Influencers are cluttering our social feeds but studies are showing that although the influencer market is increasing, trust for them is not.
A survey conducted by Savanta, found that “subject matter experts and everyday acquaintances such as friends or family — at 39% and 38%, respectively — far outpaced celebrities (14%) and social media stars (9%) as the most trusted sources for authentic and genuine content.”
Not only that but “in a recent Student Beans survey, 82% of Gen Z students in the United States and United Kingdom said they don’t trust traditional influencers to give an honest opinion on a brand or product.”
It seems to be that the more influencers there are, the more people believe they are only advertising for the money. Makes sense, even if it isn’t wholly true.
The solution to taking advantage of influencer power without losing consumers’ trust? Nanoinfluencers.
What are nanoinfluencers?
Nanoinfluencers are people in your everyday community who have a natural influence on others. For example, nanoinfluencers might be the Zumba instructor that leads free classes at the community center, the college student who leads the football student section in cheers and chants, or the neighbors who throw a huge Christmas party every year.
Let’s explain this further: If your zumba instructor advertises the new theragun she’s been using for sore muscles, you might be more inclined to buy that theragun than after seeing a JJ Watt advertisement for the same theragun on your Tik Tok feed. The guy leading you in cheers on Friday nights, might show you his new monthly subscription for coffee beans, convincing you to subscribe as well more than the random girl that pops up in your instagram stories would. Your neighbors that throw an amazing party every year? They can sell you on their go-to lawn care company better than any high profile influencer can.
If your business can track down nanoinfluencers who have a sphere of influence that matches your target audience, and if that nanoinfluncer fits your offering, then you could have a secret weapon against your competitors.
BANGS Shoes x Nanoinfluencers
One example of a small business that is taking advantage of the power of nanoinfluencers is BANGS Shoes. They have what they call an ambassador program which constitutes upwards of a few thousand nanoinfluencers, or BANGS ambassadors. However, these people are your everyday friends. They are the girl in your chemistry class, the barista at your favorite coffee shop, the other mom you meet up with at the park, and your grocery bagger. BANGS Shoes has managed to build a community of thousands of nanoinfluencers who are doing their marketing for them. A BANGS ambassador must meet certain criteria to join the community and express their passion for the brand. Once accepted, they are given access to ambassador-only perks, meetups, community challenges and campaigns, entrance into an exclusive Slack channel, and the ability to pick KIVA entrepreneurs. What is special about this model is they are providing a sense of belonging and community amongst their ambassadors, while gaining access to each of their spheres of influence. Take word of mouth marketing and put it on steroids and you have nanoinfluencers.
BANGS Shoes not only encourages their ambassadors to share with their friends, but they require them to participate in at least three “Blitz days” on social media, and post once a month with optional participation in various campaigns. They are exponentially multiplying their engagement with their target audience via ambassadors. The best thing about this approach is that their target audience is 38% more likely to trust these voluntary ambassadors than an influencer ad.
Getting Started
Student Beans in collaboration with Marketing Dive put together a list of questions you should ask when selecting nanoinfluencers and they provide helpful tips for working with nanoinfluencers. If you are interested in learning more, take a look at the Playbook.
At Gray Digital Group we help our clients develop comprehensive strategies to reach their goals and deliver results. If you are looking to incorporate nanoinfluencers into your strategy, contact our team to get started!
Connect with us today!
Sources:
Graphic by Monika jurczyk
https://resources.industrydive.com/how-are-brands-reaching-gen-z
