It's strange to think, as accustomed as we are to social media, that it's only been around for about two decades. But it's also strange to realize that many of the things that underpin these platforms – the importance of word of mouth, the power of influencer marketing – are actually quite old. I remembered this a few years ago when I met some old friends while visiting family on vacation. A friend of mine was particularly thrilled with an amazing energy drink. It made buy email list him happier and healthier. It tasted better than the competition and was made from natural ingredients. It gave him so much energy that he was able to hold down two jobs with ease. Oh, and speaking of two jobs, if I wanted to make a lot of money, he could get me into the bottom floor of his beverage company if I just bought a few flats of cans. "You make a lot more once you sell it," he assured me.
And there it was. The oldest influencer marketing tactic. I declined, but offered to try a sip from the can in his hand to see what it was. He told me he had a buy email list can in his car that I could buy for five bucks. While we all laugh at the story today, it took a long time for my "entrepreneur" friend to rebuild trust within our group of friends. We couldn't be sure if his opinions were his own, if he was there to hang out or just to sell. It was a delicate and slightly painful process for all of us. And as advertisers turn to influencers, we run the risk of seeing this damage occur in our social media communities.
Ads and influence It's no surprise that advertisers are buy email list turning to social media influencers. Advertisers today face many challenges, from ad blocking to high media costs to difficulty finding the right audience for their campaigns. But influencers solve all that. They come with a visible, sought-after audience that you can align with your brand. Their posts are considered organic and do not trigger ad blockers. Depending on the relationship style with the advertiser, the relationship can be much cheaper in the long run than paying for actual media.