The Importance of Knowing Who Your Brand Influencers Are
If the last few years have shown us nothing else, they’ve shown that any and everything can change literally overnight. With social media content being a source of information (and income) for many people, it’s important to recognize that sources of influence can and will evolve. With this comes the importance of adaptability as these changes can swiftly occur. The first question you as a public relations professional should ask is “what is influencing our clients?” and to go a bit further, “what’s influencing our clients’ consumers?” Once those questions answered, you can move forward with the proper solutions to help your clients meet their public relations goals.
Both today and yesterday’s consumer is known to turn to popular trends when it comes to spending. The trend of brand influencers grew tremendously during the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. People were at home with extra time on their hands, and many began to create social media content for fun. Unbeknownst to them in many cases, it was free content marketing for various companies. Videos featuring your average Joe reviewing a product or unboxing packages they received in the mail became all the rage. Content marketing skyrocketed to another level. People became famous overnight for recordings giving their raw opinions on various items.
The most popular influencers with the greatest following show little to no bias or personal gain, however companies are now willing to pay top dollar for influencers to solely be attached to their brand. The content they create attracts the consumer, generating a desire to invest in whatever product or service is being advertised. Learning what the client’s consumers find influential can help when building a game plan to execute successful campaigns, a strong media presence, etc. When the consumers feel like what they care about is what the business cares about, you keep them coming back to your product/service again and again.
Remember, the ebbs and flows in public relations, and all fields, are going to happen no matter the climate, but it’s important to reassure your clients that you were hired for your expertise. Remind them that your success is only achieved by their success. Target audiences have the tendency to waiver, but don’t fret. In the event that things are not going as planned, use the opportunity in front of you to research what’s most sought after at the moment in terms of influencing a specific brand and move on from that. Influencing is still a relatively fresh aspect of marketing and advertising for a brand, so there are still things to learn.