1851

The concept of influencer marketing has quickly evolved from a buzz word to an industry of its own. The idea started years back when brands began paying for celebrity spokespeople to appear on TV to promote a product. As our culture has become more digital, and as social media started to change the world of advertising as it once was, marketers realized they could go beyond using celebrities and instead use influencers from a variety of industries and reach. With these changes, the process of tracking results has evolved, too. When marketing revolved around TV ads, brands would attribute boosts in sales to the ads, but that was hard to trust. Influencer and digital marketing is easier to track now, as consumers can click through content to a purchasing place, but it&#8217;s still hard to say how much these influencers affect awareness, trust and purchasing. On March 30th, 2016, a first-of-its-kind study was released that examined exactly how these smaller, non-celebrity influencers are driving buying behavior. The <a href="http://go2.experticity.com/rs/288-AZS-731/images/Experticity-KellerFaySurveySummary_.pdf?_ga=1.194480301.1049290495.1461252047&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=influencer-marketing-can-have-a-big-impact-on-consumer-purchasing-decisions-4985" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">study</a> was conducted by Dr. Jonah Berger, marketing professor at the Wharton School, in partnership with the Keller Fay Group, a word of mouth marketing research company, and was funded by Experticity, an influencer network. To answer the probing question of how influential these influencers really are, the survey points out the swaying impact these bloggers and social media celebrities actually have on consumer buying behavior. According to the study, these &#8220;micro-influencers&#8221; have up to 22.2-times more conversations each week regarding recommendations on what to buy versus an average consumer. Demonstrating the high impact of these recommendations, 82 percent of consumers who were surveyed for the study reported they were highly likely to follow a recommendation made by a micro-influencer. Ryan Paul, Vice President of Digital at <a href="http://nolimitagency.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=influencer-marketing-can-have-a-big-impact-on-consumer-purchasing-decisions-4985" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">No Limit Agency*</a>, explained the effect influencers can have on a brand besides directly boosting sales. &#8220;With influencer marketing, you&#8217;re creating awareness the same way a TV ad does. Sometimes it&#8217;s easy to track, but usually you can&#8217;t attribute in-store sales to a sponsored post someone saw,&#8221; said Paul. &#8220;Certain platforms &#8211; Pinterest for example &#8211; make it easy to understand why it&#8217;s important to use influencers to share content, but what people may not realize is that when your brand is mentioned on relevant sites, it&#8217;s also going to lift your searchability and awareness overall.&#8221; Here are a few other key findings from the study. 1. Not only do these influencers have more buying conversations, they are more direct in their recommendations with 74 percent encouraging someone to &#8220;buy it or try it&#8221; compared to 66 percent of the general population who encouraged those actions in their recommendations. 2. Eighty-seven percent of the buying recommendations they make are happening face to face. 3. According to people receiving advice, influencers were seen as more impactful compared to an average person based on the following characteristics: more credible and believable (94 percent vs. 83 percent), more knowledgeable (94 percent vs. 84 percent) and better at explaining how the product works or could be used (92 percent vs. 83 percent). While the study makes it clear that using influencers is very effective, companies don&#8217;t need to blow their entire marketing budgets on it. In fact, it may be a better strategy to contract a community of brand influencers than to find one big celebrity. &#8220;People are thinking about using influencers, but what they&#8217;re not thinking of is how to decide which influencers to use,&#8221; said Paul. &#8220;You have to meticulously curate who you&#8217;re choosing and put together a clear strategy of how your influencer relates to your brand and to their followers.&#8221; In this era of authenticity, your strongest brand boosters aren&#8217;t celebrities &#8211; they&#8217;re everyday people. While celebrities can offer a flash of social activity, the micro-influencers gain higher trust and loyalty.

