THE THERAPY ROOM: Under the Influence(r)

Posted on 15 November 2018 by LeslieM

Social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have become primary channels for entrepreneurs and corporations to promote their products and services. The loyal digital audiences they engage are turning to social media influencers to better identify specific products and services that align with their tastes and lifestyles.

Defining a Social Media Influencer

A social media influencer is a user on social media who has established credibility in a specific industry and has access to a large audience. An influencer can persuade others by virtue of authenticity, expertise, credentials and social reach.

Marketing strategy company Olapic (www.olapic.com) conducted a survey in 2017 noting that Baby Boomers within the 55-61-year-old range did not identify with any definition of a social media influencer, while Millennials (also known as Generation Y) ages 21-36 were the most engaged and Generation X ages 37-52 and Generation Z ages 8-22 close behind.

The Psychological Power of Persuasion

The psychological tactic behind influencer marketing is about incorporating the power of persuasion to convince people to make purchasing decisions. A social media influencer cooperates in marketing a product or service to make money and grow a base of followers. The followers purchase an influencer’s campaign because they are connected and persuaded by the product or service recommendations the influencer promotes.

Influencers do not need to be well known celebrities with millions of followers. Often, trusted influencers are smaller in scale and are human in appearance and activities. They cultivate a community of their own on social media and leverage their friends, co-workers and family members and the connections those friends, co-workers and family members have as well.

Jodi Riley @jojo_fit is a south Florida gym owner, trainer, coach and athletic champion with over 100,000 Instagram followers. She promotes her brand to include online and onsite training, coaching packages, various nutritional products and athletic workout gear. I contacted Jodi and asked her to describe the pros and cons of being a social media influencer. Jodi’s top pro and con were the same — exposure. The exposure she receives on various social media platforms has helped Jodi develop a successful and profitable brand, but exposure has also brought some unexpected postings from her followers. She tells me that she simply ignores any negative postings because she does not allow negativity to be part of her life and she may even choose to block individuals, with one simple click from being able to make future postings on her social media accounts.

Are you under the influence(r)? You may be! Understanding the interrelationship between social media, talented influencers and the psychological and masterful art of persuasion — a new and powerful marketing strategy exists in our world today that has a huge impact on our decision making when it comes to purchasing products and services.

Dr. Julia Breur is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private clinical psychotherapy practice in Boca Raton. Further information available on website at www.drjuliabreur.com

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