7 Common Influencer Marketing Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Influencer marketing can be highly effective only when it’s done right. But too often, brands jump in without a plan, chase big names, or forget to define success. The result? Wasted budget, disappointing performance, and missed opportunities.
We’ve helped tech brands navigate influencer marketing the smart way. Here are 7 common mistakes we see, and how you can avoid them.
1. Choosing Influencers Based on Follower Count Alone
The mistake: Picking influencers because they have a huge following
Why it’s a problem: Big numbers don’t always mean big results. Mega influencers (1M+) often have low engagement rates and broad, unfocused audiences.
What to do instead:
Prioritize engagement, content quality, and audience relevance. Micro influencers have average engagement rates around 3.86%, compared to just 0.98% for mega influencers.
2. Running a Campaign Without a Clear Objective
The mistake: Launching a campaign with no specific goal.
Why it’s a problem: If you don’t know what success looks like, you won’t know if you’ve achieved it.
What to do instead:
Define your goal from the start. Are you aiming for:
- Brand awareness?
- Website traffic?
- Free trial signups?
- User-generated content (UGC)?
Your objective will shape everything from who you work with to how you measure performance.
3. Not Providing a Clear Brief
The mistake: Sending a vague email and hoping for the best.
Why it’s a problem: Creators can’t deliver if they don’t know what you want or worse, they might misrepresent your brand.
What to do instead:
Share a simple campaign brief:
- Key message points
- Must-say or must-avoid phrases
- Visual examples
- Content format guidelines
- Give them direction, not a script.
4. Assuming You Own the Content
The mistake: Reposting content without permission.
Why it’s a problem: Most creators retain rights to what they produce unless otherwise agreed.
What to do instead:
Be clear upfront about content rights and usage terms. If you want to repurpose a video as a paid ad, that should be part of your agreement.
5. Over-Scripting or Controlling the Creator
The mistake: Telling creators exactly what to say.
Why it’s a problem: Audiences can spot inauthentic content a mile away—and it underperforms.
What to do instead:
Let creators do what they do best. Campaigns perform 2x better when influencers are given creative freedom.
6. Ignoring Audience/Product Fit
The mistake: Working with creators outside your customer demographic.
Why it’s a problem: Even great content falls flat if it reaches the wrong audience.
What to do instead:
Review the creator’s audience data:
- Demographics (age, location, interests)
- Past campaign examples
- How closely their content aligns with your tech product
7. Not Tracking Performance Properly
The mistake: “We got likes… but what did it actually do?”
Why it’s a problem: Without clear tracking, you can’t justify or repeat success.
What to do instead:
Use:
- UTM links to track traffic and signups
- Affiliate or discount codes to track purchases
- Engagement benchmarks to evaluate content performance
And always review results post-campaign.
Final Thoughts
Influencer marketing isn’t magic, it’s strategy, relationships, and execution. By avoiding these common mistakes, your brand can launch campaigns that actually move the needle.
At Oplize, we help tech companies run smarter influencer campaigns from start to finish. Creator sourcing, campaign planning, performance tracking. We’ve got you.
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