1851 Franchise

Turns out, you don’t need Justin Bieber as your next brand influencer.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

Influencer Marketing Can Have a Big Impact on Consumer Purchasing Decisions 

influencer-marketing-can-have-a-big-impact-on-consumer-purchasing-decisions

Onigilly Japanese Kitchen

Unlocking the Potential: How Much Can You Earn as an Onigilly Franchisee?

unlocking-the-potential-how-much-can-you-earn-as-an-onigilly-franchisee

Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions

DeWitts Ignite New Chapter for Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions in Reno 

Grease, Grit, and Growth: DeWitts Ignite New Chapter for Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions in Reno, Nevada

grease-grit-and-growth-dewitts-ignite-new-chapter-for-filta-environmental-kitchen-solutions-in-reno-nevada

Layne's Chicken Fingers

Layne's Chicken Fingers-50 Unit-Wendy's-Franchisee-June-2025

Why This 50 Unit Wendy’s Franchisee Is Betting on Layne’s for His Next Big Move

wendys-franchisee-expands-with-laynes-chicken-fingers-texas

CapitalSpring

CapitalSpring’s Jim Balis Talks Growth, ROI and the Future of Fast Casual on “Rock My Restaurant”

capitalsprings-jim-balis-talks-growth-roi-and-the-future-of-fast-casual-on-rock-my-restaurant

Children's Lighthouse

Children’s Lighthouse Ramps Up Growth in First Half of 2025 With Strategic Expansions, Franchise Signings, and New Headquarters

childrens-lighthouse-ramps-up-growth-in-first-half-of-2025-with-strategic-expansions-franchise-signings-and-new-headquarters

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

What June’s Jobs Report Means for the Franchise Industry

what-junes-jobs-report-means-for-the-franchise-industry

Drone Delivery Takes Flight in QSR: The Future of Franchise Operations?

drone-delivery-takes-flight-in-qsr-the-future-of-franchise-operations

Chick-fil-A Tops Customer Satisfaction Rankings for 11th Year as Challenger Brands Gain Ground

chick-fil-a-tops-customer-satisfaction-rankings-for-11th-year-as-challenger-brands-gain-ground

Technomic Releases Annual Ranking of the Top 15 Fast-Food Chains in the U.S.

technomic-releases-annual-ranking-of-the-top-15-fast-food-chains-in-the-us

Rising Jobless Claims Could Signal Challenges — and Opportunities — for Franchising

rising-jobless-claims-affect-franchising

From Franchisee to Franchisor: How Howard Picker Is Using His Experience to Drive Sustainable Growth at Floyd’s 99

howard-picker-floyds-99-barbershop-franchise-franchisor-hot-seat

Jollibee -Launch-Story-Brand-Page-Deep-Dive-2025

Jollibee Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

jollibee-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data-for-2025

Bringing Robots to Main Street: How Elad Inbar’s RobotLAB Franchise Is Powering the Local AI Revolution

bringing-robots-to-main-street-how-elad-inbars-robotlab-franchise-is-powering-the-local-ai-revolution

Busy Bee Jumpers Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

busy-bee-jumpers-franchise-costs-fees-2025

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How To Create a Strong Incentive

how-to-build-strong-incentives-to-attract-prospective-franchisees

How Vishal Juneja Turned a Family Tradition Into a Paris Baguette Franchise

How Vishal Juneja Turned a Family Tradition Into a Paris Baguette Franchise Built on Heart and Community

paris-baguette-franchise-rockaway-new-jersey-vishal-junjea

Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Kelsey McManemin — Vice President of Marketing, HTeaO

top-25-franchise-marketing-leaders-kelsey-mcmanemin-vice-president-of-marketing-hteao

How This Franchise Consultant Turned a Love for Dogs Into a Business with Dog Training Elite

How This Franchise Consultant Turned a Lifelong Love for Dogs Into a Growing Business with Dog Training Elite

how-this-franchise-consultant-turned-a-lifelong-love-for-dogs-into-a-growing-business-with-dog-training-elite

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Ricki Oberoi and Layne's Chicken Fingers logo

Multi-Unit Wendy’s Operator Signs 12-Unit Deal With Layne’s Chicken Fingers

ricki-oberoi-laynes-chicken-fingers-growth

Influencer Marketing Can Have a Big Impact on Consumer Purchasing Decisions

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS