Influencing is a Real Job

When talking to a prospective client, I most likely will broach the subject of how they advertise their business and what is their philosophy of effective marketing. Since I am in the advertising sales business and I sell video advertising, my ears would love to hear “TV advertising is the best tool ever for promoting my business.” Of course, this has never happened and probably won’t, no matter how much I dream. Even if this potential client is leaning toward utilizing TV, the most frequently heard answer to this question is “word of mouth.” It could be a garage selling tires to a vacuum cleaner company or a great new Italian restaurant.

I used to believe that this answer was just an excuse not to pursue a TV advertising discussion. Although I am sure, at times this has been part of it. However, the more I heard this, the more I started to believe it. Maybe word of mouth was truly the best marketing tool available to a business owner. However, I have never sold word of mouth advertising so I had to come up with something not only to agree with the business owner’s statement but also to add value to it. I had to ask myself what I thought was the best method for expanding the concept of word of mouth advertising and it all came down to something very closely related, testimonials.

A testimonial is the ultimate form of word of mouth advertising. When it is done in person, it mostly works because the message is usually VERY positive, the source is trusted, and emotion is a huge part of the interaction. This is also true of the TV advertisement testimonials. It is positive, it is emotional, and it is easy to find a trusted source. One could be a local or national celebrity that is well-liked or a person that has an emotional connection to the product and is good at showing that connection.

Being a student of advertising and getting my mind wrapped around this advanced platform of digital marketing, I have found that social media and blogs are a part of the new wave in word of mouth marketing. Actually, it is not so new. I learned about blogs many years ago from non-other then my wife.

For someone that says she can’t remember the last time, she’s paid attention to a TV or radio ad she definitely remembers social media influencers and bloggers. In fact, we owe much of our home remodels and upgrades to Instagram/Insta stories. We also eat the recipes, take the day trips, and take interest in these influencer’s lives on a weekly basis. At least she does. I have always played the game of a disinterested partner when she discusses where her favorite blogger goes on vacation and what restaurant is the best in Savannah, according to you-know-who.

She says that she mostly likes this particular blogger/influencer because she is southern, doesn’t have “click through to buy” options on her blogs so she must be trustworthy :/, and she has great taste in decorating. I have been briefed on this person’s life for the past twelve years and know about her husband’s career changes and her kid’s growth spurts.  At times, I have mentioned the possibility that this person’s life seems so perfect that surely she is some type of robot and can’t possibly be a real person. That was until a month ago when my wife was on a business trip to LaGrange, Ga and ran into her influencer/blogger (hero) in the Panera Bread in Macon. Her announcement of this grand event came over my phone in a text with whistles blowing and confetti falling. Then what followed was a selfie of my wife with her new, closest best friend. She was a real person.

How did we become so influenced by seemingly everyday people? These are regular people with kids, jobs, bills to pay, and even though they go to Disney World too often for a normal family (I’m sure this is where the pay portion of her blog comes in) have a normal existence.

It is that connection that people have with others in their culture that can be of influence.

Whether it is Instagram influencers or billion-dollar companies, influence, and engagement is the key. When Starbucks uses social media to promote their brand, it’s about coffee presented in a manner that induces engagement. However, it is also about reaching people that fit into that Starbucks culture. Using celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and others trusted by Starbucks consumers to Tweet mentions about an event or connection is getting consumers immersed in the Starbucks culture. These are celebrities with millions of Twitter followers and have an enormous influence on any brand they are involved with. These are easily measurable engagements and that is the only way a company like Starbucks will do social media. It must be influential, engaging, and measurable.

Finally, it comes down to trust. Remembering the simple notion of word of mouth advertising, it all comes down to who is telling you the story about these wonderful products and why you should try them. It could be a good word about that locally owned Italian restaurant, Starbucks coffee, or my wife’s funny obsession with her blogger “closest friend.” It’s about the stories from the people you trust.

By the way, if my wife reads this she will remember and laugh at all of the things I have said about bloggers in the early years. She heard all of my rantings about bloggers and the type of people I said who would do this for a living (influencing is not a real job, is it?). My Son told her the same thing. I am a bad influence on him. However, I have learned that these people are smarter than I and I now see that they can build a house, tear it down and rebuild it with the latest home décor and make a good living at it. I am definitely late to the party.