The Power Of Influence: How Brand Authority And Influencer Marketing Captivate Consumers

At one point or another, we’ve all been influenced by someone in our lives — perhaps a politician, English professor, close friend, relative, stranger or celebrity. Influence is a force. An age-old spell. A tool with the power to persuade. When it comes to your business and using your influence to coax a consumer into believing your brand is the right choice over competitors, what is it, exactly, that gives your brand authority? What are the elements of influence? How do you circulate your sway?

At our agency, these are the kinds of questions we ask ourselves when developing brands. Knowing how to cultivate influence and dispense it in a way that reaches audiences authentically is an instrument vital to your brand’s success.

Cultivating Influence

Remember the global bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie? He was onto something in 1936 when the book was first published, and his tellings still ring true today in a world so far removed from that of the 20th century. Influence is arguably the most powerful force in the world, and it’s one thing through time that will never fall, fail or go away.

Think back not so far to Fyre Festival (yes, we’re going there, but just for a minute). The “greatest party that never happened” used the oldest tricks in the book to capture its target market’s attention: influence, intrigue and exclusivity. Several macroinfluencers simultaneously posted an infamous orange tile to social media promoting Fyre Festival. The posts cumulatively garnered 300 million impressions in only 24 hours, underscoring the power of the influencer, albeit, on a much grander scale with the likes of Kendall Jenner and a laundry list of top-billed models and celebrities.

On a smaller scale, influencers and microinfluencers have great reach for brands looking to get their products in front of the masses. But how do you cultivate your own influence as a brand? It all starts with three little words: credibility, sustainability and relatability. Where I work, we meditate on these three words when working with clients to establish authenticity with consumers….[Read More]