The Influencer Gasp: Are We Done With Influencers?

Influencer marketing has gained a lot of traction in the past 5 years. 

With the rise of social media platforms, influencers have become powerful voices capable of shaping consumer perceptions and driving purchasing decisions - think 

However, alongside the success stories of influencer marketing, there lies a darker side, well, more annoying side, to influencer marketing - the Influencer Gasp.

What is the Influencer Gasp?

The Influencer Gasp can be described as the exaggerated reactions and endorsements that influencers sometimes employ to promote products or services. 

Have you ever seen a beauty influencer trying out a new skincare product, and as soon as she applies it, she dramatically gasps in awe at the immediate, miraculous results. 

As if the product is that good 🙄

While this kind of content may generate buzz and engagement, it can also lead to a loss of credibility among consumers.

People are already complaining about it!

When influencers over-exaggerate their reactions or tout unrealistic benefits of a product, they risk alienating their audience and the audience you paid to reach. 

Today's consumers are savvy and can see through inauthentic endorsements. 

When faced with the Influencer Gasp, viewers may question the genuineness of the influencer's recommendation and start to distrust their content. This loss of credibility can ultimately impact the effectiveness of the marketing campaign and influencing in general.

So why am I writing this post in the first place?

As a marketer, I want to make sure that you are aware of potential issues in each channel, including influencer marketing. 

I want to go over some best practices and things to consider if you are going the Influencer Marketing and UGC route. 

🌟Requiring Transparency and Genuine Recommendations - Even If It Means a Poor Review

When it comes to influencer marketing, your brand should enforce transparency and encourage genuine recommendations. If you want to avoid bad reviews, try sending products to an influencer that has expressed positivity towards your brand or brands similar to yours.

The days of exaggerated reactions and over-the-top endorsements are gone! Today's consumers are looking for honesty and real experiences from the influencers they follow.

Disclose Partnerships

Transparency in influencer marketing involves full disclosure of partnerships and sponsored content.

By being upfront about paid promotions, influencers can maintain trust with their audience and ensure their recommendations are perceived as genuine rather than sales pitches. This level of transparency fosters authenticity and aligns with ethical standards in advertising. You will see in many comments that true fans are happy that Influencers are “getting a bag” and will try the product because the Influencer was honest about getting paid for it.

Let Influencers Know They Don’t Have to Say All Nice Things

If you are working with an influencer, you can let them know that they don’t have to say all nice things if they wish to get paid. Encouraging an honest review not only helps build credibility but also helps you improve your product over time!

Choose the Right Influencers

Another factor to keep in mind is the relevance of the product to the influencer's brand. If an influencer is known for promoting makeup products but suddenly starts endorsing lawn care tools, it may raise some red flags.

Again, I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but authenticity is key in influencer marketing, so pay attention to whether the product aligns with the influencer's niche and personal brand.

Example

A stellar example of a successful influencer collaboration is the partnership between Gymshark, a fitness apparel brand, and fitness influencer Whitney Simmons. Their authentic collaboration not only drove sales but also resonated with Simmons' dedicated followers, who appreciated her genuine endorsement of the brand.

🛣️Going the UGC Route

Going beyond the traditional influencer marketing model, brands are exploring alternative marketing schemes to engage with consumers in more meaningful ways. 

From user-generated content (UGC) to interactive experiences, these strategies can offer your brand new avenues to connect with your audience and drive brand awareness.

What is UGC?

One increasingly popular approach is leveraging (UGC) as a powerful tool for marketing. 

UGC is either

a) encouraging your customers to create and share their own content featuring your products or services (reviews) or

b) paying “regular looking’ people to create video reviews for you.

The last part of UGC is different from Influencer marketing because the person creating the content doesn’t have to post the video on their own social media. However, you can use the videos as “authentic” reviews.

Why UGC?

UGC provides social proof and credibility and fosters a sense of community among consumers, strengthening brand loyalty and engagement.

These days, your brand needs to take advantage of video content to drive conversions. 

That's because videos offer you a way to showcase your products, demonstrate features, and connect with consumers more personally.

Whether you are using product tutorials, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or customer testimonials, video content has the power to boost engagement and sales.

So Are We Done With Influencers?

No, we aren’t done with influencers, but we are done with inauthentic influencers!

All individual creators and brands have on the Internet is their credibility. So don’t mess is up with fake people and poor choices in partnerships.

Remember, you must prioritize transparency. By fostering authentic relationships with influencers, you can tap into their loyal fan base, leverage their expertise, and co-create content that feels genuine and relatable to your target audience!