Influencer Marketing- Yes you too are a part of it!

           Today a lot of our routine and life is Influenced. Influenced by the environment around us. We ourselves don't know how much data our subconscious mind picks on, before it comes to a decision of choice.(Maybe Gals have the super power to control this!!) Unknowingly or knowingly everyone becomes part of Marketing Campaigns today.

           You too may have many Influencers in your life...No, not exactly your Boyfriends/Girlfriends (but ya it can include them too)

What do you do when you have to buy a product?

Go around asking people for advice or look for suggestions online or in any other media. So these become influencers in your choice of the products. Online forums, Advertising, Celebrities, Product Journalists, Magazines, Endorsements and Most important Consumers by the word of mouth are the major stake holders involved in the process of Sales and Marketing.

Influencer/Influence Marketing is all about understanding who or what influences choice over your market.

           Starting from People to Suggestion websites, identifying the influencers and making them advocates of their product is what leading brands do. Its not simply focusing on the main target audience and neither plain word of mouth concept, rather it is getting into the decision making process of consumers.

           We may have just heard of this concept, but the business industry has practiced and researched this well since years now. Have a look at yourself, I am sure that you are at least carrying or wearing one thing with a tag telling about the brand or advertising another. Proves my point, that you too are contributing to the marketing exposure of the product.

           With the surge in connectivity through technology, this mediums of influences find easier to travel through a huge market of potential customers. Influencer marketing is the key to milk this opportunity.

           Be a consumer, a marketing personnel, a business owner or in the public relations function you need to understand this concept of Marketing so as to be on the good side of it.

           Unless you live in a Cave, you can surely benefit from Influence Marketing. You, may say you are the Aam Admi(Common man), not a celebrity  and don't see any potential for yourself in this concept. This is a  misconception, you being the consumer of thousands of products play a major role and if you understand this network well, you can benefit from it.

           Today Facebook, Twitter and Blogger Communities host campaigns for various products. Twitter tops the chart in creating a buzz. Companies and Manufacturers put out contests to get their products noticed and in the list of trending topics. The contests majorly include talking about the product. Facebook too is effective in this case, companies can create a Fan/Consumer page and interact with the users and influencers. When 140 characters don't seem enough, Bloggers are the answer. With posts reviewing and describing the products, these bloggers can really create a solid ground for marketing campaigns to launch. What the Bloggers, Tweeples and Facebook users get in return is Goodies, Coupons and even Cash prizes.

           The information I have gathered about this concept is through various Management and Marketing authors and also through my own observations and experience being a influencer myself..

According to my analysis of the emerging marketing strategies these are the points to be known about Influencer Marketing

For Business owners & Marketing Personnel

1. Know and understand your Influencers, and not just the Target audience.
2. Collaborate with Social Networking sites to scout influencers of your product.
3. Be seen in every possible trending social platform, topping the list is Facebook, Twitter and Blogs
4. Come up with 'Out of Box' campaigns for Influencers.

For AAM Admi(Common Man/Consumers)

1. If you are using a Good product, do search for opportunities to be paid Influencers for the same
2. Going on searching for opportunities becomes difficult, let opportunity come to you in social sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc
3.  If you can write, create a Blog otherwise take advantage of the 140 character limit of twitter or the Like, Share and Comment options of Facebook
4. Be creative and truthful(to a extent) in your promotions, else don't do it at all!!
5. If you and your friends are way jobless then Google How to become a Influence Group/Factory.

For those who don't give a damn

Don't give a damn, consider this as a Knowledge transfer session.