Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Consumers value opinions that are expressed directly to them by people over advertising messages delivered by companies. According to a study by McKinsey, this value is so strong that word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions.

This is true across all industries, but the influence of other consumers is greatest when:

- consumers are buying a product for the first time,

- and when they are considering an expensive product.

The same study also showed that consumer-to-consumer word of mouth generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising, even when it is marketing-induced....

The influencers in your niche are probably receiving hundreds of friendly requests a day. Hence, the trick behind successful outreach is to stand out among your peers and catch the intended party's attention.

The success probability may be bleak, but influencer engagement is not exactly rocket science. And it can drive significant results with the right strategy and social media practices....