Influencer Marketing: A New Trend (original) (raw)

Consumers today are becoming digital savvy both in terms of awareness and usage. Increased usage of mobile and internet facilities they are becoming smarter in terms of their preferences and purchases. There is increased usage of digital platforms like social media and different websites to buy products. Also there are innumerable brands in a particular product category entering market through various platforms. This makes nearly impossible for brands to stand out in such a fierce competition. Hence, brands are now turning towards Influencer marketing. This is a new approach to marketing in a decade for those professionals at the leading edge of purchase decision-making. Influencer marketing is a new trend where focus is on influencing people rather than the target market as a whole on social media.This develops level of trust between influencer and reader/viewer which is nearly impossible for a brand to build alone with the customer. During the last five years, the spread of social media has further changed buying and selling techniques. With platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, consumers are able to give their review in the form of like, comments, shares, etc..regarding their experiences about products and companies. This has led to the growing need for companies to generate positive customer experiences in order to minimize negative word-of-mouth messages, which would easily be spread within the social media platforms potential customers. Blogging is another form of social media that is very popular among females in category of fashion. Fashion blogs have grown and are known to be one of the most effective ways of sharing experiences and recommendations over internet.They are an effective way of marketing products straight to the target customer with low cost. It is not only a place which females view to find specific product to buy, but also surf, and read and accidentally find something desirable. It can increase the buying online through eCommerce sites, company websites or social media platforms since it can connect the user directly to the place of purchase. This study is to explore concept of influencer marketing, growth of it in India, its increasing importance and scope. From the study it is found that there are various product categories which have impact of influencer marketing on people like fashion, mobile, mobile accessories, movies, restaurants to name few.