Remember, back in the day, when businesses counted on word-of-mouth advertising? They would receive profit on customers telling their friends and loved ones about the wonderful store they had visited.
In the 21st century, word-of-mouth advertising looks a little different. Now it's an influencer, blogger or vlogger recording themselves 'talking' to their viewers about where and how to shop a product they love, why they recommend it and how it's added to or changed their life. This mode of advertising has been around for a little while, it has, however, really taken off in the last couple years.
How does it work?
Firstly, you decide what product you want to direct people toward. What item are you wanting to optimize?
You then select an influencer that pairs well with your chosen product. For example: if you have a suitcase you want to advertise, it would work well to use a travel blogger; or if you want to drive sales towards jewelry, you might choose an influencer who specializes in fashion and gifts. Whoever you choose, you want to make sure they're styling their posts in such a way that you can repurpose them on your own social media sites and they blend well with your aesthetic/brand voice.
Influencers can have as little as a few thousand followers or as many as millions. The more followers they have, the more eyes will be on your product when they post about it. Once you've chosen a blogger you believe is a good match, you reach out to them and see if they're interested in a partnership. Your company will pay the entrepreneur(s) to post and/or talk (Instagram stories) about the product.
If a blogger who has a larger following, you will pay them more than the blogger who has a smaller number of followers. Basically: the bigger the number of followers the greater chance it will boost sales, so compensation is more substantial. If strategically chosen, the chosen product's sales will pay for the advertising in no time.
These avenues (posts or stories) will then link to the mentioned product allowing the viewer the opportunity to purchase said product.
Does it really work?
The reason this mode of advertising works is threefold:
1) People love having their research done for them. If someone is following a blogger, it most likely means they trust them and respect their authority on the blog's topic of choice. When the blogger recommends a product, the viewer won't think twice about it being good, they'll just take their word for it. All your product has to do at that point is entice them.
2) It's so easy for them to purchase. All they have to do is click a few buttons, which promptly leads to the checkout cart. Customers won't even have time to think twice about buying it... they'll already have a receipt waiting in their inbox.
3) It's personal. Having someone you feel like you know talk to you about an item is basically the modern version of word-of-mouth advertising; it just happens digitally.
Influencers may also reach out to companies asking if they'd like to form a partnership. In this instance, your job becomes easier because you won't have to do as much vetting, i.e., researching the blogger, confirming they actually care about and/or understand the product, all you'll have to do in this instance is make sure they're a good match.
If you're unsure what the aforementioned postings or stories might look like, below are some visual examples from our own experiences.
Story Examples: the influencer records themself actually talking about or using the product. Available for 24 hours and can be saved on an Instagram blogger's home page for viewers to come back and rewatch/refer to.
Post Examples: the influencer writes a catchy caption detailing to their followers why your product is so amazing. Always available for viewing. If a customer goes to the blogger's profile, they will be able to view the product more readily.
Social media is surprisingly a great business tool. Learning to use it can be tricky, but once accomplished, it is a very valuable asset.
Top
