Aug 12

Aug 12 11 Mistakes Influencers Make and What to Do Instead

If you’ve been an influencer for a while, you already know the basics. You know how to grow your Instagram audience. You know that as a social media influencer you need to avoid scams. You know you need to consistently create content and focus on your social media engagement. And you definitely know you need to disclose any relationships you have with brands, according to FTC guidelines. But what other mistakes are you making? In my years as a blogger and marketing executive there are a few things I’ve learned to help ensure continued success as an influencer! Keep reading for 11 Mistakes Influencers Make and what you should do instead.

11 Mistakes Influencers Make and What to Do Instead

Not Writing Your Email in Bio

I talked about this in my Instagram caption recently! One of the biggest mistakes influencers make is not listing their email in their bio. Yes, anyone can contact you on Instagram by clicking the contact button. But that only works when you are on the Instagram app. Most PR and marketing people are researching influencers from their desktop computers, so if your email is written in your bio they can easily copy and paste. Making someone take 3 steps to contact you when other influencers only make them take one puts you at unfair odds. Yes, it only takes a few extra minutes, but when they are researching and emailing dozens of social media influencers, that extra time adds up and gets annoying fast. As a social media influencer, the easiest way to get ahead is to make the brand manager’s life easier. Don’t make one of the typical mistakes most influencers make and keep yourself hard to contact.

Not Adjusting Your Rates

Making money as an influencer is pretty high on the priority list. If you are still struggling to monetize your blog, and get started making money as an influencer, check out my e-course on how to get started. But if you’ve been turning a profit as a social media influencer, there is another mistake you might be making – not adjusting your rates. Of course you should raise your rates depending on a number of factors. But social media influencers also tend to make the mistake of not lowering their rates as well. Hear me out! Making less money sucks, and you never want to feel devalued as a content creator. But sometimes it’s best business practice for a social media influencer to keep their rates fluid. Marketing budgets are not fixed year round – some brands spend heavily depending on their peak season. And pretty much every brand’s marketing budget took a hit due to covid. I personally keep my rates dynamic based on a number of factors – everything from the brand’s desirability to how busy I am that month come into play. Don’t make the classic influencer mistake of keeping your rates fixed when the influencer marketing industry is so dynamic.

Using Link in Bio or a Third Party App

This tip is more important for bloggers than it is for social media influencers that only use Instagram. But another big mistake influencers and bloggers make is using third party apps for recent links. All you are doing is giving a third party more of your valuable traffic! You can very easily fix that classic influencer mistake by setting up a landing page on your site that is a collection of your recent posts. You work hard to create content and increase your engagement and you should keep as many of your eyeballs on it as possible.

Not Sending Campaign Recaps

If you are not a new social media influencer, you have probably worked with a few brands by now. But how many times have you sent a campaign recap? Not sending a recap is definitely one of the biggest mistakes influencers make! Of course, you’ll send screen shots if the brand asks. But a professionally curated campaign recap will make you stand out as a social media influencer. Your brand partners will not only be impressed with your professionalism – you will get the opportunity to spin anything potentially unfavorable. If you’re social media engagement was lower than average, come up with an explanation. Maybe you got less likes, but more saves or DMs about the product. Share that information with the brand in a professionally designed format and you’ll look like an influencer rock star!

Not Periodically Reviewing Your Contracts

This is another thing most influencers forget. But another mistake many influencers make is not periodically reviewing your contracts to remember what you agreed to. I actually just reviewed some contracts from an agency I work with and found a little surprise – an auto-renew term on their usage! The agreement specified 1 year usage, but I overlooked a section later in the contract that said usage rights would renew automatically every year unless the influencer requests termination in writing. I am pretty careful about contracts as a social media influencer but I still missed that. Another common mistake influencers make is not reviewing contracts for potential conflicts. For example, you may be in a contract with one brand that prevents you from working with certain competitors for a set period. But most people won’t remember the dates in question! Take a peek at your current and expiring contracts periodically so you don’t have any slip-ups.

Agreeing to Any Term That Says Perpetuity

Influencers get a lot of crazy contracts with a lot of crazy details. One that a lot of brands try to sneak in is the perpetuity clause. There is a lot to say about usage rights and terms, but generally speaking, how the brand intends to use the content you create is something that should drive up your price. However, I always avoid agreeing to any term that specifies the brand can use my content in perpetuity. That essentially means forever, and no social media influencer wants to have to give that away. What if 10 years from now you find that post really embarrassing? What if you end up getting an amazing ambassadorship with a brand that is their competitor? One of the biggest mistakes influencers make is not carefully controlling how their likeness is used. If you see that term in any of your contracts, try to negotiate it out before signing!

Not Negotiating Usage with Your Photographers

As I discussed earlier, usage rights are a big deal! Most photographers that shoot with social media influencers understand that you will use the images on your social channels. However, if you are a content creator that let’s brands use your images, you need to ensure you have permission from the photographer. Photographers still retain copyright of the images they shoot – you do not have a legal right to license usage of those images without their permission. One of the biggest mistakes influencers make is not paying attention to legalities of content creation. If you book a professional photographer for your photo shoots, have them sign a waiver giving you and “your affiliates” permission to use the imagery. Problem solved and potential law suit averted!

Not Boosting Your Own Posts

Every social media influencer complains about low engagement, but there is actually something you can do about it! If you are a content creator with a Facebook business account, take advantage of Ads Manager to boost your own posts. You can setup your own ad campaigns to help expand your reach, increase your social media engagement, and even grow your Instagram following. One of the biggest mistakes social media influencers make is not using advertising tools to their advantage. As I said earlier, you put a lot of effort into your content creation, so make sure people are seeing it.

Not Using 2 Factor Authentication

I know so many social media influencers who got hacked in the past year! People are seriously taking advantage of influencers these days. Don’t be an influencer that makes the mistake of not prioritizing your accounts security. I have all of my accounts protected with 2 Factor Authentication, and it takes less than 2 minutes to setup. Some social media influencers depend on their channels for their livelihood and put years of efforts into growing their audience. You definitely can’t afford to compromise that. Plus, if someone gets access to your accounts they can do more than delete your profile and cost you your followers. Hackers can be dangerous and can compromise your entire personal life too! Not protecting yourself online is one of the biggest mistakes influencers make. Make your account security top priority!

Over Using Geolocation Tags

This is another huge one for safety. I love using geolocation tags on Instagram; they help increase engagement, grow your audience, and get more views on your content. All of those are major goals for any social media influencer. However, one of the major mistakes influencers make is not taking their safety seriously. You should never share your live location, especially if you have a large audience. If I’m posting on Instagram Stories and using geotags, I never actually post from that location until after I leave. Social media influencers need to take their safety seriously, and it can only take one stalker situation to ruin your life. It’s fun to share with your audience, but influencers can never be too careful.

Only Having An Audience on One Channel

This is another huge mistake influencers make! Everyone focuses on Instagram these days, but a content creator can’t only rely on one channel. Tiktok has become the new popular kid on the block, but even Tiktok is at risk of being banned now! Social media influencers have to diversify their audience if they are going to be successful long term. I know it’s difficult to create content and grow your audience on multiple platforms, but it’s a huge mistake for an influencer not to. In addition to this blog, I leverage Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest and Twitter for social media content. Every social media influencer should be aware of the fact that a social network can get banned, shut down, or just close your account for any reason. Keep your business from being compromised by diversifying your channels.