Most people have probably wondered what it could have on their business if they suddenly got the recommendations of a great name. And if you did not ask that question, you should do it. Really.
And not necessarily for the reasons you think! Apparently, brands have sought the favor of “trendsetters” forever. They sign big checks to use their image for a whole lot of products, the luxury car to the book, by the way, in Japan, for male cosmetics.
But today, the muses and influence have changed a LOT, especially on social media.
Scoop: This is great news.
Twitter has recently conducted a study in partnership with Annalect.com, the influence on social media that people follow and how this influences their buying behavior.
Some of the results that emerge are likely to change your perception of the connections you make on social media, and how you promote your business and your relationship with the passing days.
Want a celebrity gives you a reference to “Like”? Here’s what to know:
Reconsider what makes someone influential
The standard way to define an influencer is this: a person with enough public recognition for the audience knows it, appreciate it and to trust him.
Modern audiences are interested not only in the names of celebrities but also “handled names.”
This is how Twitter calls people who have built a subscriber base and a reputation on social media, and whose opinions and recommendations resonate with their fans.
In some cases, an influencer can be an Internet personality who is paid to create content for any brand who signs the check.
In other cases, however, an influencer can exercise influence on a very specific audience.
Hint: they are people whose work-out your friends may have never heard of!
In the world of bloggers, for example, it could be someone like Darren Rowse of ProBlogger. Not necessarily a name you hear the happy hour but someone vital in its sector!
Social media have allowed many people to become very influential in small communities online, very precise.
What kind of influence exactly? See these statistics:
49% of those surveyed by Twitter are based on the recommendations of influencers. To give some perspective to this figure, 56% rely on recommendations from friends.
This confidence is also palpable in their purchasing habits. When a user sees the tweets of a brand, their purchase intention is 2.7 times higher, but when they see the tweets of a brand and those of an influencer, this score climbs to 5.2.
Having an influencer in the mix can make the difference.
Which brings important questions:
Is there a charge for influencers recommendations?
Somehow those who make rain or shine on the Internet have nothing to envy celebrities who are promoting on television brands sign a big check, and you will have your puppet.
But when you are looking to achieve the hearing of an influencer on social media, you necessarily have to sign a big check With brands?
Not at all.
Of course, you can if you wish. Internet celebrities are a burgeoning market right now! For example, on Twitter announcing the results of the investigation, they recommend using Niche.co, a company that connects brands with the most relevant influencers for them. We preferred to work with our friends in Upfluence.com, which have a similar offer.
Especially that Twitter does not say is that they acquired Niche in 2015.
But that’s not the only way of doing things, and, for you, this may not be the best way.
Remember, an influencer is not defined by its popularity overall, but by its popularity with a particular audience. Someone whose audience may seem relatively small compared to some Internet stars might be a better asset to your brand!
If you want to reach these people and their audience, do not you may have to spend a dime, but you MUST remember two key rules to be effective.
First, do not be cynical. It is extremely tempting to reduce all this to some figures, as do large companies to start calculating the value of people based on their number of subscribers or see them as a way to achieve your goals.
Small businesses and solopreneurs have the privilege to show others more respect than that, then do it! Acknowledge that behind every “influencer” hides a person with his own business, his reputation, and its system of values and beliefs, as complex and rich as it is. Identify influencers as individuals, not as tools, and create relationships with them.
Then go ahead of time rather than money. Take a chance to know the influencers: their audience, their message, their mission … Another reason why it is also important to consider them as people and not just promotional tools.
Spend time to identify and pursue these opportunities, the network that you build may end up having much more value than just influence their recommendations.
What do you think of the phenomenon “influencers”?
The growing influence of small Niche profiles, in addition to celebrities, creates many opportunities for SOHO & SME but also brings its share of challenges.
What is your experience with small-scale influence strategies? Does it free you? Do you find it frustrating? Maybe both …Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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