Understanding the New Influencers

Not long ago, you could count on your fingers and toes the number of people who shaped public opinion about your company. No more. Today, a new class of opinion leaders has emerged in an electronic free-for-all called the blogosphere. Bloggers, podcasters and micro-site publishers present both an opportunity and a problem for marketers.
These new influencers can quickly shape opinions about your company by spreading information and opinions through the power of the hyperlink. The recent incident of the MNC happened in a reality show, in the country has left the marketers witnessed how this media is unstoppable and not under the influence of any power, but the people. This is the media which we can really say is of the people, by the people and for the people. In order to keep the digital influencers (bloggers) happy, the marketers have to be among them and listen to what they think and talk. Their power can be devastating, but it can also be a valuable source of insight and low-cost viral marketing. They can be a useful resource, if motivated, to diffuse brands messages. There is this agency which I read about, has opted pretty interesting strategy (I found it interesting though) i.e. they have brand agents to create word of mouth but those agents are not paid for that, as they believe that as soon as you put cash in somebody’s hand, it changes their opinion, what they do is they make them try the products and let them say whatever they feel like. The most interesting thing is that the agents are never told what they’re expected to write on/blog on and it has really turned out to be effectual.
Marketers can understand and influence the blogosphere, even turn it to their advantage. It’s just that they should learn how this new media channel works and how to harness it to establish new connections to their customers and the traditional media.
Internet in the country caters to a niche market but I consider that niche market to be the most influential one, as they have an ample amount of money, their behavior towards the brands matters the most and most of them are fashion arbiters. In order to shape the effect in a beneficial way, marketers should form platforms to build affinities with these people which could be achieved by brand building interactive campaigns or presence at social media touch points like twitter, facebook or even forming their own official blogs that are open for all. The major idea is forming conversation and getting synced to the influencers.
It is the time where brands should have online ambassadors discussing their brands across the social platform. Apart of spending on traditional, which is a significant part of the media mix, budgets and pore should be diverted a bit to form earned media online as well.

Tags: bloggers, brand ambassadors, digital media, influencers, marketers, new, online marketing, opinion, people

Category: Marketing, Media