In theory, marketing can seem pretty simple, but in reality, every marketer knows that underestimating the process can be a big mistake. It needs constant innovation to persuade such an ever-changing market and therefore certain ways prove to be more effective than others when they are unheard of. Gone are the days when approaching the customers head-on worked best, with time people have become impartial to most forms of marketing.
This change in attitude created a demand for a new method- something that catered to the needs of the brand without falling prey to the tangible flaws. Thus, began the age of Influencer Marketing.
What is Influencer Marketing?
As the literal meaning of the words suggests, using the influence of a key individual of the group to persuade the target audience. Any person who has a clear influence over the target audience or a large portion of it is used as a point of contact rather than going to the people directly.
So Instead of telling homemakers that their kitchen equipment is the best, they let a renowned chef do it for them or the crowd’s favorite cricketer lets out his secret to fairness. A more on ground implementation can be seen in rural areas where companies prefer to take the assistance of individuals such as retailer or head of farmer’s association to assist in advertising of agricultural products. Similarly, it is commonplace to use mechanics in automobile and architects in cement industry to drive sales.
Why Influencer marketing?
The clues to the answer are in how our everyday lives have changed, people went from reading newspapers to listening to the radio to watching TV and now sticking to their phones. If our emphasis on the change in attitudes, the world has gone from looking at things to looking at each other. The power of Social Media being a live display of this behavior, people are more interested in knowing what their favorite star wears or where they eat more than ever.
Stephanie Mallarme described this phenomenon the best- “Dreams have as much influence as actions.”
But if that doesn’t persuade you, let us list out the reasons that make influencer marketing paramount in most industries.
1 – Old is gold
Word of mouth is a form of marketing that seems to have lost a place in the brand’s strategy, but the truth is that its powers are far from fading. Customers had and always will have the tendency of buying a product that has been recommended by users like themselves rather than marketers.
Of course, it helps if this user happens to be someone people already looking up to for advice. This behavior can be used in favor of the brand through influencer marketing.
2 – Back to the basics
The truth is that everyone is tired of “in your face” advertising, paid ads (Digital Marketing) have lost their allure and tend to be annoying more than effective. As the world advances, customers and their ways are taking a turn for the fundamentals. Even though we rely on technology, we want our
indulgences to be free of clear invasions. Subtle is the new loud.
3 – Number matters
Rarely any customer willingly sits through an advertisement in which tons of money and time is invested but they do wish to watch a video that caters to their needs or has their favorite blogger. The fun fact is that means that influencer marketing will actually cost you less than the traditional ways but would be if not more, equally effective.
4 – The show must go on
Most customers have openly admitted to relying on content when judgment time comes and an influencer creates content indigenous, specific to the taste and preferences of the audience they influence, this makes it highly efficient.
5 – Milk it for all its value
Social Media is powerful but has all the brands present on it able to yield this power?
No. Influencer marketing puts the focus on exactly those points that keep giving Social Media its power and therefore, using it can help brands to benefit from its growing momentum. If the Kardashian/Jenner clan has done anything, it is proving the monetization model of Social Media.
