One of the biggest films that we’ve all been waiting for, except for DC fans, is already just a few hours away. And trust me, I’ve been losing sleep for weeks.
I’m talking about The Avengers: Infinity War! Back in 2008 when Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Iron Man came out, I never thought that the whole franchise will merge, and go to the most beloved story arcs in comic book history. Ultron almost destroying the world, the Civil War part, and now the infamous Infinity War story line will now be seen on the big screen.
But as we all know, the show date for this super hero epic shouldn’t come out for a long time. It was supposed to be shown on May 4th 2018. Until Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., tweeted Marvel to release the film earlier.
Holy mother of Jarvis. He. Is. So. Cool.
But let’s take a step back a bit. This was obviously all planned. Still very cool to see and witness in real time, but this is still business. But that doesn’t take away the fact that Robert’s influence is so massive that just seeing all these events happen on Twitter, spawned so much traction and buzz online.
Just imagine if this was announced normally, or by someone with no influence, the whole thing can still be a bit of a news, but it wouldn’t hold that much viral punch. This is the power of influencer marketing. So suit up or collect all those infinity stones, if you’re a damn villain, because today, we’ll take a closer look at the basics of this marketing strategy.
Influencer marketing has been around for quite a while now. Brands and, therefore, businesses are blowing up overnight because of the help of famous people. Take for example that cool cowboy guy that you always see with all those Marlboro ads. So many kids from the 50’s and 60s burned their lungs out just to be as cool as that cowboy. That guy wasn’t even a celebrity, but he might as well could be because of his ability to influence the public.
Influencers don’t need to be famous, and most of the time, people get confused with influence and popularity. An influencer has the skill to affect the behaviour and perception of others, resulting in specific actions. Popularity, on the other hand, is just making a product or service, well… popular, with no particular impact to either the business or the consumers.
*He’s dead now by the way. Don’t smoke kids.
One other good example is Lagavulin and Nick Offerman.
If you’ve watched the series “Parks and Recreation” you know who I’m talking about. In the show, his character, Ron Swanson, has an unflinching love (or you could say an unhealthy obsession) with the whisky Lagavulin.
A few episodes and seasons down, and that whisky definitely blew up. In a good way. Fans of the show would come to Nick’s book readings bringing him bottles of it. (Much to his delight of course.)
Years later, the parent company of Lagavulin won an award for the best influencer campaign. Want to know why?
An influencer should have so much reach and control, and he can deliver a message to a very large number of people. All of which Robert Downey Jr. has.
He’s been very active on Twitter, Facebook, and on Instagram. So when he does charity work, a lot of people will find out about it, and they would join the cause once he invites them. He has also highlighted certain non-profit charities that manufactures 3D printed prosthetic arms for kids.
It’s a very unique marketing edge for the brand, after the kid has had this opportunity. Yes, he could still get a chance to have a prosthetic arm elsewhere. But, that whole publicity wouldn’t last for years if it wasn’t for the influence that RDJ carries.
Basically, influencer marketing is promoting any sort of service or product and content through people who have substantial notoriety. And since these people have influence, they tend to have a more pronounced effect on the public.
What makes influencer marketing more effective today is because of a magical portal called Social Media. Everyone is plugged in there like we’re on the matrix. Even if you think your employees are working, I can bet all my money right now that they’re all logged in on some sort of social media site. We’re always “logged in” these days.
And I hope I’m right, I still have to buy my tickets. I’m not a billionaire philanthropist like our hero.
Today, thanks to social media, anyone can have access to things. Anyone can have a voice. And if these individuals work well enough, they can be influencers themselves. And this are the types of individuals that businesses should watch out for. But don’t just pick a group of influential people and ask them to promote your business. They also have a specific group of audience and niche.
Determine your audience. Look for an influencer that has the same audience. And start from that. You may have a powerful business and brand, but a little boost is always a good thing. Imagine Robert promoting a business of yours.
Keep in mind though, that this sort of marketing also works as a sort of promotion for the Influencer. Much to Tony Stark’s delight. And that’s completely fine. You should actually want that to happen. Because, the point here is that as a business, you can grab on to the hands of our heroes and take you to places you never knew you could fly to.
