The Food Renegades, the top influencer management and digital marketing firm specializing in food and natural products, attended Expo West and heard from hundreds of startups to Fortune 500 brands regarding how they are running their influencer marketing campaigns.

There were five common mistakes amongst the brands we spoke to:

Influencer campaigns were not supported

Regardless of what size company you have, if you are investing in influencers, you need to support that investment. It is worth acquiring smaller influencers if that means that you are going to whitelist their content. Don’t fall into the “cheaper is better” mindset. If you are going to invest in an influencer, invest in making it truly work.

Influencers are experts in knowing their community 

While you as a manufacturer are an expert in formulation, packaging, logistics, and everything else - the creator is the expert in knowing what their community is interested in, as well as the types of products that resonate in their daily lives. Too many brands and brand agencies forget that creators are not just aggregators of audiences, but true community leaders who understand the mindset of the potential customer. We help facilitate creative briefs, which will bring results and include insights from the creators.

Your test was too small  

It is important that a test campaign is more than just one singular post. Assuming that one post even reaches 100% of an influencer's audience, there is no guarantee that the customer will purchase without gaining education and information about your product and service. Creators are not just salespeople. Their audiences do not like being used in this manner. It takes a commitment of time and information for the customer to feel interested and connected with the products and services. Additionally, consistency and familiarity bring results. A potential customer must see a product multiple times before they even feel comfortable going to your website – let alone purchasing.

Influencers were not vetted in depth rather picked by a platform  

While influencer platforms seem easy and cost effective, the reality is they lack the ability for someone in a position of responsibility to truly know the creator's focus and passion for your product and services. When choosing an influencer, it is important to manually go through their profile, read the comments, and ask them about past campaigns they have worked on. It is not just a numbers game. Quality of comments reigns supreme over “lol”. If they are unresponsive, they likely aren’t a good fit to work with and you just saved yourself money on something that was not going to work out.

Overpaying for influencers  

There is nothing worse than paying for an influencer who does not perform. It is extremely important for any company to make sure that they are investing in something that will produce results. That is why it is vital to work with a white glove service and experienced agency like The Food Renegades, who has produced tens of thousands of influencer programs with success. 

The Food Renegades has produced and activated some of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns including programs with the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), QVC, Fitplan, and Azuna Fresh.

To better activate and run your influencer marketing campaigns, The Food Renegades are doing a free thirty-minute consultation.

Email [email protected] to set yours up now!