Influencer Marketing: How to Do It Right (+ Pitfalls to Avoid)

Influencer marketing is the collaboration of an influential person and a brand to promote a product or service. It can help brands reach new audiences and improve trust in an authentic way — but getting started can be tricky. This guide outlines everything you need to know.

One in four social media users who made an in-app purchase says an influencer convinced them to buy.

With m-commerce and social commerce booming — and customers trusting creators more than brands — there’s never been a better time to integrate influencer partnerships into your digital marketing strategy.

In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about influencer marketing, from the different types of influencers, how to find one, and top tips to create a successful campaign.

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is the digital marketing strategy of partnering with an influential person or group — usually creators with large followings — to promote your brand, product, or service.

These partnerships help brands reach new audiences, build trust, and drive engagement through content that feels more authentic than traditional advertising.

Benefits of influencer marketing

Influencer marketing can help your brand reach a larger and more engaged audience to improve brand awareness, trust, and conversions.

Here are some key benefits:

1. Builds your audience

Influencer partnerships introduce your brand to people you may not have reached on your own. By tapping into a creator’s established community, you can expand visibility among more engaged followers.

2. Reaches new demographics

With influencers in virtually every niche, industry, and demographic group, brands can connect with new segments of their target audience. Some influencers can even expose brands to an entirely new demographic that would have previously gone untapped.

3. Improves SEO performance

Influencers, especially bloggers, can help strengthen your search engine optimization (SEO).

When a creator features your brand and links to your website, it increases your backlink profile, which can boost credibility and lead to higher search rankings over time.

4. Builds trust and credibility

Influencer marketing feels like word-of-mouth marketing. People are more likely to trust a person they follow over a brand, and the authentic style of influencer posts can push new customers to convert through their social influence.

Influencers vs. creators

Some marketers may use the terms “influencer” and “creator” interchangeably. While their roles are similar, there are a few key differences to note.

Influencers are people who partner with a brand to promote their product or service by sharing content on their own social media accounts or blogs.

Their value comes from their relationship with their audience.
Creators are people who produce promotional content for a brand to use, such as unboxing videos or product photos. Unlike influencers, they don’t need a large following online.

Creator content is often shared on the brand’s website or social media accounts for organic content or advertising campaigns — not the creator’s personal account.

What are the different types of influencers?

Influencers are typically categorized by their audience size (and their cost to collaborate with).

The four main types include:

1. Mega influencers
2. Macro influencers
3. Micro influencers
4. Nano influencers

1. Mega influencers

Follower count: Over 1 million

Mega influencers are high-profile celebrities or creators with large followings.

(Image: Instagram screenshot)

Brands that partner with celebrity influencers reach a massive audience, and this increased exposure often results in boosted brand awareness and sales.

But celebrity endorsements are expensive. Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed celebrity on Instagram, reportedly making $3.2 million per promotional post.

If the cost alone isn’t an issue, high-profile influencer accounts are also likely to have fake followers. Nearly one out of four of Ronaldo’s Instagram followers is fake.

(Image: Modash screenshot)

2. Macro influencers

Follower count: 50,000 to 1 million

This level of influencer has a broad reach within a specific niche or demographic. Many home decor and family influencers fall into this category, for example. They have an established reputation and are more affordable than mega influencers.

However, as they have a large number of followers, they might not be able to engage in the same way that a micro or macro influencer might.

3. Micro influencers

Follower count: 10,000 to 50,000

These influencers are popular with marketers as they have a loyal following, high engagement rates, and are cost-effective compared to macro and mega influencers.

That said, your reach is more limited, so you may have to use multiple influencers to target potential customers.

4. Nano influencers

Follower count: 500 to 10,000

The majority of influencers are in the nano category.

Nano influencers offer hyper-targeted reach and a very engaged audience. Another bonus? They’re also the most affordable option.

However, Nano influencers typically have less experience, so you might have to manage them more closely.

Types of influencer platforms

Influencer content is primarily served on social networks, as well as some blogging websites.

Influencer platforms include:

• Websites
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Types of influencer content

Influencers create written or visual content — such as blogs, photos, or videos — depending on the influencer’s platform and the campaign.

Common types of influencer content include:

Unboxing videos: Influencers open a new product on camera to showcase features and first impressions.

Testimonials and reviews: Authentic videos or written content (often paired with photos) to highlight features, benefits, and personal experiences with a brand, product, or service.

Tutorials and guides: Also visual or written content (primarily video) that walks through how a product or service works or can be used.

Sponsored posts: A photo or video shared on an influencer’s social media account paid for by a brand, often with hashtags like #ad or #sponsored included in the caption.

Live Q&As: Livestream videos on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or Twitch where influencers engage directly with viewers about a product or service.

Account takeovers: An influencer temporarily takes over a brand’s social media account and shares posts and stories from their perspective.

Contests or giveaways: At least one brand partners with an influencer to run a campaign that encourages engagement in exchange for a chance to win a free product or service.

(Image: TikTok screenshot)

How much does influencer marketing cost?

The cost of influencer marketing depends on several factors, including the level of influencer you choose to work with (e.g., nano, micro, or macro), platform, product or service you sell, and the complexity of the campaign.

Most established influencers have media kits that show their rates, experience, and performance metrics.

How to create an influencer campaign

Looking to create your first influencer campaign? Here’s how to make it a success.

1. Map out your plan and goals

Identify what you want to achieve through an influencer partnership and your long-term goals.

