The Age of Influencers

The advent of the internet has presented a spectrum of new opportunities and challenges for marketers, and the sun is hot, and water is wet. Still, even years later companies and marketing departments the world over have thrown themselves at the riddle of how best to use the internet to improve a brand’s standing in the eyes of the public – the answer remains elusive, but as Lenna Garibian shows in her article on digital influence, a crucial hint has been found: Blogs. Looking at the various venues of blogging by way of social media, it doesn’t take much to piece together why blogs are such formidable weapons in the battle for consumers’ attention.

A Social Media Account for Every Occasion

According to Garibian’s analysis of the Technorati’s 2013 Digital Influence Report, content on differing social media platforms has differing purposes in the eyes of consumers.

• Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter are primarily used to keep up with announcements by a brand and otherwise learn about what they’re up to – coincidentally, the same reasons they tend to like, follow, or friend anyone they like. Just as users of these websites like to use them to communicate with fellow users, Facebook and Twitter are also first choices for when consumers want to provide feedback. Pinterest, meanwhile, is especially popular for participating in contests.
• YouTube follows the same suits, but is distinctly the main leader in where to go to learn about products. Anyone who’s browsed YouTube for any length of time wouldn’t be surprised to hear this; the site is replete with unboxing videos, tutorials, and product reviews by amateurs and professionals alike.
• Instagram is effective for following the developments and announcements of a brand as well as learning about them, but has the added boon of being a popular place to actually purchase products and services.

Actual brand websites are hugely influential, but are typically only accessed by those already interested in making a purchase. Social media shepherds consumers towards this opinion, but no matter what’s posted on social media, actual content by bloggers is king.

Advertising With A Human Face

Of course, as the above data shows, blogs somehow triumph over even Facebook in terms of raw consumer-influencing power. The reason, of course, should not come as a surprise: An article formatted like news feels less like an ad, and thus doesn’t trip the average viewer’s natural tuning-out defenses that years of TV commercials have drilled into them. This is especially the case when the blog is written and bears the attention of a blogger, an actual human with words and opinions and not an unrealistically chipper demeanour about soft drinks or floor cleaners. When this advertiser in non-advertising clothing develops a following, as with the infamous twitter of Wendy’s, social media at last becomes the fountain of free word-of-mouth advertising every company dreams of turning it into. Blogs, and content as a whole, represent making your marketing look like consumers; do this, and soon your consumers will look like your marketers.