subject: Paying Your Social Influencer: The "Unmarketing" Way [print this page] Paying Your Social Influencer: The "Unmarketing" Way
What would you say if a company asked you to talk about them on your Facebook page? Before you think this would never and could never happen to you, think again. Many companies are "unmarking" themselves through individuals. It is a technique that plays up a brand, without making it look like they had any part in it. I guess you can call it effective because people trust people before they trust companieswith today's economy, at least that's the case.
It's definitely permitted by the FTC, as long as the company discloses the financial relationship with their social influencer. Many companies say they don't pay until after the person blogs about them.
I guess it's a win-win situation for both the influencer and the company. People read blogs all the time, and they are more likely to sit through one that sounds like an op-ed than one that resembles an advertisement. Of course Pepsi will say their products taste better than Coke's but I would be more likely to believe this if I heard it from a friend or read it in an anonymous blog post. It is a social community out there, and people use sites like Yelp to help make their decision about where they will spend their money. Yelp is filled with opinions by everyday people who try out services then give their feedback about their experience. Like I said, people trust each other before they trust a company trying to sell its product. That is why we use ratings and tend to trust them. Social influence isn't just something a company can do, but what individuals can do among each other.
