The key is to be able to find the optimal source or sources of information on which you can build your message, but also to structure your world. The success of our actions will be measured by how others react to it. Failure will be the lack of this reaction.
What challenges does this pose for the companies? Faced with the fact that people have a strong need to externalise their expectations, thoughts, feelings, emotions, standard communication measures have no chance of success. At the same time, and most importantly, today everyone needs to feel that the company's attention is focused on them. We are aware of the fact that we, as customers, are the centre of the universe and that our needs should determine the direction of the company development. On the other hand, it is the company itself that should give its customer real opportunities for self-development, providing a spectrum of specific intangibles that will extend the product.
So, how do you focus the attention of a customer whose moods, needs, but also worldview are changing so dynamically? How to stand out with your brand and not remain one out of a million, but become one in a million in the heart of the customer?
Let's meet them where they love to be – in a space that is as natural to them as possible, where establishing a relationship with them will be a natural process and not an attempt at forcing attention. For many customers social networks are such a space.
While undertaking communication activities in the area of social networks (and new media as a whole), it is important to be aware of the potential that we are talking about and that can be used commercially. At this point, it should be emphasised that the development of social networks is closely linked to the development of the Internet itself, as well as the increasing popularity of its use and the intensification of related behaviours. Based on the Digital 2022 Global Overview Report, there were five billion internet users worldwide in April 2022, representing 63% of the global population. Of this number, 4.65 billion, i.e. more than 93%, were social media users, and the average time each user spent in the social media space was 2 hours and 27 minutes. How do we get the customer to devote that time to our brand? This is a real challenge.
Let's focus on what our customer is actually doing online. What fascinates them, what content they look for, where they spend most of their time. This knowledge will be of key importance while building a communication space which the customer will not only want to visit, but also co-create it, feeling that this is exactly the place where they feel comfortable enough to show it off to others.
Let’s remember that today, making the simplest decision grows into a complicated process, starting from the analysis of the options at our disposal, assessment of the potential risks that we may incur, to the consideration of how the decision may affect our lives.
The situation changes dramatically when we can base our decisions on the experiences of others, who are an additional source of inspiration for us. What is particularly important – when we like and appreciate these people, feel a part of the community created by them, decisions are made faster, more confidently and any dissonance is minimised to zero. Just having a brand will, for many, represent being a part of a very special community. Let's remember that the majority of decisions we make today have come from recommendations and referrals – thus we can say 'show me your influencer and I'll tell you how close to success your brand is'. A good influencer is someone who engages, motivates and inspires. Someone who builds their community around values that are important to them. Someone who invites you into their life, for whom the brand they are associated with is much more than just a product, and recommending it is the most natural thing to do and is perceived as such.
If anyone still has doubts about this tool or is predicting its imminent end – let's have a look at the facts. Analysing Insider Intelligence data, it is estimated that 74.5% of the US marketers will use influencer marketing in 2022, with expenditures on such activities increasing by 27.8% to $4.99 billion this year. Observing the Polish market, we can unequivocally state that the power of influencer marketing is growing. And even tough, we could sometimes discuss the level of professionalism of the collaborations undertaken between influencers and brands, there is no doubt that this tool has been doing very well. What is also worth emphasising here is that an influencer is any one of us who shares their thoughts, decisions, who recommends the brands they use, who tags the places they visit – this is often forgotten by companies.
Brands that work creatively are those that recognise such huge potential in the 'ordinary' customer being the ultimate influencer for their circle of friends. With all this said, however, it is worth being aware that the key to a brand's success is still what it offers to the customer and how inspiring it is to them. So, if the customer wants to talk about the brand, feels a part of it and wants to be its ambassador – that always speaks well of it and bodes well for its future.
Source: dr Kinga Stopczyńska, Faculty of Management, University of Lodz