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

Home Halo

Home Halo’s 160-Step Launch Process: Setting Franchisees Up for Success

home-halo-franchise-launch-process

VA Reimbursement: A Unique Opportunity for Home Halo Franchisees

va-reimbursement-a-unique-opportunity-for-home-halo-franchisees

Home Halo’s "Frank" Method: Coaching Franchisees to Greatness

home-halos-frank-method-coaching-franchisees-to-greatness

home-halo-dan-deak-personal-journey-headshot

Dan Deak's Personal Journey: From Caring Son to Home Halo CEO

dan-deaks-personal-journey-from-caring-son-to-home-halo-ceo

10 Reasons Why You Should Invest in a Home Halo Franchise

10-reasons-why-you-should-invest-in-a-home-halo-franchise

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 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

Dave’s Hot Chicken Sold to Roark Capital in $1 Billion Deal to Fuel Global Expansion

daves-hot-chicken-sold-to-roark-capital-in-1-billion-deal-to-fuel-global-expansion

Homebuyers Keep Buying — And That’s Good News for Home Service Franchises - 1851 Franchise

Homebuyers Keep Buying — And That’s Good News for Home Service Franchises

homebuyers-keep-buying-and-thats-good-news-for-home-service-franchises

AI Could Push Unemployment to 20% — Fueling a Surge in First-Time Franchise Buyers - 1851 Franchise

AI Could Push Unemployment to 20% — Fueling a Surge in First-Time Franchise Buyers

ai-unemployment-impact-white-collar-job-loss

How To Sell Just One Franchise: What You’ll Learn at FranCamp NJ 2025

how-to-sell-just-one-franchise-what-youll-learn-at-francamp-nj-2025

House Passes Tax Relief Package With Key Benefits for Small Businesses and Franchises

house-passes-small-business-tax-relief-bill-2025

How Car Sales Taught Buddy's Home Furnishings’ Mitchell Lee the Secrets of Franchise Development

how-car-sales-taught-buddys-home-furnishings-mitchell-lee-the-secrets-of-franchise-development

busy-bee-jumpers-franchise-positioning-image

Bouncing Into Business: How Busy Bee Jumpers Is Building the First National Bounce House Franchise

franchise-opportunity-busy-bee-jumpers-franchise

busy-bee-jumpers-consumer-positioning-image-kids-jumping-bounce-house

Delivering Fun With a Smile: How Busy Bee Jumpers Earns 5-Star Raves From Families Across New England

busy-bee-jumpers-party-rentals

Pink's Window Services - Franchise Deep Dive - 1851 Franchise

Pink’s Window Services Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

pinks-window-services-franchise-deep-dive

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

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

What You Need To Know About Low-Cost Franchise Opportunities

what-you-need-to-know-about-low-cost-franchise-opportunities

Sola Salons Franchisee Grows Salon Freedom Into a Multi-State Powerhouse 

sola-salons-franchisee-grows-salon-freedom-into-a-multi-state-powerhouse

Dan Yangas Brings Family Flooring Legacy Full Circle With Footprints Floors Franchise in Naperville 

Dan Yangas Brings Family Flooring Legacy Full Circle With Footprints Floors Franchise in Naperville, Illinois

dan-yangas-brings-family-flooring-legacy-full-circle-with-footprints-floors-franchise-in-naperville-illinois

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Sean Phelan & Caring Transitions logo

From Tech to Transitions: Why This Caring Transitions Franchisee Left the Corporate World To Help Families Navigate Life’s Hardest Moves

sean-phelan-caring-transitions-franchise-austin

Influencer Marketing Can Have a Big Impact on Consumer Purchasing Decisions

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS