Influencer
Marketing as a Digital Marketing Channel
Influencer marketing has been a fast-growing segment,
particularly in the beauty and skin care sector. There have been many stories of
influencers who have grown their follower base exponentially, and in turn have
become seven-figure earners in a very short amount of time. It’s really
fantastic for the creator market and for marketers alike. However, a very
interesting problem is emerging. Surprisingly, consumer engagement with the
channel is dropping. Why? It appears to be a trust issue. Anyone can start a
channel and offer skin care advice. It is unclear what is opinion, own
experience, and scientifically researched fact. Influencers are often not
well-educated or professionally educated to offer advice. As well, the advent
of paid advertising using this channel has helped to create mistrust, especially
toward celebrity influencers who are often paid hefty fees for their participation.
Consumers are beginning to lose trust just when marketers
are pouring big dollars into this channel. Can this be fixed? Well one group is
trying. An alliance between Walgreen’s No. 7 beauty and a public council in
Great Britain is doing just that. They are offering “training” through a
certificate program. Influencers would be taught how to discern and differentiate
between fact and opinion. They would also receive some level of education on
the topics they seek to cover. This would be offered both in person and
virtually. This could be an interesting step in a good direction. Hopefully, it
will help to rebuild some level of trust with consumers.
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