I was honored to be featured in this interesting take on influencer marketing.

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In 2017, influencer marketing saw an exponential growth of 198%. A lot of this can be attributed to its efficacy in building brand awareness and improving business sales.

A perfectly executed influencer marketing campaign looks incredible and does a whole lot of good for brands. An objective third party might even call it effortless and organic.

But let’s be frank.

There is no playbook. No rules or guidelines. No framework that you can use to design that perfect campaign.

Influencer marketing is a tricky landscape to navigate with its ever-changing nature and emerging trends.

Each day presents new challenges which leave even the best of influencers stumped about how to improve engagement.

What works for one brand may not work for another. This uncertainty leaves them more susceptible to making mistakes.

While some influencer mistakes are more common than others, it’s important to be aware of all of them. After all, only when you’re aware of any pitfalls, can you avoid them.

Before we move on to hear from the experts, let’s take a quick peek at some common influencer mistakes.

Saying “Yes” to Everything

I’ve seen this a few times with new influencers. They tend to say yes to any brands that approach them without considering whether or not the brand aligns with their niche.

Other than that, they also tend to agree with anything the brand or agency tells them to do.

It’s important to question whether the brand and the content a brand is suggesting will fit well with your audience.

Ignoring FTC Guidelines

Another common influencer mistake I see new and experienced influencers make is ignoring the FTC guidelines.

According to the guidelines, it’s critical that brands and influencers disclose their paid partnerships to consumers to ensure they make informed decisions.

Not everyone understands which partnerships call for a #ad or #paid hashtag.

Buying Fake Follower and Engagement

The biggest influencer mistake an influencer can make is buying fake followers and engagement. Whether it’s through comment pods or using bots, either way, it’s just wrong.

I understand that it’s a numbers game, but using fake numbers only tarnishes your reputation and that of the industry.

There are many other mistakes influencers make. The important thing is learning from your mistakes and those of others.

That’s the aim of this expert roundup. So, without further ado, lets hear from the experts about the biggest influencer mistakes they’ve made in the past, and how you can avoid them.

Read the full compilation here