The Rise of Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is colloquially associated with modern social media practices. There is, however, a long history of brands using influencers as ambassadors to sell products, services and ideas.
In the 1760s the English pottery firm Wedgewood was one of the first companies to rely on influential people to recommend their products. The pottery was endorsed by the royal household (which were relatively low-grade replicas of Chinese designs) to make it seem like it was worthy of kings and queens. The campaign worked, and Wedgewood became one of the world’s first recognized brands.
As marketing evolved, the use of influencers became more and more popular. In the early 1900s, the Conklin Pen Company released a special line of fountain pens endorsed by the famed author Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the name Mark Twain. The author’s talent for bringing ordinary Americans’ experiences to life resonated with readers and sales of the pens were brisk.
The Rise of Social Media
It was the rise of social media that really precipitated the kind of influencer marketing that we experience today. The mid-2000s saw the launch of several extremely important platforms. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were all launched during this time, and all found absolutely huge user bases.
Users were drawn towards creatives that spoke directly to them. People tended to be popular with the demographics that they themselves belonged to. Marketers soon caught wind of this and saw an opportunity. Social media influencers were potentially direct lines of communication between a brand and their audience. Social media influencer marketing had been born.
The Tools of The Trade
Modern influencer marketing can be incredibly successful, but only if multiple influencers and stakeholders are managed perfectly. It is not an easy task. Marketing managers are now responsible for the planning of complex networks of communication and feedback as they coordinate a campaign. Because of this, several tools have been released in order to make coordinating social media campaigns a bit easier for marketers. www.greenfly.com offers media sharing applications for sports, entertainment, political, and branded campaigns for consumer and business audiences. It essentially acts like a project management tool geared towards the effective management of social media campaigns and multiple ambassador marketing plans.
Why Does Influencer Marketing Persist?
Influencer marketing looks like it is here to stay, and there are a few prominent reasons why this might be the case.
- It Allows for Direct Communication
Influencers can communicate directly with the people who follow them. This allows marketers to have a direct connection with their customers. - It Allows for The Targeting of Niche Markets
Influencers often appeal to incredibly specific groups of people. If a marketer has correctly segmented the audience they want to appeal to, it is likely that they will be able to find a marketer that can speak directly to that audience. - It Can Deliver Great Data
Influencer marketing is a great way for brands to collect data about their campaigns. As fans interact with their chosen influencers, they produce lots of qualitative data.
