How can you manage clients with unrealistic expectations in Influencer Marketing?

It is essential to set KPIs with clear understanding of what needs to be done before starting the campaign. Moreover the client needs to optimize the social media platforms as well, because in most cases the social media platforms are not updated, the audience is disconnected, the messaging is out of place and the client ends up dissatisfied with the campaign results. To get the desired results your own house needs to be in order! Influencer marketing has a great potential to derive results if done correctly.

In my experience, setting clear goals and KPIs for an influencer marketing campaign is one of the most critical and easily overlooked steps. Being in complete alignment with the client about what the program will and will not aim to achieve clarifies how the campaign should be structured, monitored, measured, and celebrated.

Don’t sidestep limitations and don’t get lost in the SOW checklist. Instead seek to understand and to provide impactful creator led solutions, long term value and success from the start. That's how you do culture moving work together.

One way to avoid clients' over-expectations of Influencers' reach and effectiveness in a brand campaign, we must put them in context that is only a part of a 360 strategy and use Influencers solely purposes as a tactic to make their audiences aware and engage or tune to the message the advertiser is pursuing. This means setting the correct KPIs to measure impressions versus conversions and gauge the real value of their base followers versus potential real leads or prospects interested in the brand message.

"Scope creep" is a pretty regular industry event. It happens more often when one team sales in a strategy passes and then passes that to another team to execute. There must be a clear internal briefing of the ask, expectations and outputs the client is expecting or asks can change mid-campaign. If all internal teams are on the same page they can hold the client accountable based on the original brief, the signed contract and any written correspondence to help correct any sort of scope creep.

Soliciting feedback is of the utmost importance with difficult clients. Many times they just need to be heard and know that corrections are being made. As long as the KPIs are being hit and the internal stakeholders are being able to report clear success metrics hard conversations can help maintain a client long-term.

Stay updated on industry trends and keep a bank of case studies/ examples of other brands handy. This helps a great deal in convincing clients as well as setting expectations of what's realistic and what is not. You don't have to try your hand and everything to 'learn from experiences', but having a finger on the pulse of what brands similar to your clients are doing helps a great deal.

Establish clear expectations from the outset. Educate clients about realistic outcomes in influencer marketing. Set achievable goals, emphasizing quality over quantity. Regularly communicate campaign progress transparently. Address concerns promptly, offering alternative strategies. Emphasize the value of authentic engagement. Use data to showcase meaningful metrics. Ensure a comprehensive contract outlining deliverables and timelines. Post-campaign, provide a thorough analysis of results. Guide clients toward realistic expectations through continuous education and transparent communication. Foster a collaborative relationship built on trust and shared goals.

If you explain your clients how the metrics or kpi’s work in digital influencer … then the client will understand the unrealistic impact that some influencers can give them. An example is if you have an influencer with audience that is not coincident with the service or product of your client, then you can show demographic variables to see how the result could be … No matter influence if the metric is not good .. and client will appreciate the information on time.