10 influencer marketing pros & cons social media managers should know

What are you hoping to achieve by working with creators and building an ambassador programme? Your goals will influence the type of creator you collaborate with, the content they produce, and the calls-to-action (CTA) they use.

Common goals include:

• Expanding reach: Influencers can introduce your product or service to new audiences.
• Driving engagement: They can foster meaningful interactions between your brand and customers.
• Building brand trust: Followers trust their opinions, which can influence buying decisions.
• Increasing traffic: Influencers can direct traffic to your social profiles and website, thereby increasing followers.
• Boosting sales: With the right approach, influencer marketing can significantly impact your bottom line. 

Now, let’s get into influencer marketing pros and cons.

2. Increased brand visibility and awareness across platforms

Influencers are experts at introducing their followers to new brands. They can boost your visibility and brand awareness on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok by using content formats like stories, reels, live streams, and cross-collaborations.

Social media platforms have massive audiences to tap into! Facebook boasts nearly 3 billion active users, Instagram has 2 billion people scrolling on the app, and TikTok has over 1 billion monthly users all around the world. 

There are so many ways that influencers can add your brand into purchase-making decisions, such as running giveaways, doing brand collaborations with other content creators, and showing how your products or services work. 

3. More impactful user-generated content (UGC)

UGC is original, brand-specific content created by customers. This type of content is highly beneficial for businesses, as it reduces the pressure on in-house resources. UGC comes in many forms, from testimonials and reviews to blogs, photos and videos.

With so many ads and promotions bombarding consumers every day, UGC is a way to stand out. UGC is a form of earned media that can save you a lot of money when compared to paid media.

UGC can also come in the form of paid media for example, if you decide to boost organic UGC posts from your community or if you collaborate with influencers to create IGC-style content for a specific campaign. It still has the same effect of impactful social proof.  

Often, if experienced content creators have an affinity to your brand, they’ll produce engaging, high-quality content that enhances the presence of your brand without you doing the actual work.

1. Overwhelming growth that is hard to control

You want to experience a surge in demand for your products or services; but, are you ready to handle the increase in numbers? 

For example, you want to promote a hydrating moisturiser perfect for the winter months. An influencer tries your product, loves it and starts posting about it to her 800k audience with a discount code. 

Do you have enough stock to fill the potential orders that come through? Is your e-commerce store easy to use for online shoppers? Are you positive that the discount code works? And, if shipping fast enough to get your product to buyers during the winter months?

Rapid growth can be challenging if your brand isn’t ready for it. If an influencer campaign leads to a surge in demand, you’ll need systems in place to handle it to avoid disappointing new customers.

2. High price tags when working with popular influencers  

When collaborating with established macro or mega influencers, you may encounter substantial fees that can stretch or even exceed your marketing budget. These creators typically have vast followings and extensive reach, which often comes at a premium cost.

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, working with mega influencers on TikTok can set brands back around $2,500 per post. Macro influencers charge around $1,250 to $2,500 per post.  For smaller brands or those working within tighter financial constraints, these high price tags can limit the feasibility of engaging with such influencers.

However, micro or nano creators present a cost-effective alternative, with micro influencers charging around $25 to $125 per post and nano influencers $5 to $25. Although they have smaller followings, their audiences are often highly engaged and niche-specific, which can offer more targeted and authentic brand connections.

By choosing micro or nano creators, brands can benefit from meaningful audience interactions without the hefty investment, making this an attractive option for maximising impact within a budget.
Micro and nano influencers are also particularly successful at marketing local businesses like florists or coffee shops.

3. Potential for mismatched content that’s not right for your brand style

If a creator’s style doesn’t align with your brand identity, it could affect your reputation and the perception among your audience. To avoid this, review their past work to find content creators who are aligned with your brand values.

By selecting creators who naturally resonate with your brand’s core values and visual identity, you can ensure that their content feels authentic and enhances your brand image rather than detracting from it. 

There are both advantages and disadvantages of influencer marketing. But, collaborating with the right social media creators can be a powerful way to elevate your brand. By weighing up the pros and cons, you can set yourself up for successful partnerships and grow an engaged and loyal brand community.