Written by: Vickie Sullivan | December 28, 2023
The Dark Side of Influencer Marketing
Alert: Mini rant ahead.
Influencer marketers are selling their souls by promoting products that are bad for people. According to a recent Washington Post article, “registered dietitians are being paid to post videos that promote diet soda, sugar and supplements on Instagram and TikTok.”
That’s infuriating! People who know better are giving bad, sometimes hurtful, advice just to earn a buck.
This is how skeptics and naysayers are born—and why people have stopped believing experts.
2 Tactics to Avoid Being Labeled a Bad Influencer
To avoid being lumped in with bad influencer marketers, take these two pre-emptive strikes:
• Be picky: You may be tempted to accept big money from larger organizations, especially when you just enter the market influencer field. Instead, when evaluating possible partners, prioritize intangible factors such as brand alignment. What I tell clients: Highlight five factors — three intangible and two tangible — as key criteria, so the former is the tiebreaker.
• Be super transparent: Don’t rely on typical disclosures like hashtags. Instead, embed the relationship in your content. For clarity, make the statement upfront or at the end. The most emotional part for your audience is to be surprised by your partnerships. It’s hard to repair what feels like a betrayal.
As you evaluate the role influencer marketing plays in your business model, consider the potential for backlash. What you lose in market credibility can’t be easily regained.
Listen: What to Consider When Exploring Partnerships
Now Read This:
- Influencer Marketing: A Reality Check
- Market Assessments Take the Guesswork Out of Your Next Big Move