Social Media Influencers PDF

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Marketing Perspectives on Social Media Outlets and Social Sciences in todays demographics...

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Social Media Influencers 6-2 Blog Marketing Perspectives While reading the 60 minutes transcript by Bill Whitaker which reports about social media influencers I found myself following several influencers not thinking of it in the way he presents it to the readers of his article . I just see it as people expressing how t

After reviewing this 60 Minutes transcript, discuss whether you follow any influencers.

In this 60 Minutes transcript, Bill Whitaker reports on a new trend in advertising. It’s exploding on mobile devices, set off by young people in their 20’s that have attracted a large number of followers on their social networks. Who are these individuals? They’re called social media influencers. For those who aren’t familiar with influencers, they are passionate individuals who develop and share their experiences and opinions on social media for all to see.

An influencer that I follow is Amanda Cerny. She is a fitness expert, actress, and the founder of the Play Foundation, which provides much-needed emergency supplies to children in Haiti. Currently, Amanda has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube and 20 million followers on Instagram. She uses these platforms to post light-hearted images and videos about a wide range of material, everything from fitness to relationships. And as one can see by her number of followers, her content resonates well with her audience. Personally, I love her passion for fitness and charity work!

What do you notice about this type of marketing?

Whenever someone decides to spend money on something that is unproven, they often seek proof or assurance that it will be good quality and a positive experience. Suggestions from family and friends are the number one trusted source of information, but consumers also rely heavily on influencers for their recommendations. Using myself as an example, I’m not familiar with Guess, but I would be willing to buy their fitness apparel since Amanda Cerny represents their brand. After all, what could be better than having someone you admire eliminate the risk of buying a product? That being said, I noticed how this type of marketing leverages this by using internet celebrities as their word of mouth to recommend products and draw in a large number of viewers.

Amanda

What strategies are they employing?

For these campaigns, companies are employing the influencer marketing strategy. In influencer marketing, the focus is placed on influential people rather than the target market as a whole. And the amazing thing about this strategy is that it has many advantages such as intriguing content, gained exposure through other’s networks, credibility, and perhaps most importantly, they’re able to reach a very important demographic, millennials. Also, by using influencers, companies have effectively employed the emotional branding strategy. This is done by a company creating an identity for their brand that consumers trust and feel emotionally connected to.

What role do these influencers play in marketing?

Influencers play a crucial role in marketing. As I mentioned earlier, they attract millennials via social media, which makes them a cost-effective solution that helps a brand appeal to the largest group of digital natives in the U.S. Beyond that, influencers help to inform by spreading a brand’s message across their vast network of followers. Also, and perhaps most essential, they provide consumers with relevant and timely information that they trust.

How does the use of marketing perspective impact the relationship between the company and consumer?

This type of marketing can be an effective way to build a trusting relationship between the company and consumer. And as many are aware, this favorable outcome often means there’s a good chance that customers are going to come back and continue to purchase products, even becoming loyal to the brand. But this type of marketing can be ineffective as well. For example, Sephora incorporated the help of beauty blogger Huda Kattan to promote their products because she had over 15 million followers on Instagram. However, she launched her own lip line at Sephora Middle East and got it sold out in just a few minutes (Sassine, 2017). This had a positive impact on the influencer’s relationship with consumers but did not build long-term relationships for Sephora. I’m not criticizing Huda as I love her blogs, but I want everyone to realize the importance of finding the right influencer that aligns with their brand and boosts the company’s reputation.

References

Sassine, R. (2017, April 6). What is the impact of social media influencers? Retrieved from http://digitalme-up.com/2017/04/06/impact-social-media-influencers/...