The Psychology of Influence: Why It Works | SMILE (2023)

Have you ever donated to a charity just because your friend did? Or did you buy a product because your favorite celebrity endorsed it?

The fact is that most of us at some point have been influenced by other people to do things. This is the psychology of influence, and that is what influencer marketing is all about.

The phenomenon of influencer marketing is not new. The use of influencers to promote a product or service has been around for decades.

What has changed now is the way you drive and thetype of influencersUse. The strategy is now highly personalized and influencers are much more accessible than ever.

If you want to reach influencers to promote your brand, write compelling outreach emails.

With more and more customers trusting influencers, it's no surprise that this marketing technique has become popular and widely used. It is the psychology of influence that made all of this possible. So let's take a closer look at the psychology of influencer and why it makes influencer marketing so effective.

The psychology of influence.

The psychology of influence revolves around the concept that people can be influenced to do things. Influencing is often an unconscious act, people are not always aware when they are being influenced, which is why it works.

Many people want to be different from others, but they are also looking for a sense of belonging. They feel safe to make decisions that they believe are commonly made by others or that lead them to conform.

People often find it difficult to make decisions. The wrong decisions can not only damage your image, but also waste time and resources.

Making a productive decision requires thorough research and knowledge of all aspects of your decision. However, finding the time and energy to put in the necessary effort every time is not easy.

One way to avoid making the wrong decision is to follow someone else's suggestion. People generally tend to go along with suggestions from someone they consider a trusted expert or trusted friend.

Brands understand this psychology of influence and bring in influencers to engage and persuade their audience.

The psychology of influence is not a new concept, but its implications, particularly in the case of influencer marketing, have changed.

The rise of influencer marketing

influence marketingIt is growing rapidly and more and more brands are realizing the potential of influencers. Below are the reasons that make it so powerful:

1. The rise of social networks

Social media has had a huge impact on our modern society. It is devouring the world's population and at a dizzying rate.

There was2.46 billionSocial media users in 2017, growing to 3.02 billion by 2021.

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter made it easy for us to share and spread ideas.

Previously, brands could only share product information through their corporate websites. But social media platforms have given brands a chance.new and better channelto provide information about products and encourage customer loyalty.

For consumers, these platforms have drastically changed the way they consume content and interact with each other. Now they can socialize and access all the information they want.

2. Traditional marketing methods are losing their luster

A traditional advertisement tries to persuade people to buy through media such as radio, billboards, or television commercials.

However, as people spend more and more time on digital channels, the popularity of traditional advertising is rapidly declining.

One of the reasons for the impressive growth of influencer marketing is the need for brands to win back consumer trust. Consumers, especially millennials, no longer trust brands or celebrity endorsements.

Furthermore, these traditional advertising methods are found by companies to be quite expensive and time consuming. And there's no sure way to measure the results of your traditional marketing campaigns.

As the impact of these traditional methods on customers steadily diminishes, companies are turning to digital advertising.

3. Helps maximize brand reach

In today's saturated advertising market, consumers want a more authentic and credible voice. Influencer marketing is the best way to harness the psychology of influence and convince customers with voices they know and trust.

Influencers are people who have built a reputation for their expertise through their hard work and passion. These influencers have a sizable and trusted network of devoted fans and followers.

Based on that trust, influencers can set trends and influence the purchasing decisions of their followers.

Fierce competition has made it difficult for companies to reach their customers directly. Therefore, they use the psychology of influence to connect and engage with their audience.

With their enormous influence, influencers help these companies reach a much larger audience.

For example, Australian food company Youfoodz ran an influencer campaign in 2017 to launch their winter menu. They worked with 81 influencers who created 167 pieces of content.

The campaign generated more than 500,000 impressions and 70,000 direct interactions. The total reach of the campaign was 1.5 million people.

Here is such a post:

Check this post on Instagram

A door from you jess. (@jess.xv.v)

Influencer marketing helped the brand reach people it couldn't reach on its own.

4. It is an affordable marketing technique

According to Experticity, 82% of consumers are more likely to follow the recommendations of a micro-influencer.

althoughmicro influencerIf you have few followers, it is easier to reach them. Your followers are more intimate and engaged.

Micro influencers can be much more influential than macro influencers and are perceived as more genuine. Their promotions do not appear as advertisements and appear to share useful information. Therefore, the psychology of influencer works best with micro-influencers.

These micro-influencers with highly engaged audiences charge much less than popular macro-influencers. In fact, brands can partner with micro-influencers for the lowest possible price.$75 per post.

The accessibility of these micro-influencers has made it possible for even small businesses with tight budgets to take advantage of influencer marketing.

5. Influencer marketing gives results

Influencer marketing is thethe fastest wayacquire customers today. The strategy is growing at a rapid rate due to the many benefits (listed below) it offers to brands.

Why does the psychology of influence work?

Now that we've established that influencer marketing is based on the psychology of influencer and is on the rise, let's dive into the technical reasons why it works.

What are the components of the psychology of influence? How exactly do you influence people to make purchasing decisions?

social proof

The first and foremost reason that influencer psychology works, especially in influencer marketing, is that it provides social proof. It means that people think that if everyone else is doing something, it must be right.

Many people make purchasing decisions when a brand provides social proof. And using a trusted micro-influencer to promote your product is one of the best ways to provide social proof.

authority

Another reason why the psychology of influence works is because of the concept of authority. We've all been trained to listen to expert advice and believe it to be true.

So when a brand uses industry experts and authority figures, people tend to take their recommendations without question. This is one of the main reasons why influencer marketing, especially when it involves industry experts, is so effective.

gusto

This is based on the concept that people tend to follow people they like. When someone you like or idealize recommends a product, you are more likely to buy it. As simple as that.

For the above reasons, influencer marketing is an effective technique that can drive consumers to buy certain products.

conclusion

Businesses have been using the psychology of influence to acquire customers for decades.

Influencer marketing is a shining example of how brands can use the psychology of influence to get people to buy their products. This concept makes influencer marketing so effective and is the key to its growing popularity.

The first step to creating your show is to get your list of influencers, and for that you need to contact them via email (or DM). But here's the deal: someDisclosure Emailsthey are more effective than others!

Updated September 2022