With social media being at the forefront of communication, it means that more people are present online than ever before. There are a lot more brands online and users grow by the day. This creates potential room for more influencers to enter these niche markets in the digisphere.

There are five types of influencers. These include:
  • Nano-influencers: 1 000 – 4 999 followers
  • Micro-influencers: 5 000 – 49 999 followers
  • B-listers: 50 000 – 249 999 followers
  • A-listers: 250 000 – 1 million followers, and
  • Superstars: Over a million followers.
This means that any person on social media who has 1 000 followers or more is considered an influencer.

So, let’s take a look at what mistakes influencers should avoid.

Are you ready? Let’s do it:

1. Not disclosing partnerships

Disclosing the partnerships you have with brands to your followers is essential. This is because it links back to being authentic. If a brand is gifting you with free products and you are advertising them on your social media accounts, you need to make your followers aware that you are gifted or sponsored.

This is important because if it comes out that you are sponsored and you did not make it clear from the beginning, your following might feel like you are not being honest with them. It can also appear that they paid you to say that you like the brand, when in fact you might not even use it. That tarnishes the brand and your reputation.

When something like this happens, your follower count might drop as people will not trust you anymore.

2. Partnering with just any brand

There are some influencers who just accept any and all partnerships regardless of what the brand does or what it stands for.

This is a big no-no for influencers because you represent your own brand with its own values and beliefs. If you showcase brands on your social media profiles that are supporting opposite causes than what you stand for, your followers will see this incongruence as you being inauthentic.

For example, if you are an influencer that supports the LGBTQ+ community, but you partner with a brand who does not, it will cause a lot of damage to your reputation. This is because your loyalty to the ideal will be questioned by your audience. This is why it’s essential to do thorough research on brands and pick the ones you want to be associated with very carefully.

3. Not giving credit where it's due

Being an influencer means you have a big reach and influence over people. If you choose to share another content creator’s work, it is vital to tag them in the post or give them credit.

After all, you know how much time and effort goes into creating really good content and you would want credit when another creator shares your work, right?

Therefore when posting an image or video be sure to tag the creator in the post. If you are unsure of who created it, then you could say, “Please reach out if this is your work so that I can credit you.” This will prove that you have mutual respect for other influencers, content creators, or social media users.

4. Not engaging with your followers

Social media is a two-way street; it only works when both parties benefit from it. This is why you need to ensure that you engage with your followers.

Like their comments, share their feedback or give some of them a shoutout in your Instagram story. This is a great way to build a strong and long-lasting relationship with your followers.

Social media is all about engagement, so remember to make responding to your followers a priority!

What are some other common mistakes that influencers on social media make? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.

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Are you still not sure if there’s a place for influencers in 2021? Well, be sure to find out more in our article, Are influencers still relevant during the global crisis?
*Image courtesy of Unsplash