In today’s world, social media has become an essential part of daily lives. Not only does it connect us to friends and family, but it can also connect consumers with businesses. The purpose of social media is rather obvious, to allow users to share and participate in social networking. But behind the perfected Instagram feeds and the candid photos, there’s business. To be more specific, we’re living in the golden age of marketing!
To the average consumer, the business aspect may be harder to identify. Surely, it wouldn’t be hard to identify ads while scrolling through Instagram stories, right? But the truth is, the crucial marketing strategy lies within a user's followed accounts. Influencers. For those who do not understand the term, an “influencer” is someone who has the ability to influence potential buyers by promoting a company's product or service through social media. Influencers often receive a commission when promoting a business so many people are attracted to make a career out of influencing.
From the definition, it may seem like the influencer benefits the most from influencer marketing. Truth is, this isn't the case. Influencers add credibility to a brand that traditional marketing cannot. Influencers can also help shape the brand and assist in shaping the target market.
One of the major advantages to using influencer marketing compared to traditional marketing strategies lies in consumer outreach. Instagram alone boasts 1 billion users! That's another dimension of potential buyers! With a plethora of social media users, this makes it a breeze to connect with consumers! Plus, as mentioned before many people do not catch on to the fact they are being advertised to! Instead some people believe that they are supporting their favourite influencers and creators because of the commissions the creators receive. This increases incentive to purchase a product! No wonder companies are straying from traditional advertising techniques!
With that said, marketing hasn't completely transformed yet. Some companies still follow and use more traditional marketing methods. Other companies chose to take the social media route and use newer and fresher takes at marketing. Truth be told, many companies use both! Some companies prefer to combine the two and use both simultaneously. Others prefer to apply more traditional methods to social media marketing. For example, instead of a classic billboard, companies will choose to create an Instagram story. Some may choose to create an Instagram post for users to spot while scrolling through posts!
With social media in their back pocket, companies have loads of tools to get the word out about their product or service. As mentioned before, advertisement posts or Instagram stories are the ads of choice for many modern companies. But there are many other creative ways to reach potential buyers. One example would be contests on social media!
Companies may start a contest where participants would send a video or photo of them relating to the product or service they offer in order to be entered to win prizes such as gi cards. This method increases incentive for the consumer since they have the chance of gaining a prize. This method benefits the company because it is essentially free marketing! This also ties into influencer marketing because companies may offer commission to influencers that will hold the contest for them.
At the end of the day, marketing has evolved to adapt to modern day society. The days of reaching customers through radio ads and billboards have evolved into something that is almost completely digital! But this is just the beginning. Marketing strategies and methods will only continue to evolve and improve at targeting the consumer and helping companies make sales.
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