It was the mid 1980’s and I was being influenced. I got the shirt, bought the poster, had the hair, earring and now I wanted the Nike shoes! In his bright colored clothes, tennis player Andre Agassi represented the vibrant and rebellious 80’s culture that I embraced. It was a cultural shift and I was a teenager ripe to be influenced by the Nike ads. I didn’t have a tennis racket or a desire to play the game but I did want those Nike shoes!
No Need For Fame
Today’s influencer marketing mixes in a bit of the old and some of the new marketing tools. It takes the idea of celebrity endorsement and places it into a modern-day content-driven marketing campaign. Today’s influencer marketing doesn’t necessarily need high profile sports figures or celebrities. In fact, today’s influencers may not even consider themselves famous.
Social media influencers directly impact buying decisions only because they have followers who value their opinions, position and tastes. Influencers, unlike celebrities, can be anywhere. They can be anyone. What makes them influential is their large followings on the radio, web and social media. An influencer can be a math teacher on Tik Tok, a concert photographer on Instagram, or a home remodeling do-it yourself blogger who tweets.
Ordinary people who are experts in their field can draw followers and become an influencer. A local cake decorator may only have a few thousand followers but they post the most engaging videos. There are influential people all around us, just look and you’ll find them!
It Takes 3 Things
Influencer marketing is all about storytelling. It’s about referrals. It’s about trust. It’s about leveraging your success with current customers to spread the word to potential new buyers.
Famous influencers like The Rock impact buying decisions, personal decisions, and interpersonal decisions. But you don’t have to be the second highest paid guy (1 million per post!) to influence people. Micro influencers are people who work for you, shop with you, consider shopping with you, and who already like, love, and share your content. With influencer marketing the campaigns are collaborations between brands and influencers.
The Facts Speak For Themselves
The State of Influencer Marketing 2020 found that businesses earn $5.78 for each dollar spent on influencers with some seeing as much as $18.
In a survey by Oberlo, 49% customers said they relied on influencers for product recommendations.
42% Of people who saw influencer advertising ended up trying a product or service recommended by those influencers according to Fullscreen and Shareablee.
Marketing a Service
Even local influencers can have a big impact. For instance, Brittany Styles, a popular radio DJ in La Crosse WI, has a strong social media presence and has earned followers through her blog and radio show. Dr. Michael Gavin DDS of Valley Dental uses Brittany as an influencer to promote his dental practice. He says, “90% Of our patients right now have a connection with Brittany… heard it on the radio. People really believe her because she does give an endorsement. She is genuine and what she says is from the heart. She’s not going to go on the radio station and endorse somebody she doesn’t like, doesn’t trust. She has done a tremendous job for me and my family.” This is the power of influencer marketing!
Let’s Have a Drink and Learn
Come and meet Brittany and be introduced to other influencers at On The Rocks while enjoying some free drinks and appetizers. You’ll leave with a plan to help leverage your own social influencers at the event coming up in La Crosse on June 28th, 2022.
You’ll discover:
The right message to motivate your customers
The three ingredients to mix the perfect influencer campaign
The right way to measure your results for a righteous ROI
Nike and Agassi convinced me. I ended up buying the $130 Nike Air Tech Challenge 2 Hot Lava’s! I’ll lace up my Nike’s and see you on the 28th. Get registered and join me! 
