Influencer marketing has been a major trend for several years, with no signs of going away. If you visit Facebook, Twitter, or virtually any social media channel, there is a good chance you will quickly come across influencers, from different segments of society, promoting different products and services. It sounds simple, but there are many common influencer marketing pitfalls, which can hinder your efforts.

At its core, influencer marketing is simply utilizing the power of celebrities, experts, or other authoritative persons to broadcast your marketing message. Yet, this is often easier said than done. More often, a company's influencer marketing campaigns will fall short of expectations. This is not caused by inherent issues with influencer marketing, but more directly related to specific mistakes when attempting this complicated marketing strategy.

Influencer Marketing Mistakes Harming Your Campaigns

1. Choosing the Wrong Influencers - The first and usually the biggest mistake is choosing the wrong influencer. Many companies will simply select a high profile name associated with their industry or niche. This can be catastrophic. The person you select must align well with your brand, share your values, believe in your product, and have a good reputation.

2. Conflating Influencer Marketing with Celebrity Endorsements - Receiving and leveraging endorsements from celebrities is a powerful tool that goes back to the beginning of modern marketing. Still, it would be wrong to equate celebrity endorsements with influencer marketing. It more about relationship building and goes much deeper than just getting a movie star to send a tweet. 

3. Focusing Exclusively on Follower Counts - Many social media superstars are targeted by companies simply because they have a high number of followers. While the follow count matters, it should not be the only factor to take into consideration. For example, consider engagement. Many times, a lower follower count with greater engagement will produce better outcomes.

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