Born out of our generation\u2019s insatiable need to look into a screen every few minutes, the job of a social media influencer is one of those too-good-to-be-true gigs that have disrupted the traditional nature of marketing. But the truth is, if the job was as easy as clicking a picture and uploading it on one\u2019s personal account, we would all be well on our way to making millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the influencers who manage to grab attention and retain it in the melee of social media posts are the ones who stand for something, have a curated vision, and most importantly, offer an exciting narrative that resonates with the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So before you begin your adventure in the land of influencer marketing, here are some don\u2019ts to be mindful of in this ever-evolving industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the ultra-competitive world of influencer marketing, it\u2019s easy to accept any and all brand deals offered to you, especially if you\u2019re just starting out. After all, brand partnerships are the best way to forge new relationships, establish a rapport and of course, make more money, right? Unfortunately, not all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While \u201cYes\u201d is the most used term in your business vocabulary, \u201cNo\u201d should be equally, if not more, important. Think of it as a healthy boundary that allows you to build your brand and make sure that the content you post aligns with your niche. Therefore, it\u2019s important to question whether the brand and the content they\u2019re recommending is relevant to your audience. If not, respectfully decline their suggestions and come up with a few of your own – something that marries the interests of your audience with the goals of the brand. It\u2019s more important for you to be true to your audience because the moment they sense you\u2019re wavering from your commitment, they\u2019re likely to switch to the next, more authentic, influencer they come across.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, your tireless efforts to widen your audience didn’t pan out as well as you’d hoped and you\u2019re not seeing the spectacular results you\u2019d promised to deliver. What are you going to do now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most influencers fall back on cheap tactics like buying followers, likes, and comments to climb the ladder to popularity quickly. But resorting to bots to boost your followership is probably the worst mistake you can make as an influencer. Besides, it\u2019s illegal. In fact, both Instagram and Twitter have resorted to taking stringent measures like sending out a warning against those who rely on automated apps or bots to increase their following, removing the followers, limiting their activity, and even deactivating the account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides, no one will be willing to partner with influencers who\u2019re inflating their audiences with fake followers. The whole reason why brands switched to influencer marketing was because of its authenticity and the opportunity to establish long lasting relationship with the audience. Fake followers and engagement will not deliver the sufficient ROI for brands, and they\u2019re likely to stop working with you in no time at all. Simply put, fluffed up numbers are nothing but a vanity metric that could tarnish your credibility in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So if you truly want to succeed as an influencer, focus on facilitating genuine interactions and creating content that engages the audience. Hard work will eventually pay off and both the brand and your audience will notice the effort you\u2019re putting in, boosting both your credibility and your reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Yup, there\u2019s a thing called misuse of hashtags and here\u2019s how it began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n