Social media has taken over the Internet by storm. No longer are interactions on popular platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, etc. restricted to informal communication or exchange of news and ideas. Social media influencers are now impacting the world of advertising and branding as well, and in many more ways than one.
Successful retailers planning to launch new products, or desirous of using new channels for increasing sales, are promoting their products through social media influencers. This kind of marketing is but a type of subconscious marketing where consumer thoughts, behavior, and attitude are molded in subtle ways.
Subconscious marketing has always impacted the purchase decisions of consumers without influencing them directly. Read on to know more about social media influencers. Understand why this discrete type of online advertising has gained prominence in the world of online marketing. Most importantly, figure out why the popular trend has its roots in psychology.
Rising Need and Popularity of Social Media Influencers
As per recent studies, there has been a constant and staggering rise in how influencer marketing has added to successful Google searches. Portlynn Hart from SocialBook says that even established, successful brands like Nike are partnering with social media influencers in order to promote and sell their products. These fast-growing acquisition means have become a rage for Internet users. With more marketing departments jumping on to the bandwagon, the impact of influencer marketing is expected to attain even greater heights in future. Higher budgets are being allocated and sanctioned in multifaceted influencer campaigns across all industries and sectors.
What is Social Media influencer Marketing?
If consumer behavior is observed intricately, you’ll find a high percentage of purchase decisions linked to impactful social media personas. Along with new brands, the well-established ones are lining up to create higher demand by using the powers of influencer marketing. This, in turn, has created an entirely new industry with intermediary agencies connecting brands with desired social media influencers. Even though the increasing number of influencers is for all to see, many are still left wondering about who exactly these people are.
Generally speaking, social media influencers are every day, regular people who nurture a passion for a cause, product, genre, or any other area of interest. They have a voice on the internet and are not shy when it comes to speaking up on public forums. The possibilities for these social media gurus or influencers are limitless.
Be it fashion, comedy, cooking, gaming, traveling, hospitality, sports, automobiles, or just about anything else, they love posting their passion on favorite social media platforms. As influencers keep posting regularly about all that they believe in, they attain a big fan following and Internet popularity. This allows them to influence and shape the opinion of their followers on various matters via videos, pictures, blog posts, tweets, etc.
The Idea Behind Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is based on the premise that promotional messages can be relayed to prospective buyers through the immense network created by influencers. This marketing channel creates an effective and quick means of getting across to a wider consumer base. Therefore, it’s not difficult to determine how influencers can become feasible marketing tools for brands and companies. Followers want to read, see, or hear the opinion of popular figures and role models. So, what do social media influencers get in return? In case they agree to become a part of any marketing campaign, they get paid for talking or posting about the products of their clients. Besides, they get promotional materials for free.
Social Media Influencers – Why are They so Impactful?
Are you still wondering why social media influencers are becoming a point of attraction for online marketers? What do they have in them that makes their words and social media presence so powerful? As you’re probably aware of, consumer behavior has close relations with cognitive biases. The same rings true for influencer marketing and how it influences the purchase and behavior of consumers. The answers to the effectiveness of this approach can be found in various fields of psychology. There’s nothing new in how psychology impacts buyer behavior. The same applies to influencer marketing.
Social Proofs and Credibility of Endorsers
As per market research and related studies, the credibility quotient of any peer endorser is dependent on several factors. These factors include and are not restricted to expertise, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and similarity. The degree of perceived power wielded by any person is the degree of influence possessed by any person. Expertise in any given field is one of the key elements connected to perceived power. An influencer posting regular updates on any particular subject, say, travel and hospitality, becomes an authority on the subject over time.
Followers start looking up to the knowledge base of the travel blogger to formulate their vacations and travel itineraries. Instead of going for help to a sportswriter or positive thinker, they wait for the comments of the perceived ‘travel expert’ to plan their next trip. This gives them the power of influencing the decisions of others. When such influencers endorse products or post their opinion or review about them, their word matters!
Their position of authority gets more strength by accumulating numbers. A high number of shares, followers, likes, and comments provides the target audience with social proof. Just the notion that there are many others like them, gives prospective consumers the will to stick to their judgments. They feel that if a majority of others are listening to the influencer they care about, he or she must be stating something that’s right.
This bias influences their purchase decision through psychological impacts. Brands use this attractiveness of influencers to create positive associations between their target audience and the products they sell. This is why social media influencers are approached by companies to reach the subconscious mind of viewers. Their opinions are posted on social media to influence product-related decisions and make more sales come their way.
Way Forward
Millennial influencer marketing has many different aspects that are churning rich dividends for brands and marketers. As the owner of an eCommerce business or a marketer, you may want to leverage the powers of social media influencers to bring in higher sales and promotional benefits, today!
