Study Reveals Need for Successful Influencer Marketing

The 2016 presidential election was a monumental event that brought with it sweeping changes to the way Americans perceive the world. One of the biggest, and a theme that has continued during the past few months, has been increased questioning of credibility. News organizations have had their facts and integrity questioned by people on both ends of the political spectrum, leaving people much more wary.

That lack of trust has extended into the consumer world as well. SheSpeaks and Womenkind, two influencer marketing firms that focus on marketing to women, conducted a survey of 2,100 women across the United States about their thoughts on the current state of the world and how it impacts their day to day lives. A whopping 80 percent of those in the survey said they had at least some level of distrust for the news media, with “inadequate fact checking” and “political bias” at the center of their problems. Even more troubling for marketers, the same number, 80 percent, said that they have the same feeling of mistrust about advertising. To put it simply, people aren’t sure what to believe anymore, and thus are much less likely to trust ads.

This creates a challenge for marketers unique from any they have faced in the past. Ads absolutely have value as a way to educate people about a product and generate excitement for it. However, if people have as little faith in ads as they say they do, these messages can fall on deaf ears.

With these challenges in mind, businesses must create creative and intelligent influencer strategies. They must partner with proven influencers, and look at micro influencers who have insight into their specific market segment and won't be as likely to cannibalize your influence due to other interests— an increasingly common challenge with mega influencers.  There is no quick fix when it comes to shaping influence.