• 29 Sep, 2024

Common Mistakes Small Businesses Make With Influencer Posts

Many small businesses jump into influencer marketing excited, but simple mistakes can waste money and damage trust. This post breaks down the most common errors and how to fix them so every post actually helps your brand grow.

1. Choosing the Wrong Influencers

One of the biggest mistakes is picking influencers just because they “look big” instead of checking if they’re a real fit for the brand.

• The audience doesn’t match the business. For example, a local bar working with a global fitness page whose followers don’t live anywhere nearby.

• The influencer’s values and content style clash with the brand, which can confuse or turn off potential customers.

Fix: Focus on micro‑influencers and community leaders whose followers actually match your target customer and live close enough to buy. Look at engagement quality (comments, saves, replies), not just follower count.

2. Posting Without a Clear Goal

Many small businesses pay for posts without knowing exactly what they want the post to achieve.

• No clear objective: Is the goal to get foot traffic, website clicks, followers, or sales?

• No success metrics: The business can’t tell if the post “worked” because there’s nothing specific to measure.

Fix: Before any post goes live, define a simple goal (for example: “Get 30 new customers this week using this code”) and choose one or two key metrics to track (redemptions, link clicks, store visits).

3. Weak or Confusing Call‑To‑Action

A lot of influencer posts show a product, but never clearly tell people what to do next.

• Captions just say, “Check them out!” with no link, code, or instruction.

• The offer is hidden in a long paragraph or hard to understand.

Fix: Always include a strong, simple call‑to‑action:

• “Use code JAKE10 for 10% off this week only.”

• “Show this post at the counter for a free add‑on.”
Make the next step obvious and easy.

4. No Special Offer or Reason to Act Now

If followers get the same experience whether they see the post or not, there’s no reason to move quickly.

• Posts show the business but don’t give any exclusive benefit for the influencer’s audience.

• There is no urgency, so people save the post and never come back to it.

Fix: Pair influencer posts with something that feels special, like:

• Limited‑time discount codes

• Bonus item with purchase

• Early access to a new product or service
Clear, time‑boxed offers push people to act instead of just scrolling away.

5. Making the Content Look Like an Obvious Ad

Audiences tune out when a post looks fake or overly scripted.

• Overly polished, unnatural captions that don’t sound like the influencer’s real voice.

• The product is forced into the content with no story or personal angle.

Fix: Encourage authentic content. Ask influencers to:

• Share a real story or experience with your product.

• Use their normal style, humor, and way of speaking.

• Show genuine results, behind‑the‑scenes, or “day in the life” usage.

Real reactions and honest opinions usually outperform stiff, corporate‑sounding ads.

6. Ignoring the Comment Section and DMs

Many small businesses leave questions and interest sitting unanswered.

• Potential customers comment “Where are you located?” or “How much is this?” and no one replies.

• People DM the influencer or the brand and never get a response.

Fix: Treat the comments and inbox like a mini customer‑service channel during the campaign.

• Reply fast.

• Answer questions clearly.

• Direct people to the next step (“Here’s our address,” “Here’s the booking link,” “Use this code when you come in”).

Engaging with comments can turn curiosity into paying customers.

7. Not Using Trackable Links or Discount Codes

Another huge mistake is running influencer posts without any way to see which posts actually brought in customers.

• The business only looks at views and likes, not real sales or sign‑ups.

• Every influencer uses the same general link or message, so results are blended together.

Fix: Give each influencer a unique discount code or tracking link. That way you can:

• See who is actually driving sales.

• Reward top performers fairly.

• Learn which style of content converts best so you can repeat it.

8. One‑Off Posts Instead of Ongoing Relationships

Many small businesses do a single post with an influencer and stop, expecting instant magic.

• Followers see the business once and then forget it.

• There’s no time to build trust or familiarity.

Fix: Think in terms of campaigns and relationships, not one‑offs.

• Work with the same influencer over several weeks or months.

• Mix different content types: first impressions, follow‑up reviews, “brought my friend with me this time,” limited‑time offer reminders.

Repetition builds recognition and makes people more likely to finally try your business.

9. Ignoring Content Quality Basics

Some posts fail simply because they don’t look or sound good.

• Dark, blurry photos or messy backgrounds.

• Long, hard‑to‑read captions with no spacing or hook.

• No clear view of the product, location, or experience.

Fix: Provide simple creative guidelines, not strict scripts. For example:

• Good natural light, clean background, show your logo/sign.

• Start the caption with a hook (“Hidden gem alert,” “I just found my new favorite…”)

• Show the product or space clearly within the first few seconds of any video.

10. Not Aligning With Local or Real‑World Behavior

Some small businesses treat influencer posts like global e‑commerce ads even though they are local.

• Promoting to people who live too far away to realistically visit.

• Posting at times when their ideal customer isn’t online or active.

Fix: Map your influencer content to how your real customers live:

• Work with people whose audience is in your city, school, or neighborhood.

• Time posts around when people make decisions: mornings (coffee, gyms), afternoons (food), evenings/weekends (nightlife, experiences).

Aligning posts with actual habits makes every impression more valuable.

SUMMARY

Influencer marketing can be a powerful growth tool for small businesses, but only when it is done with clear goals, the right partners, and trackable offers. Avoiding these common mistakes—wrong influencers, weak calls‑to‑action, no tracking, and “one‑and‑done” posts—turns random shoutouts into a consistent, predictable way to bring in real customers and real revenue.