Influencer marketing has been around for many years. The point has naturally always been to get your attention by using someone that will influence your opinion causing you to make the decision to try their product. In the past the role has normally always been cast to a recognizable celebrity that will grab your attention. However the trend is changing now and beginning to introduce you to the micro-influencer.
Who are the micro-influencers?
People you know and trust … your peers, your Mom, your local business owner and a wide variety of the general public we have come to depend on for good advice and superb service.
Who knows better about a tasty dinner than your Mom? Who knows more about what everyone is wearing than your peers? Gramps could most likely tell you far more about your vehicle than Matthew McConaughey and your best friend would probably be the best one to ask about a good diet plan rather than Oprah. Although celebrities may have star power they are often unable to relate to the average Joe, many of whom do not have the glamour, finances or fame to be a realistic influence in the daily market of the budgeted consumer.
A great example of micro-influencer marketing is a recent Subaru advertisement about their new Pre-Collision Braking feature. It uses an everyday family with Dad driving, Mom in the passenger seat and two children in the back seat focusing on the moment when an accident is narrowly avoided because of the new brake system. Obviously, it is something we can all understand because, chances are, we have all had that slam on the brakes moment at one time or another.
The time has come to center on the sale of the necessary and not the charm. Buyers are more intelligent these days and can see the allure themselves without that being the main selling point. What they want to see is how it will improve their lives and who better to tell them than their next door neighbor.
Many of a certain age will remember the slogan ‘Prince Spaghetti Day’ because it was Grandma yelling out the window for Anthony, who knew it was Wednesday, as he ran home as fast as his little feet could carry him for the pasta dinner. Or how about Ralph, sitting on the side of the bed, who kept repeating ‘I can’t believe I ate the whole thing’ for the Alka-Seltzer advertisement. We remember them and those ads because we’ve all been there and done that at one time or another and could recount the exact moment or feeling being portrayed. Those folks, in those ads, were us. They spoke to us and not at us. And they were simply more relevant, more believable and garnered just as much of our attention as any celebrity may have been able to do. In fact, we remembered the product more so than the celebrity in most instances.
Frequently the basics of the sale weigh heavily over the perceived influencer trying to sell it. With all the competition and material available for research these days the consumer is looking for information about the product and is keenly aware of the sales tactics being used to earn their consideration. You might consider that yourself when you want to really influence today’s market. .