People want to be part of something bigger. And of course, being part of something bigger implies a community that makes you feel safe. Technology seems to be the answer.

Friend and foe, for better and worse, communication decided to tie its existence to technology as more than 4 billion people in the world have access to the Internet. And the pace is increasing with higher and higher speed. We read and watch the news, we select a few representative titles from the media and we use social networks. Online — we strive to be better citizens, look our best, be smarter, cultivate personal uniqueness and special talents, stay up to date at work, increase our expertise level and take advantage of all opportunities.

But how could one differentiate the useful and true from fake news and clickbait content? Trust and reputation is the answer. In this crazy, fast-forward lifestyle, trust is gold. Since we cannot operate with all the new media information, we rely on others to filter out the important news. Which is, of course, more efficient than to research and evaluate every single bit of information on our own.

This is where influencers come in. For the great majority, they are a source of information relevant in the decision-making process.

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The influencers are all right

They craft the advantage of being relatable. They are informed, charismatic, funny and creative. But we’re mainly talking about social media influencers. They are the ones who understand how to use the Internet. They speak out about what matters to them and naturally segment their public by gathering around them people with similar interests. By sharing their opinions and beliefs they inform and influence their audience, introducing new ideas, products, and services to them.

And it’s not just celebrity influencers, as they aren’t even that effective in driving sales up. There are other top, middle and micro influencers that have their own perks. For example, a micro-influencer can have a closer relationship with his audience, while a top influencer has fewer interactions with his followers but a greater reach.

Word of mouth marketing (WOM) is when a friend tells us about a great deal, and we run to the store to get it. It’s the same with influencer marketing — you can think about it as amplified, digital word of mouth (eWOM).

If eWOM means getting customers to talk about you online, influencer marketing equals getting the right people to talk about you online. You know that people will talk about your business anyway, but you get more awareness from getting particular people to talk about it. Brand awareness and a follower base growth equal sales drive.

Look for the ones that have an authentic and original vibe in their actions and opinions. They create connection and engagement. It’s more than just showing a product to the masses. It’s how they interact with it, and if they do it in a credible, realistic manner. They may love your product but if the post’s description looks scripted they lose credibility points.

Using influencers allows for very accurate audience segmentation, but only if their follower base is real.

How do you know if it’s working

Although conventional influencer platforms share encouraging stats, declaring influencer marketing brought an average earned media value of 7.65$ for every dollar spent, there are also skeptics.

To know if you spent your money right, you need analytics — exact figures and percentages. If you know exactly who did what and with what result, you can spend your budget more efficiently.

This is why working with an integrated influencer marketing and analytics platform is a must. Measuring the results of influencer campaigns through Sether will help you optimize strategies, set more accurate goals and increase the transparency level between you and your clients.

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