Red flags you should look out for when considering Influencer Marketing
It can be difficult to spot influencer fraud, which is unfortunately still a major issue in the influencer marketing space. With influencer marketing continually growing and changing metrics being used to measure and judge an influencers success, it is becoming harder to spot when influencers are authentic or whether they are cutting corners with both brands and the followers they are meant to be influencing. Here are a few things to look out for when considering an Influencer.
Using this story as an example, the email Elle sent wasn’t addressed personally but instead “Hi there,” so we can be certain that it was copied and pasted and that this email has been sent out to many other local hotels and that they have zero interest in your brand, just a free stay.
The fact there’s not one mention of the hotel name within the email is a huge red flag plus there was no mention of the White Moose Cafe’s famous social media channel, proving very little research. The hotel/cafe had a higher following than Elle at this time.
Influencers should provide evidence that they can help your business. Elle advertised that she can help your brand by saying “last year I worked with Universal Orlando in Florida and it’s been amazing for them!”.. Where’s the evidence? Where’s the numbers? Where’s the attached follower information? Where are the engagement stats? Geographical stats? Footage/Imagery evidence? Testimonial? .. We’re not going to believe this incredibly unreliable information.
Point of the story, if you ever receive an email like this. Don’t get involved.
Low reach or views compared to others of their size
On average, the typical reach (Instagram defines reach as total accounts who have viewed a piece of content) for an account on Instagram is 20% to 25% of the overall following. Evaluating an influencer’s reach can help you determine if they purchased followers or engagements.
The same number of likes and comments on every photo
Authentic accounts have a variety of engagement. Engagement varies based on the type of content, as well as the time of day and day of the week that the content was posted. Reach and impressions will also fluctuate, and it is uncommon to receive the same amount of likes and comments on every photo.
Large, sudden increases in following or large sudden decreases in following
There are tools available that help track an influencer’s audience health. One way of spotting fake followers is to look at an account’s follower growth over time to ensure that the increase is a steady stream. If the graph shows a drastic jump in following, that indicates that the influencer likely purchased followers or participated in a loop giveaway.If the follower growth is unsteady overtime, that likely means that that person was participating in the follow, unfollow method, which is exactly as it sounds. You follow an account in hopes that they follow you back and after a few days, unfollow them.
Inconsistent Or Off Niche Posts
A true, professional influencer knows the value of consistency. If you happen to encounter an influencer who posts on and off or does not have consecutive posts, this is a red flag. You want to work with influencers who can provide content or complete a campaign with quick turnaround. An influencer who does not post often is a sign that the potential collaboration could result in low engagement or you’ll wait a while before you see the outcome they promised.
Check their ads are real
This is a harder one to check but certainly worth doing so. Many pretend they’re advertising a brand (for some reason) and it can be easy to presume they’re real, why lie you ask? Many believe it makes them look cool basically.
There’s no concrete way to check this unfortunately but a few tips would be to see if the brand liked the photo, brands always will like a photo they’ve paid for and even comment. Check that the brand follows the influencer, again influencer marketing can often be about collaborating so the brand would most likely follow them. Don’t be fooled by someone writing #ad or adding ‘paid partnership', most big brands have no time to check.
Check if the brand has done influencer promotions before, did they follow/comment/like/repost? If they have and have done consistently but not with the influencer you’re trying to figure out… I’d hop, skip and run.
