With stats like these, it’s no surprise influencer marketing is still a hot topic in 2016:

• A recent study of 125 marketers revealed that 59% of those surveyed plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets in the next year.
• 84% of marketers worldwide plan to implement an influencer marketing campaign in the next year according to a 2015 study by Schlesinger Associates.
• According to eMarketer, brands have seen an average return of $6.85 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing strategies.

But even though a majority of marketers are looking to leverage influencer marketing online to build and grow their brands, there is still much to learn about this relatively new strategy.

That’s why we’ve identified the 3 biggest mistakes others have made with this strategy so that you can learn from their failures and maximize your own success.

Mistake #3: Treating influencer marketing as a “quick fix” instead of an ongoing relationship.

Far too many marketers treat influencer marketing as another tactic or simple ad buy. But it’s not. Influencer marketing is about forging a relationship with another human being whom your prospects and customers trust enough to put their money where they tell them to. Influencer marketing isn’t a one-off campaign. You don’t just send an influencer an email and expect results. For influencer marketing to work best, you must build a long-term relationship with influencers. Your audience will be able to tell the difference between an influencer you just paid to talk about your brand and an influencer who has an authentic relationship with your brand and truly believes in what you’re doing.

Mistake #2: Only seeking out the influencers with the biggest following.

It makes sense to want to go after the biggest influencers in your market in order to get the biggest reach possible. But you can get better results by instead seeking out influencers who have a smaller following. Influencer marketing is about so much more than broadcasting a message. It’s about communicating your value to the people who need it most. Big influencers might have a large group to broadcast to, but due to the enormous size of their following, their followers are likely to be less engaged and less targeted. Choosing a smaller influencer with a more engaged, targeted segment of followers who more likely to be interested in your brand is a much more effective strategy.

Mistake #1: Not starting it sooner.

I’ve saved the worst for last. While it’s important to take time to choose the right influencers and create authentic relationships with them, the worst mistake of all is to never take a shot. Eliminate the “what ifs” that are holding you back and send that email you’ve been pondering for months. The worst that can happen is they say no (or never respond at all). The best that can happen is you create a whole new world of possibilities for your brand and business!

If other marketing tactics like SEO, content marketing, and social media alone still aren’t getting you the results you’d hoped for, explore influencer marketing to get your brand in front of someone your ideal customer is already listening to. It’s a great way to not only increase your revenue but also help more people with the solution you created just for them!

Just make sure you sidestep the mistakes others have already made before you.

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