Influential marketing, which emerged from the growing sphere of social networks, is one of the fastest growing ways to convey a message. It uses the popularity of people nicknamed "influencers", who have many followers and a wide scope, to market products and influence opinions. It is very much a marketing strategy for the age of social networks.
"Influence marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing channels today," said digital strategist Shane Barker.
"It's about taking advantage of influential people in social networks or key leaders so that more people trust your brand," he told the E-Commerce Times.
Influential marketing is rooted in traditional messaging. It has simply been updated to take into account modern forms of communication and the technologies that enable them.
"Influencing marketing is simply the new word of mouth faster," said Mae Karwowski, CEO of Obviously.
"It's people who share what they love with their communities," he told the E-Commerce Times.
Why it works
Effective influencer marketing has to do with trust. Although it can sometimes be difficult to get people to click on an advertisement, following the recommendations of an influencer may feel more natural and organic, as it arises from a perceived relationship.
Influential marketing can be more effective than traditional methods for modifying opinions and shaping purchasing decisions, especially for younger audiences.
"The influencers have generally generated a large number of followers online in their social networks or blogs," said Werner Geyser, founder of Influencer Marketing Hub.
"These people trust the recommendations of the influencers and take note of what they say and recommend," he told the E-Commerce Times.
The influencers have an impressive framework that was established long before a brand associated with them.
"The influencers have already done the hard work," Geyser said. "They have created a captive and interested audience, and in most cases, they will have many more followers than the brand itself."
Good influence
The effective use of influential people, like any marketing, involves understanding your audience. With influential marketing, that means understanding the influencers too. The total number of followers of an influencer does not necessarily translate into that person being the right person for a particular brand.
"The biggest mistake companies make is to choose celebrities that may be totally irrelevant to the type of product you sell," Geyser said. "Celebrities are only really useful for mass-market products that target a wide range of people, most companies will work better with micro-developers, who may have fewer followers, but are more likely to have a genuine commitment to they".
Choosing the right influencers, therefore, is key.
"Choosing to work with the wrong influencers can be a major setback," Barker said. "It can become a total waste of time, money and effort - in fact, the wrong influencers can also give you negative publicity." To avoid this, you must choose very carefully the influencers you want to work with. Make sure they are authentic and relevant to your brand and niche, the content you create must align with the values, messages and objectives of your brand's campaign. "
It is also important to make sure that you evaluate influential people to make sure they are who they say they are, and that their followers are real people, not bots.
"One drawback and a common fear among brands is the falsity and lack of authenticity," noted Joe Gagliese, managing partner of Viral Nation.
"Social platforms have tactics to mitigate false followers and audiences, but they must ensure that the growth of organic followers is not affected by such algorithms," he told the E-Commerce Times. "There are measures to avoid encounters with influential people who have a large number of followers that are largely composed of bots, [resulting] in extremely low participation rates and little legitimate influence."
Finally, it is important to comply with all relevant regulations and standards regarding the use of influential people. In particular, brands must ensure that the fact that they are using influencers is transparent and clear.
"The US FTC standards have mandated that publicity through influential people be communicated in a transparent manner to the hearings through written disclosure, ie, #ad - or verbal disclosure," Thanks to [ brand] for sponsoring this video, "explained Gagliese. Social platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, have been uploaded on board by creating 'brand partner labels' on the platform. "
It may seem like a burden to have to reveal so much, but audiences like to know who is partnering with their favorite influencers.
"While some brands may hesitate to be so advanced with advertising for their audiences, followers are often more receptive to messages if they understand that a creator is partnering with the brand," said Gagliese.
"Brands must be careful in the process of information for influential people to avoid the supply of scripts.Key messages are always important to ensure that the brand is represented in the best way, but audiences can easily identify the inorganic content quickly" , he pointed. "Avoid the need to dictate the messages of an influencer by choosing the right influencer with the right audience."
As with any business relationship, mutual understanding is key to influencer marketing running smoothly.
"You have to have clear contracts and know who you're working with, and that goes both ways," Karwowski said. "It is really important that the influencers be authentic in what they promote and that brands do their due diligence in their associations."
The evolution of influence
Because it is a relatively new practice, influential marketing continues to evolve along with social media platforms and the audiences on which it is based. Those who are in the field, however, see a bright future for it.
"This rapidly evolving marketing tactic will continue to help brands reach and attract their target audiences," said Barker. "Influential marketing has to do with the creation and fostering of mutually beneficial relationships, and only with powerful relationships can you make successful campaigns."
As social media platforms evolve and change, so will influential marketing.
"There has been a huge increase in platforms and agencies in recent years, as people have seen a hole in the tool market to help with the selection and marketing mechanisms of influential people," Geyser said. "There are no signs that this can change soon."
Influential marketing niches are also being developed that focus on narrowly defined audiences.
"People are beginning to expand their definition of 'influencers' to include important people with smaller followers in micro-niches, and even employees of many companies," Geyser said. "The defense of employees is really a specialized variant of influential marketing."
