In my speech at Bocconi University of yesterday I started talking about sharing as a social behavior among human beings and how this activity is amplified by the heavy use of social media platforms, whose numbers of exchanges are really huge.
Among the other reasons, as Professor J.Berger says, sharing is a way to convince and persuade others, and this is the base of a very powerful tool: world of mouth.
In the above chart whose information are coming from a Mc Kinsey & Company research, I wanted to tell how effective is word of mouth and how important is when it comes from a person we consider credible. This is very much linked to the concept of Influencer.
An Influencer is somebody having a very strong impact on social media platforms, being able to convince others about certain purchase decisions amplifying word of mouth effectiveness. An Influencer is normally located in the first two 'seeding users segment' - Innovators and Early Adopters - as able to detect new trends and having the credibility to persuade others to adopt a certain new product or an innovative service. Influencers are now becoming more and more important within brands communication plans.
So we can define Influencers as Media Tools, considering that their credibility must be based upon TRUST, deriving from the passion and the expertise that have established them as central in their online communities and social networks. Trust is also strongly linked to capability to persuade others to follow, deep engagement with followers and reach of a certain target in line with the brand or the product the influencers are talking about. The fact of having a Blog can create an outreach of the influencers' message also on other social media platforms, which for instance is my case with reference to Linkedin.
And as proven by researches, blogs and editorials, among top trusted sources influencing purchasing decisions, are considered reliable by 58% of people.
There is a difference between mass influencers and niches influencers, those last ones more able to become loyal brand advocates and more functional to reach specific targets, nurturing a stronger engagement within their followers base. A balanced portfolio of micro influencers could be more effective and focused for a brand communication plan.
Being within niche influencer segment and back to my experience, I told the students about the story of my path, having started a little bit more than one year ago and not only on Instagram, but also launching my personal lifestyle Blog.
I introduced my Limited Edition silk blouse and put in place several activities,
that I showed up in this chart, related to beautiful invitations and collaborations activated with some brands.
But being an Influencer and a fashion blogger is not just posting some nice photos... It requires a mix of personal and professional characteristics, one and for all: determination and drive are essentials, as the job is not a piece of cake!
Sometimes you can feel a bit overwhelmed! Especially at the beginning...