You can start by asking questions like:

• Who is your target audience?
• What are your key performance indicators (KPIs)? This could be more followers, more organic traffic, or increased sales.
• What’s your budget?
• How long will your campaign run?

By asking these questions, you might realize influencer marketing isn’t right for your business – and that’s okay. Paid social, user-generated content, and hosting contests and giveaways on your own online marketing channels are good alternatives.

2. Choose your platform

Select the platform(s) that align with your target audience, the type of content you want to represent your brand, and your goals

• Instagram and TikTok are ideal for lifestyle, beauty, and trending products
• YouTube works well for tutorials and reviews
• LinkedIn is best for B2B campaigns
• Blogs can improve SEO

An influencer partnership is also a good opportunity to expand your reach to other networks where you have less of a following.

3. Find the right influencers

Ideally, you want to partner with someone who:

• Has brand values that align with yours
• Has enough followers to help you meet your goals
• Can work with your budget
• Has followers that align with your target audience
• Is reliable and sticks to deadlines

To find a successful influencer:

Search social media platforms: Use hashtags and popular industry terms to see what profiles show up.

Leverage influencer marketing platforms: Some of these marketing tools include:

• CreatorIQ
• Captiv8
• Grin
• Creator.co
• Upfluence

Partner with agencies that work with influencers: This option can save time and resources versus traditional outreach methods, although you have to pay for the agencies’ services.

4. Reach out

Once you have specific influencers you’re interested in partnering with, reach out to them through email or social media messaging.

Tell them why they seem like a good fit, a bit about yourself and your brand, and ask if they are open to a partnership.

Keep it friendly and honest — if they show an interest, then you can discuss fees and your more specific campaign goals and vision.

Pro tip: We recommend following influencers for a few days before reaching out to see what they post and how they engage with followers.

5. Develop your campaign strategy

Work with your influencer to plan your campaign content and send them any products or access to services necessary to get started.

Together, decide:

• Content type (e.g., post, video, story, or giveaway)
• Frequency and timing of influencer posts
• Messaging, hashtags, and links
• Any legal disclosures (#ad or #sponsored)

Remember that influencers are content creators first and foremost, and they know what resonates best with their audiences. Be clear in your expectations, but also be willing to step back and trust your influencer’s content creation expertise.

6. Track performance

Using your native platform’s analytics, Google Analytics, or any dedicated marketing management tools, monitor your campaign’s performance over time for signs of increased engagement and traffic.

Metrics to track include:

• Engagement (likes, comments, shares)
• Reach and impressions
• Click-through rates and conversions
• ROI and sales impact

Common mistakes to avoid

While most influencer marketing campaigns succeed, 18% fail to generate revenue. Here are common mistakes to avoid:

1. Failing to align on expectations

When forging a partnership with a social media influencer, it’s vital to be direct about the terms of the agreement. Miscommunication can lead to major issues and embarrassment for the brand and the influencer.

In a notorious 2015 scandal, a popular influencer was gifted two prizes from a jewelry company to give to followers. However, she ended up rigging the competition to give the prize to her friends. Determining specific terms and conditions for the giveaway could have prevented this from happening.

It’s important to clarify:

• Will you provide messaging, or will the influencer be responsible?
• If it’s the influencer’s responsibility, does he or she need to send you their copy? What’s the deadline?
• How many promotional posts are expected and on which platforms?
• What is the posting schedule?
• What qualifies as success in this campaign?
• How long do you expect the campaign to last?
• Will your company offer a discount code or other incentive to customers who purchase through the influencer’s link or recommendation?
• Do you expect the influencer to sign a non-disclosure agreement or a non-compete clause?
• How much will you pay?
• When should the influencer expect payment, and how will it be delivered?
• How soon after the campaign ends is the influencer expected to deliver post metrics?

You may find it helpful to create an influencer proposal template, which includes a company overview, campaign goal and messaging, deadlines, and payment information.

2. Ignoring industry guidelines

Both parties need to be aware of the influencer guidelines in their country. In the US, this is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and in the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

While the specific rules can vary from country to country, influencers must disclose their relationship with the brand (like with the ad hashtag below) and not make deceptive claims.

(Image: Instagram screenshot)

Breaking the rules can mean reputational damage, as well as financial penalties and having to run corrective ad campaigns. Both the business and the influencer are liable for any breaches.

3. Not tracking campaign performance

It’s vital to monitor campaign success. This helps you see if an influencer campaign has led to a return on investment and whether you want to work with an influencer again in the future.

Some platforms let you gather data yourself, for example, if you work with an influencer through an Instagram Collab post. Otherwise, the influencer will need to deliver the metrics to you.

Pro tip: If you have an ecommerce store, give your influencer a unique discount code. You can see how many sales their campaign generated.

4. Using an unoptimized account

The last thing you want to do when running an influencer campaign is to have new audiences discover your brand, visit your social media profile, and find an experience that doesn’t reflect what you offer.

Before your partnership launches, make sure all of your social media pages are accurate.

That means fully filled-out profile bios, a consistent profile photo (like your company logo), up-to-date company info (such as the link to your website), and posts that show your pages are active.

The takeaway

Adding an influencer program to your marketing strategy is an effective way to boost brand awareness and engagement. Work with an influencer who aligns with your brand values, and you’ll be well on your way to social media marketing success.

Need some guidance for your influencer marketing strategy? HawkSEM is a top digital marketing agency that helps clients obtain an average 4.5X ROI. Reach out today.

This article has been updated and was originally published in May 2024.