5 Influencers Mistakes to Avoid

Welcome to The Spark Show! In this episode, I’ll be sharing with you the 5 influencer mistakes to avoid that I’ve seen a lot of people make and that I’ve made myself. 

If this is the first time we’re connecting, my name is Gwen Lane and I help influencers build their brand, grow their following, and monetize their influence. I have a 12-year digital marketing background and have been monetizing as an influencer for 5 years and I love sharing what I’ve learned while building a multiple six-figure business as a travel and lifestyle influencer. 

Mistake #1.Follower-Obsession

This is a big one. Everyone is obsessed with the numbers and the thing is it matters but it also doesn’t matter. If you go into this business with the goal to get millions of followers, it’s a very different energy than going into this business to help people. 

If you were able to help one thousand people, would that be significant for you? But then when people tell me they only have a thousand followers - they say it like it’s a bad thing. 

So if you’re super concerned with following, I’d like to invite you to a different perspective. There are people on Instagram right now with less than 100,000 followers who are making millions of dollars. And there are literally people with more than 100,000 followers who are not making a dime. Yes, they’re getting free stuff and get invited to events but they’re not actually making any real money. So who would you rather be? 

I’ve also had students that started monetizing with less than 1,000 followers so it’s really not about how many followers you have but the kind of content you post, who you are as a person and how you serve your audience by providing value for them. 

Mistake #2 - No Monetization Plan 

A lot of influencers start out by posting content but they really have no strategy or plan to monetize. If this is just a hobby for you, great. You don’t have to listen to anything that I’m saying. But if your goal is to monetize and create a profitable influencer business that you have to figure out how you’re actually going to make money. 

Posting content and wishing someone gives you money is not a strategy. Crossing your fingers and hoping brands will reach out is not a strategy either. Most of them will try to get you to work with them for free. It’s up to you to ask for money and if you don’t feel good about that, you’re going to have a hard time monetizing. 

So first, decide if this is a business for you or not. If it is, then pretend you’re going to present your business to someone. Create a plan on how you’re going to monetize - are you going to be an advertiser and get brand sponsorships? Will you be doing affiliate marketing? Will you be selling your own physical or digital products? Will you be offering your services? Again, if you’re just doing this for fun or not looking to make money for a few years, that’s fine. But if this is a business for you and you want to replace your full-time job then you need to have a plan in place. 

Mistake #3 -  Comparison Trap

A lot of us fall into this one because it’s so easy to see what someone else’s life looks like on social media and we naturally compare it to ours. But what you have to keep in mind is that you’re not seeing the whole picture here. You’re usually seeing the curation of it. 

I’ve heard someone say, “don’t compare your Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 20.” And we often do this especially when you’re just starting out. We don’t know someone else’s journey, they don’t often talk about their failures so we can’t assume that it was easy or as great as it looks online. 

A good way to combat the comparison trap is to limit your scrolling time to make sure you don’t fall into that black hole of social media. 

Mistake #4. Analysis Paralysis

This is another big one. Most influencers fall into the mistake of trying to get things perfect and the reality is - it doesn’t exist. Some influencers take weeks trying to decide on the right blogging platform and there isn’t one. And then weeks turn into months and years and it doesn’t even end up happening. 

What might be the best one for someone else may not be the best thing for you. The best thing to do is to live by the quote - “done is better than perfect.” And it’s better to make a decision and take action rather than staying in research mode. 

Mistake #5. The Perfect Time

So we already talked about perfection in the last mistake but sometimes influencers are waiting for the perfect time and it doesn’t exist. They’re waiting for the perfect time to reach out to a brand, charge a certain rate, or launch an offer. 

You’re never going to be less busy or less stressed or anxious. The perfect time is right now because your life is precious and it’s not guaranteed. One year from now, you don’t know what’s going to happen. If you feel a certain tug on your heart to do this, that’s your intuition talking to you and it’s your job to listen. 

I don’t want you kicking yourself a year from now wishing you had already started. 

So those are the 5 influencer mistakes to avoid. It’s really common to have these thoughts and feelings, because we are human. That’s why important to have a mentor and a coach to help you get through these challenges - to get support and accountability. If you haven’t watched my free influencer training yet, head to gwenlane.com/training to watch it and I address a lot of these mistakes in detail plus I share my exact process on how I’ve worked with some of the biggest brands out there. 

Listen to the full episode here:  

Watch the Masterclass

Gwenlane.com/masterclass

Book a call with Gwen: 

thesparksociety.org/call

Listen to Previous Episodes: 

Public Relations 101 with Courtney Love Gavin

How to Work with Brands You Love

Navigating Influencer Dating and Relationships featuring The Spicy Life

How to be a Successful Microinfluencer featuring Kalpana Ravulapati

Changing your Mental Blueprint featuring Fernanda Lind

                  Connect with Gwen Lane

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