You have a great product to offer your potential clients and customers. You know they’ll fall in love with your product, but you have a dilemma. How do you broadcast your products and services to tons of potential customers? Well, there’s a solution. It involves connecting with social media influencers who can amplify your voice to prospective customers.
But, what is an influencer? An influencer is a person who, because of their trustworthiness, creativity, and authenticity, has been able to attract huge audiences on one or more social media platforms. Back in the old days, celebrity endorsements were all the rage, but they were pricey, and not always believable. Today’s advertisers are using everyday people to infuse their ads with healthy doses of realism. Finding the social media influencer who matches your message will enhance your brand at a fraction of the cost.
Peers Versus Celebs
Products need endorsements, but celebs are becoming passé. It all comes down to authenticity. Brands need to be authentic and believable. Former Buick marketing professional, Craig Bierley, nailed it when he said, “I’m not sure anyone really believed that Tiger Woods drove a Buick.” What Tiger’s audience knew for sure was that he was being handsomely paid.
Trends in influencer marketing have gradually migrated from celebrity endorsers to peer influencers who can more effectively connect your products to the audience you want to reach. Peer influencers are regular people to whom we can relate and with whom we feel in sync. We feel a connection with them, and we trust their judgment. We may idolize celebrities, but we trust our peers.
How Peer Influencer Marketing Works
The demand for authenticity has paved the path for people without any previous measure of fame to become highly valuable influencers for all sorts of goods and services. They can’t boast the broad reach that celebrities claim, but they forge stronger bonds with their audiences, making them an impelling force behind purchasing decisions. The process is simple: influencers prove themselves to be experts on a particular subject and then review the products related to that subject in posts, videos or blogs they’ve written.
Who is a Peer Influencer?
When one of your most admired movie stars or a favorite singer endorses a product, your interest is peaked. But when a respected seamstress from your sewing class posts a picture of her magnificent new sewing machine on Facebook or suggests a great website for purchasing fabric, you’re all in. The seamstress who motivated your purchase is a peer influencer. In the world of social media, the peer influencer is recognized as a priceless asset in the marketing arena. Undoubtedly, the most powerful influence exerted on us is from people we consider to be our equals.
Millennials Are Under the Influence
While any age group can be susceptible to its influences, millennials are the perfect target audience for peer influence marketing. Millennials, who range in age from 18 to 35 years, cut their teeth in the digital world. They grew up in an electronics-filled, socially-connected online environment. Their generation is ultra tech-savvy, and their absolute love for social media makes them perfect for the peer influencer market.
Digital marketing can be competitive, but companies continue to engage via social media for the simple reason that it works. Social networking is a major force when it comes to purchasing decisions. In fact, 72% of millennials surveyed report that they purchase fashion and beauty products based on Instagram posts. The scope of media influence goes far beyond Instagram. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest, are giants in the market as well.
Although peer influencer marketing is somewhat new, it’s a medium that’s growing in spades. It will unquestionably continue to impact the branding. This is a trend that’s not going away any time soon. Boldthink would be happy to better acquaint you with the exciting world of peer influencer marketing and further explain how it can benefit your business.
