Marketing – I, Me, Myself
“If you’re in business, you’re in the business of influence. Period. Saying that, influencer marketing technologies & services are typically applied in situations where there are very many individuals to interact with.” – Philip Sheldrake
If you haven’t gathered till now, well, then let me tell you I’m referring to ‘Influencer Marketing’ here!
Before I briefly talk about influencer marketing, the first & foremost step is to understand what is an influence, how does it play a role in marketing & why is it important.
Influence is, The Capacity To Have An Effect On The Character, Development, Or Behaviour Of Someone Or Something, Or The Effect Itself.
In the context of influencer marketing, influence is less about argument and persuasion of a particular point of view, rather, it’s more about loose interactions from one end to various parties in a community.
Who’s an Influencer?
The Cambridge Dictionary elaborates Influencer as someone who affects or changes the way that people behave.
An Influencer is a person running a campaign of his thoughts, beliefs and experiences continuously amongst & with people, which either affects their lives and thinking, on a general basis or impacts the lives of many people by either helping them or guiding them. Now, this is known as influence!
Influencer is a person impacting or creating a change.
Influencers help in driving a force, a cause & a change.
Thanks to the sporadic growth of Social Media over the years, the marketing industry has gone through a drastic shift in approach & applications. It has given more power to the consumers, and made the industry less hypocritical.
Social Media helps in enforcing an organic engagement when it comes to brands interacting with consumers. It acts as a direct link between the two. With new advancements coming up, Influencer marketing opens up new avenues through which, one can connect with their consumers directly, and foster an organic engagement and impress the target audience to take desired action.
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing which has an indirect focus on the people, as it’s through a medium. Influencer marketing is about developing and leveraging relationships with people of influence within a particular demographic to help spread your brand message or to help build on the same foundation as the word-of-mouth advertising.
“People do not buy goods & services. They buy relations, stories & magic” – Seth Godin
Let’s look at the basics of Influencer Marketing…
In a nutshell, influencer marketing takes the “I” out of the equation, letting others tell the story about the products & services. Trusted influencers can boost the brand awareness and market the products & services in unprecedented ways than traditional marketing can’t ever compete with.
Influencer marketing provides you with instant visibility, lots of potential customers, and a high return on your digital strategy. A relevant influencer to your industry exposes your brand to the right consumers. These targeted consumers are already interested in your niche, and they will be paying attention with a strong likelihood to purchase.