Given its unique place at the intersection of social networks and marketing, the practice of influential marketing could become one of the best ways to reach a diverse and constantly changing audience.
"Influence marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing channels today," said digital strategist Shane Barker.
"It's about taking advantage of influential people in social networks or key leaders so that more people trust your brand," he told the E-Commerce Times.
Influential marketing is rooted in traditional messaging. It has simply been updated to take into account modern forms of communication and the technologies that enable them.
"Influencing marketing is simply the new word of mouth faster," said Mae Karwowski, CEO of Obviously.
"It's people who share what they love with their communities," he told the E-Commerce Times.
Why it works
Effective influencer marketing has to do with trust. Although it can sometimes be difficult to get people to click on an advertisement, following the recommendations of an influencer may feel more natural and organic, as it arises from a perceived relationship.
Influential marketing can be more effective than traditional methods for modifying opinions and shaping purchasing decisions, especially for younger audiences.
"The influencers have generally generated a large number of followers online in their social networks or blogs," said Werner Geyser, founder of Influencer Marketing Hub.
"These people trust the recommendations of the influencers and take note of what they say and recommend," he told the E-Commerce Times.
The influencers have an impressive framework that was established long before a brand associated with them.
"The influencers have already done the hard work," Geyser said. "They have created a captive and interested audience, and in most cases, they will have many more followers than the brand itself."
Good influence
The effective use of influential people, like any marketing, involves understanding your audience. With influential marketing, that means understanding the influencers too. The total number of followers of an influencer does not necessarily translate into that person being the right person for a particular brand.
"The biggest mistake companies make is to choose celebrities that may be totally irrelevant to the type of product you sell," Geyser said. "Celebrities are only really useful for mass-market products that target a wide range of people, most companies will work better with micro-developers, who may have fewer followers, but are more likely to have a genuine commitment to they".
Choosing the right influencers, therefore, is key.
"Choosing to work with the wrong influencers can be a major setback," Barker said. "It can become a total waste of time, money and effort - in fact, the wrong influencers can also give you negative publicity." To avoid this, you must choose very carefully the influencers you want to work with. Make sure they are authentic and relevant to your brand and niche, the content you create must align with the values, messages and objectives of your brand's campaign. "
It is also important to make sure that you evaluate influential people to make sure they are who they say they are, and that their followers are real people, not bots.
"One drawback and a common fear among brands is the falsity and lack of authenticity," noted Joe Gagliese, managing partner of Viral Nation.
"Social platforms have tactics to mitigate false followers and audiences, but they must ensure that the growth of organic followers is not affected by such algorithms," he told the E-Commerce Times. "There are measures to avoid encounters with influential people who have a large number of followers that are largely composed of bots, [resulting] in extremely low participation rates and little legitimate influence."
Finally, it is important to comply with all relevant regulations and standards regarding the use of influential people. In particular, brands must ensure that the fact that they are using influencers is transparent and clear.
"The US FTC standards have mandated that publicity through influential people be communicated in a transparent manner to the hearings through written disclosure, ie, #ad - or verbal disclosure," Thanks to [ brand] for sponsoring this video, "explained Gagliese. Social platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, have been uploaded on board by creating 'brand partner labels' on the platform. "
It may seem like a burden to have to reveal so much, but audiences like to know who is partnering with their favorite influencers.
"While some brands may hesitate to be so advanced with advertising for their audiences, followers are often more receptive to messages if they understand that a creator is partnering with the brand," said Gagliese.
"Brands must be careful in the process of information for influential people to avoid the supply of scripts.Key messages are always important to ensure that the brand is represented in the best way, but audiences can easily identify the inorganic content quickly" , he pointed. "Avoid the need to dictate the messages of an influencer by choosing the right influencer with the right audience."
As with any business relationship, mutual understanding is key to influencer marketing running smoothly.
"You have to have clear contracts and know who you're working with, and that goes both ways," Karwowski said. "It is really important that the influencers be authentic in what they promote and that brands do their due diligence in their associations."
The evolution of influence
Because it is a relatively new practice, influential marketing continues to evolve along with social media platforms and the audiences on which it is based. Those who are in the field, however, see a bright future for it.
"This rapidly evolving marketing tactic will continue to help brands reach and attract their target audiences," said Barker. "Influential marketing has to do with the creation and fostering of mutually beneficial relationships, and only with powerful relationships can you make successful campaigns."
As social media platforms evolve and change, so will influential marketing.
"There has been a huge increase in platforms and agencies in recent years, as people have seen a hole in the tool market to help with the selection and marketing mechanisms of influential people," Geyser said. "There are no signs that this can change soon."
Influential marketing niches are also being developed that focus on narrowly defined audiences.
"People are beginning to expand their definition of 'influencers' to include important people with smaller followers in micro-niches, and even employees of many companies," Geyser said. "The defense of employees is really a specialized variant of influential marketing."
Given its unique place at the intersection of social networks and marketing, the practice of influential marketing could become one of the best ways to reach a diverse and constantly changing audience.
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