Excluding influencers from planning and creative decision-making is a mistake for several reasons:

1. Influencers Know Their Audience: Influencers have built their followings by connecting with a specific audience. Their content resonates with their followers.

2. Authenticity: If the content does not come across as authentic or organic, it might not be well received by the influencer’s followers.

3. Creative Perspectives: Having influencers partake in the creative process can bring refreshing new ideas.

To avoid this mistake, the following steps can be used in your campaigns:

Include Influencers Early: Start involving influencers at the initial stages of campaign planning. This way, you can make the most out of their creativity, and their understanding of their audience.

Open Communication Lines: Ensure smooth communication flow between the brand, influencer marketing platforms, and influencers. This helps in seamless exchange of ideas.

Collaborative Creativity: Allow influencers to provide their input during creative sessions. Their ideas could give a fresh perspective.

Segmentation and Personalization: Tools like Flinque allow brands to segment influencers based on their audience demographics, which makes the creative process more informed and personalized.

Remember, the best influencer marketing platforms, whether it’s Flinque, AspireIQ, or others, focus on nurturing partnerships between brands and influencers. The choice of which platform to use should be determined by the specific needs of the brand, capabilities of the platform, and the exact influencer marketing goals.