The Biggest Mistake UK Brands Make When Hiring Influencers

In the last ten to fifteen years or so, influencer marketing has emerged as one of the most dominant aspects of online advertising in the world of digital marketing. Social media platforms have significantly impacted the way in which brands are interacting with their customers. They are focusing more on influencer marketing rather than advertising because this is much more relatable for the customers. Among all of these social media platforms, TikTok has emerged as one of the most dominant platforms in terms of brand discovery and promotion.

The emergence of short video content has significantly impacted the influencer marketing landscape of TikTok in such a manner that many brands are now opting for this type of marketing for promoting their brands and interacting with their customers.

However, in the recent trends of influencer marketing, it has been observed that many brands are not able to achieve the desired results despite having invested heavily in the marketing budget and interacting with many prominent influencers in the industry.

One of the most dominant reasons for this is the fact that many brands are making a critical mistake in their influencer marketing strategy.

Many UK brands are hiring influencers for the purpose of marketing based on the popularity they hold in the industry. The popularity of an influencer is generally based on the number of followers they hold. Although this sounds quite promising at first glance, it is not necessarily so in the real world.

Many marketers are spending their marketing budget on influencer marketing on TikTok, as they believe that the most popular influencers in the industry can perform better for their brand, but this is not the case in the real world, as the concept of social media marketing is far more complex than it seems.

Engagement level, demographic, niche, and content style are some factors that need to be taken into account while choosing the influencer, as failure to do so could lead to the brand spending its ad budget on the influencer campaign, but getting nothing in return.

As influencer marketing has become as refined as it is today, organizations are seeking the help of agencies on TikTok and the best ad agencies in the industry to ensure that they are able to create the best influencer marketing campaign.

The biggest hiring mistake that brands in the UK are making, what this reason is, and what this means to organizations that want to create the best influencer marketing campaign is discussed in this article.

What this means, what the reason is, what the problem is, what statistics organizations need to be focusing on, and how agencies can help organizations choose the best influencer for the best influencer marketing campaign is discussed.

To ensure that organizations can create the best influencer marketing campaign on TikTok, it is essential that the reader understands the principles of this article.

The Biggest Hiring Mistake Explained

The biggest mistake that brands in the UK are making when it comes to influencer marketing is the fact that they are selecting based on the number of followers that the influencer has.
Though this is the most important factor that is being used when selecting an influencer, it could not be any further from the truth.

Choosing Influencers Based Only on Follower Count

Though this has been the most popular way in the past when it comes to selecting influencers, it seems that this is not the case since it is not the best way to go about the influencer marketing campaign in the UK.

However, while the influencer has hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers, this does not in any way provide valuable insights into the way in which the audience is able to interact with the content that is being posted by the influencer.

It is because the algorithm that is used by TikTok is based on the number of engagements as opposed to the number of followers.

For example, it is possible that the video that is posted by the influencer with the least number of followers is able to reach many people as opposed to the video that is posted by the influencer with the highest number of followers.

However, this is not the way in which many brands are going about the influencer marketing campaign.

While this number has been the primary factor in determining the value of the influencer for many brands, this has resulted in many other influencers being ignored, especially the ones that produce the best results in terms of the TikTok influencer marketing campaign.

However, this problem has been made more complex when the influencer’s audience does not belong to the target market.

While the influencer has millions of followers, this does not in any way imply that they are interested in the products offered by the company.

This has been especially so in cases where the company has not yet gained enough insight into the use and implementation of influencer marketing.

Without the guidance and advice offered by experienced professionals in marketing agencies on the use of TikTok as a marketing channel, companies are more likely to use superficial measures in determining the value of the influencer.

However, the price tag for this has been substantial as the influencer marketing budget continues to increase in value.

Why This Mistake Is Costly

While choosing influencers based on the number of followers they have, companies are likely to face many critical problems.

These problems are especially associated with the engagement and compatibility factor between the influencer and the audience.

Low Engagement

Engagement has been regarded as one of the most critical problems in determining the success potential of the influencer.

Engagement is a measure of the way in which the audience is interacting with the influencer’s content.

While it is also true that having high engagement is a sure shot way to know that the audience is interested in the influencer’s content and is giving it their full attention, it is also true that having high followers does not in any way imply that the influencer will also have high engagement.

