Recently, a number of articles about "influencers" hit the web. What exactly is an influencer and how is it shaping the way we interact with the internet?
In a time when everyone blogs, Facebook is king, and Twitter is the fastest way to acquire news, people everywhere have a new way to look at internet influences. It appears that the influencers are no longer major corporations, but instead, it is us - the individuals swarming the internet.
As discussed in class, anytime I make an Amazon purchase, I make sure to read all the reviews. When it comes to ordering a product off the internet, you can never be too sure of what you will get. By reading reviews from other customers, you can get a general feel for the person selling the item, thus, you have been influenced by another shopper.
In an article entitled "The Influentials: New Approaches for Analyzing Influence on Twitter." the authors define Twitter influencers as, "the potential of an action of a user to initiate a further action by another user." Basically, every time you read something on Twitter, an influencer is someone who will cause you to do something else - in this case retweet - as a result of what you saw. You have been influenced by the tweet, or tweeter.
During the first week of school, we discussed how our PR model is changing. We are no longer in a "top-down" model, but instead, a "down-up" model where the consumers are the ones in control. As we can see, that "down-up" model is very influential and important for sales and PR.
As technology continues to change the way we communicate and live our everyday lives, the concept of influencers is becoming more and more important in the PR and marketing world. How will you influence you market? Better start influencing.
