Your Customer Is Your Best Influencer

Your customers have access to an untouched area Marketing Professionals only dream about.

Research has shown that influencer marketing can be one of the most effective ways to grow your business, through awareness and targeted promotion. If marketed properly influencer marketing can;

1. Build Brand Image and Awareness
2. Build Trust
3. Target Relevant Personas
4. Build  Loyalty.

Businesses can simply contact an influencer within their industry and pay them to review, promote or comment on their brand or service. This form of targeted promotion can be extremely cost-effective and be more successful than traditional advertising.

However as influencer marketing has boomed, consumers have started to lose trust in the products or services these influencers are promoting. There is also no guarantee influencers are promoting a limited number of businesses so brands can get lost amongst the noise in an overcrowded platform.

So if you want people to talk about your brand, why not approach your customers? They use your products or services regularly and probably have a lot to say.

User-generated content or (UGC) is when your customers are sharing their experience of your brand organically through channels like social media, review sites, or forums. You can use this to create and develop trust and credibility with prospective customers. Your customers know your business best. A genuine review or testimonial will convince a potential customer more than a paid advertisement.

“92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review.”- Link

Reasons your customers are the best influencers

Build Trust and Credibility

With 93% of customers reading a review before buying a product, your customers influence the buying decisions of your prospects. The authenticity of a genuine review will have more impact than a paid review.

Persona Specific

Anyone reading a review from a customer has more than likely found the review as they are interested in your product or service. Your customers will also be interacting with people and businesses similar to them, therefore your target persona.

They don’t just review online

Attending an event, speaking to a friend or business associate, passing conversation over a coffee. These are all the times your customers could be discussing your business that marketing can’t monitor. Paid influencers won’t be doing this. Your customers can tap into an area marketing professionals will never be able to. Make them excited and passionate about your brand so they freely talk and recommend you.

5 ways to get your customers to review

1. If you know a customer is happy with your product or service, simply ask them to write a review. Direct them in the right direction and give them options. This will increase the chances of leaving reviews.
2. When sending out correspondence always include a CTA at the bottom asking customers to leave a review.
3. If a customer mentions your brand on social media, re-share, retweet, and highlight positive reviews. Reply and highlight your gratitude for the mention and get a conversation started on the subject.
4. Influencers expect money or a means of payment to promote your business, your customers may not, however, an incentive can’t hurt. Offer discounts, giveaways, or company-related rewards to boost your reviews.
5. Make them brand ambassadors, find the best reviews, and include them in marketing materials such as case studies. Ask them to join a partner program where they can recommend your businesses to others for incentives.

So instead of approaching an influencer that doesn’t know your business, approach the most powerful assets your business has, your customers.