It is also possible that the influencer has been able to attract these followers based on the content they have been posting. However, the level of engagement they are able to attain could be very low.

It is also possible that the promotional content posted by the influencer may not be able to attain the highest level of engagement.

Even the influencer marketing campaigns that have been implemented on the popular social media platform TikTok have been facing the same kind of issues.

For example, in the case of TikTok, it is known that the algorithm of the social media platform is designed in a way that it favors the promotional content that is able to attain the highest level of engagement from the audience.

Thus, in case the audience is not able to attain the highest level of engagement for the promotional content posted by the influencer, it is also possible that the promotional content posted by the influencer may not be able to attain the highest level of engagement.

Poor Audience Alignment

However, it is also to be understood that the influencer marketing campaign depends on the influencer’s ability to reach the right audience rather than the number of audiences available for the purpose of marketing.

The audience of the influencer may be from different locations, demographics, and communities depending on the kind of interest they have in common.

However, in case the audience of the influencer is not aligned with the target market, it is also possible that the promotional content may not be able to attain the desired outcome.

For instance, in this case, it is known that the brand is in the beauty industry and has customers from the youth segment of the market, and also that the target market for this brand is the United Kingdom.

However, it is also known that this influencer has his audience from different countries around the world and that he/she has access to a huge number of followers from different markets.
Therefore, in such cases, it is also possible for the influencer marketing campaign to fail in producing the required results in the target market for this brand even when he/she has access to a huge number of followers.

Professional marketing agencies who work on TikTok also perform this analysis for brands and then offer them influencer marketing campaigns.

Such an analysis is also helpful in choosing the audience for this influencer who is similar to the target market for this brand.

If this analysis is not performed, brands can end up paying for influencer marketing campaigns that cannot reach their target customers.

What Brands Should Look At Instead

In order for brands to perform efficient influencer marketing campaigns, they must keep in mind the performance of this influencer on different and significant parameters instead of focusing on the number of followers for this account.

The two significant parameters that brands must keep in mind while choosing this influencer for their brand are the engagement rate for this influencer and the relevance of this influencer’s audience.

Engagement Rate

The engagement rate is the most significant parameter for a brand that must be kept in mind while choosing this influencer.

This is because this parameter is based on the engagement percentage for this audience in relation to the content they create through likes, shares, etc.

If the engagement rate is high for the influencer, this means the influencer has a good relationship with the audience.

If the influencer’s audience is engaging with the content they produce, it is very obvious that they will have faith in the influencer and will be ready to buy the product they are promoting.

Besides that, the influencer will also be able to achieve organic reach compared to the influencer who has a large-sized audience but is not engaging with the content they produce.

If a brand wants to partner with influencers in the TikTok influencer marketing industry, they need to consider the engagement rate while choosing the influencer for the marketing campaign.

Most successful influencer marketing campaigns always involve influencers who have a moderate-sized audience and a high engagement rate in comparison to the influencers who have a large-sized audience and a low engagement rate.

These are the ones who are successful in achieving the marketing objectives.

Audience Relevance

Another factor which is considered while choosing the best influencer is the audience’s relevance to the brand’s products and services.

The audience for the influencer needs to have the same characteristics as the consumer for the products and services offered by the brand.

For example, if a technology company is looking to launch a gadget in the market, they need to partner with influencers who have an audience interested in technology and innovation.

Moreover, if health and fitness companies are looking to launch health and wellness supplements in the market, they need to partner with influencers who have an audience interested in health and wellness supplements.

Audience Relevance has different characteristics, for instance:

• Geographic location
• Demographics of the consumer
• Consumer’s interests
• Purchasing behavior

A technology company has to partner with influencers who have an audience of people interested in technology and innovation in order to promote their gadget in the market.

A fitness company has to partner with influencers who have an audience of people interested in health and wellness in order to promote health supplements in the market.

A Professional TikTok Agency can assist in determining the above characteristics through the use of analytical tools in the selection of the influencers for the influencer marketing campaign.

The use of this data-driven approach enables the brand to identify the influencers who are more likely to have an audience that will receive the promotional content in a positive manner.

