The world of marketing has changed drastically compared to a few decades ago. Newspaper and radio ads turned into TV ads which have now turned into social media ads! Now you can reach millions of people across the globe with a single post. Cool, right?

Naturally, the rise of social media ads led to influencer marketing. Because personal recommendations by actual human beings are simply more trustworthy than brand advertisements. And brands – big and small – have taken great advantage of this. 

But what is the impact of influencer marketing on the consumers, the stars of the show, the people who make any campaign a success? Let’s find out!

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It Works! People Trust The Recommendations of Influencers!

It goes without saying that brands probably wouldn’t engage in influencer marketing campaigns if they weren’t.. you know.. influencing customers. But a little bit of statistics to back up our claims always help. So, here they are!

The buying decisions of more than 80% of people are influenced by the recommendations of influencers. Out of this, a majority of the people prefer influencers who have relatable personalities rather than celebrity endorsements. 

The reason is that recommendations from influencers seem more credible and trustworthy to the people because the sponsored posts fit in with the rest of the content on the influencer’s social media feed. It seems natural and organic. A writer who just happened to come across this amazing brand that sells notebooks and now wants to share it with her audience. 

There is no pressure here for people to actually buy the notebook. Influencer marketing is a form of subtle marketing. Another great thing about it is that it has helped countless people discover new brands and products! 

Celebrity endorsements – and even brand advertisements for that matter – seem artificial. You know that they are trying to sell something to you. This tends to put people off a bit. Moreover, people get to choose the influencers they follow. This is not the case with brand advertisements. 

It all boils down to choice. This is why influencer marketing has seen such tremendous growth! In fact, it has grown so much that 86% of women actually turn to social media for advice on purchases. If this is not enough to surprise you, a whopping 70% of teens trust influencers to help them make the right purchase decisions. 

Influencers Build Trust In Consumers 

We can all agree that word of mouth is one of the best ways to find new brands and products, right? This is because the advice/ recommendation is coming from an actual human being; one that you trust. 

I’m more likely to purchase something my friend tells me about because I know that they have my best interests at heart. 

This is the core principle that influencer marketing is based on: trust. Influencers usually build a loyal following over years and years. They genuinely engage with their audience and build trust. 

One of the main reasons that people trust influencers is because they tend to share many personal stories. This helps people connect with them more. They recognize the influencers as one of them. Just a normal person who happens to have a large following. 

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Many influencers also do not endorse products that they don’t believe in/ ones that go against their values. For example, an influencer who is a passionate environmental activist is not going to recommend a product that causes massive deforestation. Since the followers also share the same values, they trust the influencers to have their best interests at heart. 

Statistics show that influencers actually turn down more than 75% of the proposals they receive. This shows that they truly care about the products they speak for.

I mean, it’s basically like having a trusted online friend who tells you all about the cool products that you are missing out on. In fact, 4 out of 10 millennials believe that their favorite influencers understand more about them than their own friends! 

This is possible because influencers establish trust with their audiences and brands pay money to piggyback off of that trust. Such is the power that influencers hold. Influencer marketing is also sometimes known as a form of “electronic word of mouth.” 

Influencer Marketing Lets People Know The Benefits and Shortcomings of a Product 

Influencers do more than posting a picture of a product and then asking everyone to go buy it. No. A lot of effort goes into this. They tell you personal stories that connect to the product. Remember how we talked about most of them only endorsing products that they believe in? In such cases, there’s always a story. 

But, most importantly, they give you a full review of the products– the good, the bad, and the ugly- so you know exactly what you are getting. They are free to express their opinions unlike traditional ads. In many cases, they also give you a demo on how to use them. This allows consumers to decide whether they want to buy the product or not. 

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And finally, buying products recommended by influencers gives people the simple joy of using something that their favorite online celebrity loves! 

Influencer marketing is on track to becoming one of the leading global industries. Considering the facts and figures, this is not very surprising. They are trustworthy, they connect to the people, and they give genuine reviews of the products. They are like little online friends who help people make purchasing decisions that will be good for them. What’s not to love? 

In short, influencers influence consumers and are a great asset in any marketing strategy. They play a key role in bridging the gap between brands and customers.