-of-the-box methods influencers might enhance your model.
4. Influencer advertising and marketing is all short-form IG and TikTok movies
The parable: When manufacturers work with influencers, which means influencers are creating short-form movies to go viral on IG and TikTok.
Truly: Whereas short-form movies are standard with influencers and so they work nicely, there are different sorts of content material that work simply as nicely. You may get influencers to make long-form movies, livestreams, nonetheless pictures, or carousels.
You can even ask them to jot down a weblog put up about your model if they’ve a heavy-traffic weblog. There’s no must restrict your influencer campaigns to at least one kind of content material.
And TikTok and Instagram aren’t the one platforms influencers use. There’s YouTube, Fb, LinkedIn, Reddit, and extra. You’ll be able to even use e mail advertising and marketing. If there’s an influencer you need to work with and so they have an e mail record, they’ll promote you of their e-newsletter.
That’s the beauty of influencer advertising and marketing: There are many cool methods to do it.
5. Influencers are simply paid shills
The parable: Influencer advertising and marketing is dishonest. Influencers are simply in it for the cash. They’re comfortable to advertise low-quality junk so long as they receives a commission.
Truly: Some influencers are lower than sincere, however that’s not the bulk. The overwhelming majority are simply common individuals who love creating content material and speaking to individuals on-line. They need to make a optimistic impression and be ok with the manufacturers they promote. That’s why it’s essential to search out influencers who agree together with your model’s values and objective.
Making content material and rising an viewers takes effort and time, so influencers count on to be compensated. However that doesn’t imply they don’t care concerning the manufacturers they’re selling.
Earlier than working with an influencer, take a detailed take a look at their tone and message. Discuss with them and get to know them. You’ll discover the real ones who’re desperate to share your model with the world.
6. Influencer advertising and marketing is barely about rising gross sales
Truly: Influencer campaigns can carry a gross sales enhance for positive. They usually can do much more. Influencers put your model in entrance of a wider viewers, providing you with extra site visitors, followers, and e mail subscribers.
Influencers additionally enhance buyer loyalty as a result of they’re nice at constructing enthusiasm. (When you’ve ever needed to be a type of “cult manufacturers” with devoted followers, influencers are the way in which.)
Influencers can elevate the repute of your model, turning you from “simply one other model” into an business chief. One other factor influencers can do is present your model to a unique kind of viewers you’ve had bother breaking into. Influencer advertising and marketing isn’t nearly gross sales. It’s about altering the way in which individuals see your model and changing into probably the most revered model in your business.
7. Influencer campaigns are too dangerous to your cash
The parable: Influencer advertising and marketing is like playing. You spend cash on an influencer and hope you get a return in your funding, nevertheless it’s exhausting to know what is going to occur. You simply should hope it really works!
Truly: When your influencer campaigns are data-driven, the chance isn’t so dangerous anymore. creator administration platform can provide you complete knowledge so that you’ll discover influencers who’re almost certainly that can assist you hit your objectives. You can even collect knowledge throughout your dwell campaigns, letting you modify issues as wanted to create higher outcomes.
In case your influencer campaigns have felt like throwing cash right into a slot machine, it could be since you haven’t had sufficient knowledge to develop detailed methods. “Hoping it really works” isn’t a technique. Utilizing knowledge to your benefit is.
8. Influencer campaigns threat making your model look unhealthy
The parable: Collabing with an influencer is just too dangerous as a result of you’ll be able to’t management them. You don’t know in the event that they’ll say one thing unhealthy or inaccurate about your model and mess up your repute.
Truly: This can be a widespread delusion, and when manufacturers are too anxious about this, they get overly controlling of the influencers they work with. They over-script and take an excessive amount of artistic management of the content material. The influencer’s content material comes out sounding synthetic, individuals see it, and the “influencers are paid shills” delusion lives on.
Don’t be afraid to let influencers have artistic management. The hot button is to search out influencers who’re an excellent match to your model’s merchandise/providers and mission. These influencers will make content material that’s real and really influences individuals.
9. Extra followers = extra success
The parable: For a profitable influencer marketing campaign, it’s a must to work with celebrities with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Truly: You’d be stunned how worthwhile influencers with small followings may be. Think about working with micro- and nano-influencers. Micro-influencers have a five-digit follower quantity (10,000-99,999). Nano-influencers have 4 (1,000-9,999). Influencers with smaller followings usually have area of interest audiences with larger engagement, which is why they’re so worthwhile.
Follower rely is one in every of a number of issues to search for when looking for influencers. You even have to take a look at their content material model, tone of voice, viewers demographics, charges, expertise, and extra. If this appears like a headache, it doesn’t should be. A creator administration platform can assist you discover and analyze influencers sooner.
10. Influencer advertising and marketing is just too costly
The parable: You’ll be able to’t work with influencers as a result of it prices an excessive amount of. It’s simply not value it.
Truly: Influencer advertising and marketing is an funding, not a drain in your funds. When you make investments a big quantity in influencer campaigns, you’re extra prone to see a larger return. You’ll be able to work with skilled influencers, get them to make elaborate, high-quality content material, and use superior instruments to make the method smoother.
Whenever you get unimaginable outcomes out of your investments, they’re instantly not so costly. That’s why it’s value it to extend your influencer price range. But when your price range’s tight, strive a easy marketing campaign with newer influencers and gifted merchandise as a substitute of funds. It will not be the marketing campaign you actually need to do, nevertheless it’s a begin, and you’ll enhance your influencer technique over time.
11. Influencer advertising and marketing is straightforward
The parable: It’s simple to run an influencer marketing campaign your self. You simply search some hashtags, DM just a few influencers, ship them merchandise, and pay them to put up concerning the merchandise. How exhausting might it’s?
Truly: It may be tougher than you assume, particularly when you begin scaling your influencer campaigns for greater outcomes. The extra influencers you’re employed with, the tougher it’s to do issues manually and maintain every part organized. Looking for high quality influencers, talk venture particulars, deal with funds and legalities, run campaigns on time, and analyze piles and piles of information is sufficient to make your head spin.
Sooner or later it turns into too exhausting to deal with every part manually. Getting assist from instruments and consultants is a type of “Why didn’t I do that earlier?” type of issues. In order for you extra profitable influencer campaigns which might be additionally simpler to deal with, utilizing a creator administration platform simply is smart.
12. Influencer advertising and marketing is just too sophisticated
The parable: You simply learn the earlier delusion and now you assume influencer advertising and marketing is just too exhausting and also you don’t need to get caught up in a sophisticated mess.
Truly: Influencer advertising and marketing will not be too sophisticated for your small business. It’s not fast and simple, however that doesn’t imply your small business can’t deal with it. The extra campaigns you run, the extra you’ll be taught from firsthand expertise and have the ability to get spectacular outcomes.
When you’ve by no means run an influencer marketing campaign, otherwise you haven’t shortly, it’s value a strive. Go for it and get artistic! Whenever you see significant, measurable outcomes, you’ll be glad you didn’t miss out.
Key takeaway: Time to go from questioning about influencer which means to creating influencer advertising and marketing magic.
Now that these myths are out of the way in which, you may get enthusiastic about influencer advertising and marketing. It’s one thing that may profit your small business, however provided that you recognize what you’re doing and have instruments that assist.
GRIN is a Creator Administration platform designed to make your influencer campaigns higher in each manner, enhancing all components of the method. As an alternative of letting myths scare you away from influencer advertising and marketing, allow us to make it simpler and extra enjoyable for you. You’ll be able to succeed at influencer advertising and marketing… and that’s a reality.