The use of the audience’s relevance as opposed to the number enables the brand to increase the success rate of the influencer marketing campaigns.

How Agencies Help Avoid This Mistake

The influencer marketing campaigns are becoming more complex, and this has been the main reason why agencies have become very important entities for brand marketers.
The agencies are helping the brand marketers avoid the most common mistakes they would have made in the selection of the most suitable influencers for the influencer marketing campaigns.
Two of the most important functions that the agencies perform are:

• Creator Vetting
• Audience Demographics
• Engagement Rates
• Quality of Content
• Brand Safety
• Past Campaign Results

Creator Vetting

One of the most important contributions that the best marketing agencies on TikTok can make is the creator vetting function, which allows the agency to conduct a series of evaluations on the influencer based on a number of factors in order to determine whether the influencer is the best for the influencer marketing campaigns.

Furthermore, the agency can conduct a series of evaluations based on the partnership that the influencer has with other brands in the past in order to determine the level of success that the influencer has achieved regarding the integration of the promotional content in the video that the influencer is creating.

This is one of the most important issues related to the influencer marketing campaigns since the influencer has to be compatible with the brand image. The brands that have partnered with the most effective ad agencies in the world have the advantage of accessing the databases related to the influencers, making it easier for them to compare the level of success that the different influencers are achieving based on different key performance indicators.

This is because it becomes easier for the brand to be able to identify the most suitable influencer that it can partner with based on the level of compatibility that the audience has with the style of the content that the influencer has created, since the brand, without the assistance of the agencies, would not be able to identify the factors that affect the success of the campaign.

Performance Tracking

The purpose for using the performance tracking is to determine the level of success that is being achieved by the results generated by the influencer marketing campaign in achieving the set marketing goals.
The performance indicators include:

• Video views
• Engagement rates
• Website traffic
• Product sales
• Conversion rates

The purpose for using these performance indicators is mainly effective in giving insights on the level of success that is being achieved by the influencer marketing campaign on TikTok.

The tracking of the performance will help the marketing agencies in understanding how well the influencer marketing campaign is performing as well as the performance of the influencer marketing creator.

The information obtained from this strategy will help the marketing agencies in knowing which creator is performing best and will help in coming up with strategies based on this information.
The strategy will help companies in developing long-term influencer marketing campaigns with creators who perform best.

For companies that rely on TikTok influencer marketing campaigns, this strategy is very vital in optimizing the campaigns in a way that results in the best outcome for the companies.

Case Study: Gymshark’s Strategic Influencer Marketing Campaigns

Gymshark is a fitness apparel company based in the UK.

The company has been using influencer marketing campaigns as part of the company’s marketing strategy since the company was formed.

Instead of using the influencers who have the most number of followers in their social media accounts, the company chose to work with influencers who were part of the fitness community.
These influencers were posting content related to fitness and lifestyle.

These influencers were using the company’s products as part of their routine for fitness.
Due to the evolution of social media marketing campaigns, the company decided to partner with influencers on TikTok.

These influencers who were part of the fitness community were posting content related to videos and shorts on the platform.

These influencers were using the company’s products as part of their routine and posting videos related to fitness and lifestyle content.

Due to the partnership with the influencers who are well-received by the audience they interact with, the company has been successful in its marketing and has gained a loyal customer base.

The strategy used by this company through its influencers has enabled it to grow from a small startup company to a globally recognized fitness brand.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing has become one of the most powerful tools in modern digital advertising, particularly on platforms like TikTok where creator-led storytelling drives consumer engagement.
However, many UK brands continue to make a critical mistake when hiring influencers.

Choosing creators based solely on follower count often leads to campaigns with low engagement and poor audience alignment.

Successful TikTok influencer marketing strategies require deeper analysis of engagement rates, audience demographics, and content relevance.

Brands that prioritize these factors are far more likely to build meaningful connections with their target audiences and achieve measurable marketing results.

Working with experienced partners such as marketing agencies on TikTok, specialized TikTok Agency professionals, or even the top global ad agencies can help organizations avoid common pitfalls and develop data-driven influencer marketing strategies.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of influencer marketing depends not on the size of a creator’s audience but on the strength of the connection between the creator and their followers.
Fit matters more than fame.