While the influencer marketing industry has quickly become a staple of most brands’ digital outreach, that doesn’t mean it is flawless. Every form of marketing has obstacles; it is just a matter of brands being ready and capable of overcoming them. Influencer marketing is social media-based, and social media can be a messy, confusing thing that moves at the speed of light.

Social media influencers can leverage their platforms for brands to create major growth opportunities. Lead generation through influencer marketing is a great way to target a certain group or groups. But several different problems seem to pop up frequently for marketers. Let’s look into some of the most common challenges an influencer marketer might face and break down how they can be overcome.

The Problem: Fake Followers

The common refrain about social media is that it is inauthentic, that everyone is pretending, that it is all fake. This isn’t necessarily true for the most part, but it strikes a little close to home for the following of some influencers. According to Startup Bonsai, the most common complaint challenge brands have with influencer marketing is spotting fake followers and inauthentic engagement. 50% of surveyed marketers said this was their largest issue.  The same report claims that roughly 10% of accounts on Instagram are fake, making it likely that a huge number of influencers have a significant amount of fake followers.

Fake followers can be a problem for brands because it could lead to them spending extra money on influencers with high followings and not seeing ROI because their base isn’t what the follower numbers made it out to be. Some level of fake followers is to be expected, but this poses a problem when it is at a significant scale.

The Solution: Prioritize Engagement Over Following

Follower count is an indicator of reach, but it isn’t the end-all. The amount of engagement an influencer gets is just as important as their follower count and more indicative of the value they provide. However, inauthentic engagement is also problematic, as some fake followers are bots that will automatically comment on pages.

A good way to check in on this is by browsing your target influencers page and looking at the comment sections. Are the comments aligned with what the post is about? Are they relevant? Click on some of the profiles. Do they appear to be real people? Fake followers will have severely disproportionate follower-following ratios and lack posts on their accounts. Looking at this will give you a sense of the influencer’s real engagement.

The Problem: Struggling to Find Right Influencer Fit

Like with other forms of marketing, finding the right fit is extremely important. Not every influencer will work with your brand, and your brand isn’t going to work for every influencer. You have to find influencers that fit your brand that are willing to promote your product. This is a huge part of the challenge behind crafting a viable influencer marketing campaign.

According to Influencer Marketing Hub’s report on the industry, 22% of surveyed marketers found it very difficult to find the right influencer fit for their brand, while 56% rated it medium-difficult. That means 78% surveyed find some level of difficulty in finding the right fit.

The Solution: Create Buyer Personas and Research Market

A solution to this is something that most marketers will be aware of: buyer personas and market research. Knowing your audience is arguably the most important step to reaching them, and buyer personas help you do this. For those unaware, a buyer persona is a profile of your ideal customer that uses hypotheticals and market research to draft a comprehensive image of the type of person your product is geared towards. It includes things like demographic info, values, goals, pain points, and more.

Once you identify the kind of person your brand should align with, you can identify the kind of influencers your brand aligns with. What would someone your product is a fit for be interested in? Researching your market helps fill in the blanks here, but genuinely consider what the day-to-day life of your customer would be like, and go from there. Finding out who your customers are will help you find who your influencers should be.

The Problem: ROI Hasn’t Been There for Initial Campaigns

At the end of the day, ROI is the most important thing with marketing spending, although increasing brand awareness is up there too. Influencer marketing should help in both these capacities. However, if you’ve launched your own influencer marketing campaign and haven’t seen results, you are not alone.

According to a separate Mediakix survey, 78% of marketers rated improving and measuring influencer marketing as their primary challenge of this advertising medium. The goal of a typical influencer marketer is to build a community, better engage with audiences, grow their brand, and generate sales. If this isn’t happening, it’s time for a change.

The Solution: Work with an Influencer Marketing Agency

If you’ve been trying your hand at influencer marketing alone and haven’t seen the results you were hoping for, maybe it is time to consider partnering with an influencer marketing agency. These companies can work alongside you to craft a comprehensive influencer marketing strategy that is industry-specific and effective. Influencer marketing agencies have the experience and resources to create a strategy much more likely to bring in significant ROI.

One influencer marketing agency that makes the ideal partner for a business looking to scale its abilities is Influence Hunter. Influence Hunter has helped brands across industries drive massive growth by effectively deploying an influencer marketing strategy. With an experienced team and tons of industry knowledge, Influence Hunter can be a major asset to your marketing. Contact us today to find out how we can help your business grow.