Social listening platform Talkwalker has released a reportOpens a new window  documenting that although most marketers – 70% – agree influencer marketing is a top priority for 2019, they are nevertheless wary of its many potential pitfalls.
The Global State of Influencer Marketing in 2019 report finds that brands are now focused on ensuring authenticity across their influencer campaignsOpens a new window  as they look to avoid increasingly common issues in the sector, emphasizing that problems related to authenticity and brand values have been major concerns for marketers.
This trend has driven marketing leaders to prioritize longer-term relationships with select groups of trusted social media celebrities – a far stretch from the roots of influencer marketing, when all that really mattered was how many followers an influencer had on any given social media platform.
With influencer marketing now established as a validated – and valuable – part of the digital marketing tool kit, the sector will undoubtedly continue to mature. However, as Talkwalker points out, marketers must approach this element of their strategy with caution as there are related risks to being disorganized or dishonest in the implementation.
Why authenticity is so important
The evolution of influencer marketing runs in parallel to all content marketing.
As digital consumers demand trustworthy, high-quality content, not only must brands produce that content, they also need effective ways to prove to audiences their content does, in fact, tick those boxes guaranteeing quality.
Consequently, over the last two years, authenticity has become the buzzwordOpens a new window across the social media marketing landscape – even more so for influencer marketing.
Ultimately, it comes down to why this marketing segment became so popular in the first place: Brands needed to find new and effective ways to engage with digital consumers long overexposed to every imaginable type of marketing campaign.
Partnering with the social media figures people choose to follow provides that exact opportunity.
Global influencer marketing agency Relatable succinctly explains this logic in its The 2019 State of Influencer Marketing ReportOpens a new window : “By entrusting creators to connect with their followers in ways they know will resonate with their audience, brands unlock an unparalleled opportunity to authentically connect with new and existing consumers to accomplish their marketing goals.â€
In order to achieve that level of engagement, brands must take care not treat consumers as sales marks. For audiences to feel like companies and the influencers they partner with are being authentic, marketers must avoid the various potential stumbling blocks of influencer marketing.
The fraud issue
Among the major concerns in influencer marketing – probably the greatest concern – is fraud, in particular, influencers paying for fake followers and engagement in order to trick companies into believing they have far greater reach than they actually do.
This problem has become so widespread that Unilever chief marketing officer Keith Weed last year called for “urgent actionâ€Opens a new window  to address the growing issue of fake followers of social media influencers, a warning that triggered a lot of media attention at the time.
Even Fortune 500 companies fall victim to such social ‘celebrities’. For instance, two Procter & Gamble brands (Olay and Pampers) last year landed in the top 10 companies discovered to be using influencers with substantial numbers of fake followers.
The top company on that list, Ritz-Carlton, paid influencers with an average of 78% fake followers.
Fortunately, because this has become such a mainstream problem, a variety of tips and technologies are now available to help spot fake influencersOpens a new window . Marketers can use tools such as InstascreenerOpens a new window  to identify online profiles with large fake follower counts.
Authentic partnerships
As I explained in a recent pieceOpens a new window looking at the top incoming strategic trends in influencer marketing, brands are learning the relationships they have with influencers must run deeper than ever before.
Marketers are moving away from forming transactional relationships with the most famous influencers who have large numbers of followers. Rather, they will look to cultivate strategic partnerships with the right influencers for their brand and or campaign.
That approach has become necessary because it’s extremely easy to partner with influencers who are only chasing the paycheck and who don’t align with a sponsor’s brand values or content strategy.
Partnering with the wrong influencer can actually have negative impacts, such as alienating certain sets of consumers who may not like that individual. Similarly, if it is obvious to audiences that an influencer doesn’t actually care or respect the company or brand sponsored, that can be enough for some people to avoid that service or product altogether.
Marketers considering influencer marketing must pick the right partners and should approach any partnership with caution. For help, look to any of the many AI-powered online tools and servicesOpens a new window  that can help identify trustworthy influencers who align with a specific brand or product.