Have you ever been on social media and seen your favorite celebrity (名人) talking about a product? These promotions are actually a vital part of the marketing process. The question is: How do social media influencers influence what you buy?
Human desire for social positions and making friends, combined with our need to belong to a group, makes us willing to be "socially influenced". Companies often use that desire to have a similar lifestyle to a celebrity they admire to launch or sell a product. So, what do these promotions actually do?
Firstly, they can be used to build brand awareness. A social media influencer should have a strong understanding of the platform (平台) they operate on, and therefore can create attractive content that not only sticks to the brand image, but develops their followers' interests in a product they might never have seen before.
Secondly, influencers can improve a company or product's relationship with their customer base. According to In Moment's 2018 US Retail CX Trends Report, 77% of buyers have been faithful to a brand for more than ten years. This is also true of 60% of young people. A popular celebrity can target key groups of people and talk or blog about a product, which can create an immediate and lasting bond with the consumers.
Lastly, influencers can improve customers buying habits with seemingly "unbiased opinions". We are more likely to respond to "peer (同辈) recommendation" than traditional ads, meaning the fact we see an influencer as a "friend" who can make us less likely to doubt about what we are seeing.
So, the next time you see a celebrity talking about a product, you might want to consider that this could be a carefully designed marketing strategy which targets your needs. If you find yourself thinking about a product you've seen on social media, you may have been well influenced.
