Today, with an iPhone and an Instagram account, every person is an influencer.
To a certain extent, control has been relinquished not to the entity that has the most marketing budget to spend but rather to the people whose message goes the furthest.
Brands shouldn't view these platforms as their biggest enemy.
They are also your biggest ally, and today, one that you cannot live without.
Mark Zuckerberg and company have transformed the way that we communicate, consume news, and enjoy entertainment.
Relationships are Key
Since the beginning of time, relationships have been at the forefront of everything we do.
Social media gives you the power to identify consumers who are speaking about your brand and your competition as well as the ability to engage them directly.
But these relationships need to be carefully fostered.
Importantly, the relationship that you form with your customer needs to be a two-way dialogue, otherwise you're pushing out content for the sake of creating noise.
There are a few things to keep in mind for engaging digitally connected customers.
If you're trying to engage younger consumers, you're more likely to find them on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, and TikTok.
You should spend your time on the platforms where your customers live.
What value do you bring to your intended audience?
Do you have a product or service that solves a problem?
If so, find people who are openly speaking about that problem and hook them directly.
As a consumer, if I complain about a company and their competitor immediately swoops in to help me, I am more likely to take my business to that company or brand.
Who are your references?
If you own an apparel brand and are selling t-shirts on Shopify, who is buying them?
Going forward, start keeping track of your customers digitally to see who they're connected to and form a dialogue with them in an attempt to leverage their influence within their circles.
If someone buys from you and has a good experience, they're immediately a reference.
Who has perceived influence among your target consumers and how can you align with them?
Who are the influencers that exist right now within your industry?
These don't have to be international celebrities but can instead be thought leaders in your industry or local figures who have important influence within their communities.
For example, when younger consumers think of Yeezys, they aren't proudly representing Adidas but rather Kanye West.
Speaking of Kanye West and influencers, pay close attention to how the music industry is benefiting from the shift of brands being corporations to people being brands.
Today, whenever a new album drops, people are taking to Instagram to share a screenshot of a hot new song playing on their iPhone from iTunes or Spotify, or TikTok, where they create a short video featuring the new music.
For the launch of West's album titled Ye, a private listening party was held in Wyoming, which included several notable influencers.
The exclusive experience was one that could only be accessed digitally through social media, and it made the album an overnight success.
In early 2020 at the start of the pandemic, while in quarantine, my brother-in-law and I started Outlaw Masks to offer consumers a stylish alternative to paper masks.
Like any startup, creating awareness and attracting our first customers was a challenge.
Before sending off our masks, we personally directly messaged every player letting them know that our masks were on the way.
Many players replied, much to our delight, and as the masks arrived, our brand was seen on the faces of several high-profile athletes and the social media accounts of the teams.
Today, with an iPhone and an Instagram account, every person is an influencer.
To a certain extent, control has been relinquished not to the entity that has the most marketing budget to spend but rather to the people whose message goes the furthest.
Brands shouldn't view these platforms as their biggest enemy.
They are also your biggest ally, and today, one that you cannot live without.
Mark Zuckerberg and company have transformed the way that we communicate, consume news, and enjoy entertainment.
Since the beginning of time, relationships have been at the forefront of everything we do.
Social media gives you the power to identify consumers who are speaking about your brand and your competition as well as the ability to engage them directly.
But these relationships need to be carefully fostered.
Importantly, the relationship that you form with your customer needs to be a two-way dialogue, otherwise you're pushing out content for the sake of creating noise.
There are a few things to keep in mind for engaging digitally connected customers.
If you're trying to engage younger consumers, you're more likely to find them on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, and TikTok.
You should spend your time on the platforms where your customers live.
What value do you bring to your intended audience?
Do you have a product or service that solves a problem?
If so, find people who are openly speaking about that problem and hook them directly.
As a consumer, if I complain about a company and their competitor immediately swoops in to help me, I am more likely to take my business to that company or brand.
Who are your references?
If you own an apparel brand and are selling t-shirts on Shopify, who is buying them?
Going forward, start keeping track of your customers digitally to see who they're connected to and form a dialogue with them in an attempt to leverage their influence within their circles.
If someone buys from you and has a good experience, they're immediately a reference.
Who has perceived influence among your target consumers and how can you align with them?
Who are the influencers that exist right now within your industry?
These don't have to be international celebrities but can instead be thought leaders in your industry or local figures who have important influence within their communities.
For example, when younger consumers think of Yeezys, they aren't proudly representing Adidas but rather Kanye West.
Speaking of Kanye West and influencers, pay close attention to how the music industry is benefiting from the shift of brands being corporations to people being brands.
Today, whenever a new album drops, people are taking to Instagram to share a screenshot of a hot new song playing on their iPhone from iTunes or Spotify, or TikTok, where they create a short video featuring the new music.
For the launch of West's album titled Ye, a private listening party was held in Wyoming, which included several notable influencers.
The exclusive experience was one that could only be accessed digitally through social media, and it made the album an overnight success.
In early 2020 at the start of the pandemic, while in quarantine, my brother-in-law and I started Outlaw Masks to offer consumers a stylish alternative to paper masks.
Like any startup, creating awareness and attracting our first customers was a challenge.
Before sending off our masks, we personally directly messaged every player letting them know that our masks were on the way.
Many players replied, much to our delight, and as the masks arrived, our brand was seen on the faces of several high-profile athletes and the social media accounts of the teams.