Today’s social media world is filled with influencers who have redefined how brand’s connect with consumers. The big question for brands, is how to authentically incorporate these influencers into their strategy in a way that makes sense for their message and goals. As more and more brands are blindly tapping social media influencers, consumers are becoming increasingly annoyed with forced promotions filling their feeds. RSR’s Creative Director, Cole Sletten, tackled the topic for Forbes.

“The best influencers build their own personal brands by displaying or discussing their beliefs and values and sticking to them. The moment influencers choose to promote products or services that don’t align is the moment they can expect their audience to disengage. The same goes for brands and the influencers that they hire. It’s very easy to tell. And it diminishes the value for both the brand and the influencer.

Even more troubling is the fact that many third-party influencer platforms cannot provide accurate reporting metrics like scale, reach and quality of audience. Many even lack the ability to identify specific influencers in niche segments. Given this, it’s difficult to imagine how fruitful these influencer campaigns actually are for both sides of the coin especially with fluctuating pricing models and prima donnas with diva attitudes that are gaining unprecedented traction.” 

For the full Forbes article, head here.