Does relatability make you more likely to buy one product over another? Thanks to a crackdown on fake following, influencer marketing and the associations that come with it have taken a bit of a knock lately. Despite these setbacks, the industry is drawing in more consumers than ever before, with 82% of consumers likely to follow the recommendation of an influencer – so the relatability of influencer marketing definitely isn’t a tool you should underestimate.
Influencer marketing is one of the fastest growing ways to make a positive, lasting impression on consumers. Despite often being lumped in the same category as the Kardashian’s huge social media following, influencer marketing is an incredibly useful tool within your wider digital marketing campaign. These influencers are far from traditional celebrities; instead, they’re regular people who have utilised their relatability to generate communities, sales and further partnerships off their own back.
It’s also worth noting that influencer marketing has changed the game for the kind of demographic fighting for attention on the social media stage. In the past, more traditional marketing campaigns required big bucks to get your brand in front of the right eyes. Thanks to the rise of relatability, social media influencers have been able to utilise the perfect platform, all built on their authentic voice. Breaking down these monetary barriers has meant that a previously less heard voice, working class women, are now driving influencer marketing, changing the shape of the marketing world as we know it.
Tying every thread of influencer marketing together is streamlined, tailored, thoughtful content. The beauty of influencer marketing is the relatability it brings to an oversaturated market; rather than churning out identikit content that won’t warrant a second glance, the most effective marketing strategies are built around real opinions, real people and real voices. It’s not enough to have a good product, or even a solid platform to showcase it on. To really make waves, your social media strategy needs to unpick exactly what your audience wants, in the format that’ll resonate most with them, in the most authentic manner. There’s a reason why you’ll only see social media gurus using influencer marketing to advertise the products or services they’ve genuinely used themselves. Relatability is hard to fake. Our human instincts know when someone’s faking it, and so there’s no getting away with advertising a product or service that don’t fully align with your values.
The days of unswayed loyalty to a single brand are long gone. Now we’ve got more options to choose from every industry, keeping your customers on board is becoming more of a challenge. So how can you make sure your customer base sticks around for the long haul? Authenticity. Building your brand identity around the values that motivate you means you’ll attract a following, potential leads and new customers who are all on your wavelength. Generating this kind of customer base through content that relies on relatability leads to a community who’ll stick by you, as they are intrinsically connected to your brand, and more importantly, your brand values.
Building relatability works so well because humans trust other humans. Our overall impression of a person changes depending on how we perceive them, and how others perceive them too. For example, if you’ve got a good impression of someone in your wider social circle as attractive, successful and likeable, you’re more likely to want to see them as intelligent, kind and funny. This filters into the way we consume online content. We’re naturally drawn towards what we think will make other people want to be around us; so when an influencer endorses a new clothing brand on their social channels, we automatically want to purchase the clothes they’re wearing. Let’s say you’re in the market for a new winter coat, but you can’t quite decide which one to choose out of your favourite two. In the same way you’d trust a friend’s opinion on which one to go for, you’re more likely to pick the coat that’s caught your eye on your Instagram feed, or the one being endorsed by your favourite blogger. Making sure this relatability and friendliness is woven into every aspect of your online content will keep your content fresh and friendly, and win you more loyal consumers.
Here at Mantra Media, psychology is woven into every aspect of our operations. If you’d like to learn more about how we craft our social media strategies to gather the most trusted, tangible results, don’t hesitate to get in touch.