July 26, 2016 9:24 am
Published by Kirsty Sharman
Many marketers are still trying to grasp the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of influencer marketing, never mind the ‘when’.
The ‘what’ is simple to explain: it’s a form of marketing where brands use key individuals – called influencers – to deliver their messaging to a specific audience that the influencer has built up a relationship with.
The ‘why’ is equally simple: we trust product reviews and recommendations coming from our friends more than advertisements.
The ‘when’ is a little more strategic. It’s tempting to try out influencer marketing because it seems like a novelty (it’s not), but you’ll get the best results if you time your influencer campaign to when you’re trying to achieve very specific marketing goals.
Webfluential’s Kirsty Sharman wrote an article on Social Media Today, where she explained 6 perfect times for marketers to use influencer marketing. There’s even an infographic! Click here to read the full article.
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July 21, 2016 8:53 am
Published by Kirsty Sharman
There’s no deny traditional marketing has evolved, shifting away from broadcasting brand messages through mass media, towards two-way communication.
But even back when there was no Internet to connect brands more closely with their target markets, there was an element of influencer marketing floating around in the marketing mix: peer-to-peer communication. Or simply put: word of mouth.
A housewife may have recommended the washing detergent she saw on TV to her friends – but there was no way for brands to track, measure or even prove that this communication took place.
Fast-forward to today, the rise of the digital media means that consumers can reject the uninvited, one-way brand messages they were once bombarded with. The opinions of their friends count for more. Word of mouth has become king.
That housewife? Now she has a parenting blog and is able to reach more of her friends than she ever did at bridge club. And thanks to technology like Webfluential, brands are able to track and measure online conversations around their products and services.
Take a look at this infographic, taken from an article written by Webfluential’s Kirsty Sharman, where she explains the evolution of brand storytelling. It clearly shows how influencer marketing has come full circle. Click here to see it.
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July 20, 2016 7:50 am
Published by Kirsty Sharman
We’ve written a number of articles before highlighting the importance of Influencer Marketing and why more brands and marketers should care and start taking notice. This is starting to take shape with more established entities who are realizing the advantage that lies in collaborating with influencers to reach the right audience instead of sticking to the old tried and trusted means of advertising.
A perfect example of this comes in the shape of Unilever’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMO), Keith Weed who, according to a blog post on JWT, spoke about “The Future of Brands” in his keynote address at Cannes Lions 2016. In the talk, Weed spoke about how consumers engage brands that challenge stereotypes and address issues of environmental and social responsibility with a specific look at the typical stereotypical portrayal of women in advertisements:
“We need to find a different way of representing beauty and move to a much more enjoyable, non-critical perspective in reflecting women and how they are in everyday life.” – Keith Weed.
In the same talk he stressed the importance of how brands need to start moving away from these (usual) stereotypes and be more progressive by challenging the status quo in their advertising campaigns. The same post goes on to highlight Weed stating two approaches as being the best representations for the future of brands, namely:
- I: Individuals/influencers/impacts
- N: exponentially raising the power of the I’s
“It’s no longer enough for advertisements to speak to a certain age cohort or demographic – they must target individuals.”
“One of the best ways to reach individuals is through influencers and brand ambassadors. Weed explained how campaigns can be magnified by identifying “what people are talking about and who the power influencers are.” Unilever used supermodel Kendall Jenner to promote the launch of Magnum Double last year in Cannes. According to the company’s research, purchase intent goes up 5.2 times if campaigns use influencers, like celebrities.”
Read more on J. Walter Thomson Worldwide.
Webfluential’s Account and Content Manager, Thabiso Moloi, originally wrote this piece for BizCommunity. You can view the original article here.
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