Smart technology has changed marketing forever. Brands and consumers are now interdependent in the marketing process. Brands must work harder to establish credibility, to differentiate themselves, and to take under consideration the wants, needs, and desires of consumers. This article will walk you through how influencer marketing may be the best solution to these challenges.
How Has Technology Changed Media?
Harvard Business Review’s Antonis Kocheilas wrote an article on how modern-day technology and its emphasis on two-way flowing communication has changed the way consumers use brands. The role of consumers has shifted to multidimensional. As they consume, they curate. As they engage with media, they are providing insights and analytics that help to dictate the future media culture. For the first time, consumers can give input to the content they want to see more of or see less of.
Why is it Important for Brands to Look at Trends and Analytics?
When establishing a brand, accounting for trends and analyses is an essential part of being received by target audiences effectively. Without understanding industry changes, a brand risks falling behind on trends and not keeping up with the way consumers are using campaigns, products, and services.
An example of an industry change is the consumer demand to be active in media. Kocheilas talks about how the ‘story-era’ has evolved to a ‘system-era’ where brands and consumers have equal influence. Consumers want to add their own narrative and purpose to the products they buy. For example, Apple Watches can be customized with luxury, athletic, or comfort wrist wraps. In the Harvard Business Review article, the ‘Share a Coke’ campaign is noted as a great way of letting consumers incorporate their own story into a brand.
Kocheilas also acknowledges that the brand has become the customer experience, and similarly the customer experience has become the brand. If the customer journey was sophisticated and luxurious, that becomes the brand. If a business wants customers to have fun and lively interactions, then they must tailor their brand to that.
How Can Influencer Marketing Help Both Consumers and Brands Achieve a Positive Experience?
By implementing influencer marketing, a brand can optimize their online marketing experience through engaging and keeping consumers active in media. Influencer marketing puts a face behind a brand and helps to generate buzz through entertaining posts and call-to-actions. It entices the target audiences of that influencer to investigate the collabing brand.
If a home-décor account posts about a new handcrafted furniture company, not only will credibility of the influencer translate to the furniture company’s brand, but also the relationships. If followers see that their favorite influencer thinks highly of a brand, then there will be a domino affect and followers will also see that brand positively.
Influencers with high engagement rates can help gain marketing research and audience insight. If a fashion influencer collaborates with a shoe company, they can post polls on which style their followers like best. If they are a food and lifestyle influencer, then they can compare flavors in story polls for existing products of a collabing company, or instead have their followers comment below an in-feed post which flavor they would like to see from that company next.
So next time your brand is wondering how to give consumers the entertainment and activity that they are looking for in their tech-savvy customer journey, consider launching an influencer campaign. Attract new customers through them hear about the brand from their role models and inspirational figures on social media. Let them vote on your product so they have a voice in what see more of. Shift your brands narrative from stories to systems, and you are sure to see a change in your reach, engagement rates, and brand attributions.