 |
Brand-advocate, evangelist, ambassador, aficionado, etc.That’s a lot of names for one who tries to influence our purchase decisions. We listen to them, we sometimes trust them, but do we actually know them?
Following a recent study by Mintel most American people who bought a product or service online did it based on recommendations by their friends and relatives; with other words someone they know well. The same results should be visible in most places around the world.
|
|
It seems on the other hand that recommendations by strangers have less influence on the decision making process. And I thought this was changing…
|
 |
|
If that’s the case, how can we really leverage social media to intensify e-commerce and what happened with the idea that people trust bloggers and other members of their network?
|
|
Want to now more about influence and trusting strangers online? Have a look at the following presentation by universal Mccanns.
Chris Brogan (yes him again) would ask if You’re a trust Agent. There might be more to it than just knowing someone… Though I’m impatiently waiting for his book, I’m asking myself one question: If people trust mainly their closest entourage, how can affiliation models leverage this? What about the long tail?Doesn’t it mean that affiliation models focusing on personal or niche blogs will on the long run become more successful than those working with the larger and more well-known publishers?
 |
The same survey shows that in the end, the most influential criterion is the price of the product. With other words, if you have a promotion offered by a well-known blogger and a better one by a very small blog owned by a friend, you probably won’t hesitate and go for your friend's.
|
In addition to that and as Brian Clark suggests affiliate marketing disclosure can be used as a selling point, meaning when you know you audience personally, you won’t mind putting disclosures for the promotions and discounts you can offer.
So! What are we waiting for?! When will someone leverage this model?
Oh! Yeah! I forgot…We do!!!
Moreover, we believe that it would be great to be able to share our trust in a blogger with other people (your network and strangers). That is why we created the Zilhouette, and to show you how it works we will start by presenting bloggers and one way they could be perceived by their audience (on a total of 16).
The first one would be…of course CHRIS BROGAN!
Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs and passionate blogger on social media can be perceived as an Administrator.
Often seen as a pillar in the community, administrators live in a world of facts and concrete needs. Their eyes constantly scan their personal environment to make sure everything runs well. Administrators have such a clear vision of the way things should be, that they naturally take on leadership roles.
Chris has a nice and professional blog. His main focus is about helping people use social media the right way. For that, he uses his personal experience and knowledge. He may be seen as someone people trust and will follow because they believe in his capacity to transform ideas into concrete projects. His posts radiate knowledge and humility. There are other reasons why Chris could be perceived as an Administrator; for a full description, please visit this portrait's blog post and don't hesitate to comment and share your feedback.
Of course this is only one of the 16 possible perceptions, based on your personal background; you might perceive him in a totally different way.
Want to know more about our Zilhouettes? Check this link!
