Advertising has always affected people’s decisions, and now, with social media marketing, it has gone to another level. People tend to believe what they see on social media networks. Gone are the days when only celebrities used to endorse a brand or promote any brand. Nowadays, when it comes to using a product, users value what influencers have to say.
As you know, social media influencers now play a crucial role in marketing for a wide range of brands. Whether it’s endorsing a luxurious handbag, skincare product, the latest knitting accessory, or even a new model SUV, you will find a digital influencer for each product. More brands and businesses are increasingly joining the influencer marketing bandwagon to improve their marketing and outreach strategies.
The past few years have seen a tremendous rise in influencer marketing. This rise would never have been popular if users didn’t value influencers’ reviews and opinions, especially when buying something. Even if users don’t notice, their buying behavior has been influenced by someone they follow.
But the question arises that how do influencers actually influence and affect people’s purchasing decisions?
To answer this question, here are some reasons which state how influencer marketing has affected consumer decisions.
An influencer builds brand awareness
Social media influencers have a solid understanding of the platforms they’re using. They know how to create engaging and impactful content that can build more awareness for a brand.
These established influencers have spent a considerable amount of time growing their audience. That’s why with their storytelling skills and refined presentation, they know how to build effective relationships with their audiences and tell a brand story efficiently.
Influencers do so by posting a relatable caption with a pic on Instagram or by making a video tutorial that states the attributes of the particular product or how to use it.
Recommendations Reign
As per Hubspot, 71 % of consumers are more likely to purchase something online after a service or product is recommended by someone. In simple words, recommendations play a major role in buying decisions of the consumer.
Influencers build a community and establish a trusted relationship with their audience through constant engagement. Now, this relationship has gone to the extent that influencers have positioned themselves as a great resource for consumers looking for product recommendations.
Influencer engage rather than promote
Let’s understand this with an example if you see a beauty brand advertising a product and you see an influencer sharing how the product revolutionized their night time routine, which one are you most likely to pay attention to? The latter one, right?
Most users would prefer to comment on the influencer’s post to learn more about the product and how it’s beneficial. It has been seen that 62 % of millennial consumers are more interested in serious engagement than promotion. Due to this, influencers create more organic content to drive more engagement.
hey are experts in their niche
You know that consumers pay attention to what influencers have to say, but do you know why? Influencers establish trust among their community of followers because they are considered experts. Some studies also proved that most users rely on an influencer’s expertise when weighing the value of their endorsements.
Though expertise on the Internet is not a new concept but influencers, have turned into a way to affect buyers’ decisions.
One such influencer niche which is considered experts in their work is that of mommy bloggers. Influencers who are pregnant or who just had a baby share their expert tips on how to get along in the process. And when such influencers get engagement, brands start to approach them to promote their baby products by creating original content centered around their product.
Influencers strengthen customer relationships with brands
We all know people mostly like to buy from a brand they trust the most. It’s because they know the quality, price, and experience they’ll get after using the brand’s product. Such customers are called loyal customers.
So, does that mean loyal customers never try a new brand no matter how good it is? No, that’s not true. They will buy if someone knowledgeable recommends them to. That’s where influencers come to the play.
Influencers establish a connection between the brand and consumers by getting a brand in front of their eyes in a more original way. In most cases, consumers pay keen attention to what influencers recommend as they are considered more trustworthy than any brand claims. It’s because it is a general human tendency that we tend to believe something if an influential person is laying stress over it.
They affect buying decision with unbiased opinions
Another good thing about influencers – they are storytellers. These people have mastered the art of communicating with the audience without seeming too much. The major reason why consumers trust influencers is that they can relate to them on a personal level.
The connection is established because influencers don’t just put up any ads on their feed just because they’re getting paid. They talk in detail about the product attributes like how to use it, how much money you have to pay, where you can get the product, and how it can ease your life.
In simple words, influencers cover most of the questions consumers have about the brand or the products.
That’s how influencers affect buying decisions of consumers. If you’re a brand and looking forward to step up your marketing strategy by going for influencer marketing, you’re going in the right direction.
Here are 5 reasons why influencer marketing can be beneficial to your brand :
Your competitors are already using it
Staying ahead of the game is the most crucial part of the competitive business environment. Due to the rise in social media advertising, your competitors are already opting for influencer marketing in their strategy.
The popularity of influencer marketing among brands and marketers has tremendously increased in the past few years. A growing number of brands and marketers are turning to influencers to assist them leverage creative content in an authentic way, combat ad blocking, drive engagement, and reach gen Z and millennial audiences who avidly follow and genuinely trust social media celebrities.
They build the credibility of your brand
The trust and credibility influencers establish among their audiences are their most valuable asset. This trust works in favor of your brand. When influencers review your products, customers get to know more about them, and they even consider it before making the buying decision.
Influencers create fresh content
Most brands pay a hefty amount to the marketing team to create fresh content that can go viral on the Internet. Influencers simplify the process for you. Content created by influencers works as user-generated content. Instead of an ad that eventually gets outdated, influencers do reviews or credible testimonials for your products.
Your target audience gets more connected to such content and might even use your product.
They can improve your SEO rankings
Working with a social media influencer doesn’t always mean that they will have to review your products on their channel. You can simply ask them to mention your brand on any of their posts or repost one of your articles or posts. This will result in creating high-quality backlinks to your website, and we all know what backlinks can do to SEO rankings.
Having a natural link on an influencer’s page to your site or blog will give a boost to your rankings.
Influencers can generate more sales
Influencers present your brand in front of your target audience in such a way that the message resonates well within them. In fact, according to a study by Tomoson, for every $ 1 invested in influencer marketing, the brand generates revenue of $6.50. In simple words, influencers can convert your potential customers into existing customers.
The Bottom Line
The use of influencer marketing for businesses has broken the wall between brands and followers. This became possible because customers always look for reviews or feedback on the product they are going to buy. When an established person recommends it, they tend to buy it.
Though it’s not in a negative way, influencers have a lot of impact on buying decisions of the consumers.
