Why It’s Time to Ditch Influencer Marketing
In recent months, there has been a growing trend of “exposing” influencers. Many small businesses, makers, and creators have taken to platforms like TikTok to share their frustrations with influencers abusing their status, taking advantage of small businesses, brands, and entrepreneurs in the process.
What started as an “eat the rich” movement has since evolved into uncovering many less-than-ethical business practices that so many influencers allegedly use to grow their brands. Influencer marketing has steadily grown over the past decade, but are we nearing a peak?
Source: The Drum
Only 4% of global internet users have confidence in what they see online when it comes from influencers, which is 50% lower than general internet content. In comparison, 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know. Consumers referred by a friend are four times more likely to buy.
With so many small brands discovering the truth behind shady influencer marketing tactics, and consumers growing weary of the “insta-perfect” portrayal of influencers’ lives, many companies are turning away from influencer marketing and turning towards something new: brand advocacy and personal branding.
This two-part approach gives brands a stronger platform to stand on without outsourcing to unpredictable third-party sources. Cancel culture has become more and more prevalent. If your brand is tied to an influencer who makes an unrelated, “unforgivable” mistake that triggers a mob of angry keyboard warriors coming after them, what is the potential fallout for your company?
This is why we are seeing a shift away from influencer marketing and the adoption of authentic personal branding. Turning to a more grass-roots approach and more trusted sources that consumers believe in is not only a smart move for your business but an essential one.
Part One: Brand Advocacy
Brand advocacy is simple – getting others to advocate for your brand. Where’s the best place to start? Within your own company. “But Victoria, how in the world do I get my employees to talk about our company in a way that will make an impact?”
Create a culture worth talking about. People talk about the things that make them happy. If work makes them happy, they’ll talk about it. If your company culture allows your employees to thrive and grow, they’ll be happy to share with others.
Train them. You know how you want your company to be portrayed. You know which of your values speak most highly to your prospects. Teaching your employees how to share about the work they’re doing in an effective way does not have to be complicated. This is where personal branding comes into effect.
The second part of brand advocacy is getting your customers to talk about your brand. Once again, “But Victoria, how in the world do I get my customers to talk about our company in a way that makes an impact?”
Create a customer experience that is worth talking about. Once again, people love to share what they’re happy about and if your company provides an over-the-top, mind-blowing experience, of course, they are going to want to share about it.
Ask them. Requesting reviews is no longer taboo. Requesting referrals is no longer taboo. Requesting a recommendation is no longer taboo. Provide links, or a QR code, or an iPad at checkout that they can use to provide feedback.
Incentivize it. People love giveaways, discounts, and referral bonuses.
Part Two: Personal Branding
Personal branding is the practice of utilizing the unique personalities that make up your team to help prospective customers buy into your business. Do you have a rockstar of a receptionist that your clients just adore? Let’s coach her in networking and using her amazing personality to advocate for your brand. Do you have a sales guy that your prospects could talk with for hours, you know – the one who isn’t “salesy” but truly has a passion for helping others? Leverage his awesomeness and passion to connect with other like-minded individuals.
Personal branding builds trust in your people, and therefore in your brand. It has a beautiful compounding effect that will last beyond the trials of cancel culture and marketing trends. How? Because you’re not buying into a trend or an outside party. You’re investing in your own people and brand, and inviting the world to be a part of it. People love to support companies who treat their employees and customers right, so empowering your employees to share about it is a natural first step.
So where do you begin?
First things first, you should address your company culture. A full culture analysis will provide you with the information you need to either
a) leverage your already market-ready culture, or
b) create an outline for change that will help you transform your company culture into something worth talking about.
Once your company culture has been assessed, we can put into place a plan for training your employees on how to advocate for your company, and to get your customers talking online. Implementing the personal branding framework is a phased approach in and of itself, typically starting with either a) leadership or b) the most well-liked members of your team. Through our six-month program, we will train your team in building their unique personal brands and how to leverage those brands to help your company succeed. Learn more about the program here.
Have we caught your attention? Let’s talk!