Contrary
to popular belief, influencer marketing is not new. It has existed for as long
as (or even before) marketing has been around. The very first influencer in the
history of mankind was someone who recommended a way to do something or to try
a new something. In principle, it stays true to that even today. Another
misconception is that influencers have to be celebrities. That is good to have,
but not a mandatory requirement. In fact, the more evolved the consumer, the
less they are taken in by marketing-speak or brand endorsements. However, they
are still open to recommendations from friends, peers and others they willingly
follow on social media channels.
At the
fundamental level, an influencer is someone who specializes in something of
interest to you and has the social presence to distribute their message. They
could offer knowledge, inspiration or even just entertainment in a specific
niche. But what adds value is the manner in which they do it. Their specific
tone of voice, sense of humor or eccentric mannerism that make it resonate with
you. Which is why they command the clout they do and why brands - especially in
the travel and tourism space are rapidly waking up to their potential.
Most
online consumers have been through the entire marketing hype cycle. They are
wise to the ways of brands and even wiser to the way advertising hopes to
manipulate their feelings and emotions. Which is probably why conventional
online channels like display media are slowly losing traction. They have
literally become a blind spot for savvy consumers. Search is still very
relevant, but the onus of initiating action lies with the consumer. All a brand
or marketer can do is to lay out the groundwork and wait for the consumer to
show up. Influencer marketing however makes use of the concept of peers -
people like you who care about the things you care about too - to reach out to
consumers.
Answer
this. Would you much rather have a travel company stalk you with multiple
messages online on every possible channel or would you seriously consider a
vacation destination on the basis of the recommendation of a travel blogger you
follow - and admire? Pretty elementary, right? That is in essence the thought
behind using influencer marketing for the tourism industry.
In
another post, we will look at what you need to do in order to identify the
right kind of influencers and the advantages your destination marketing efforts
can get by doing so in a planned manner.
