subject: The Evolution of Social Influence and What it Means for Targeting Intelligence [print this page] The Evolution of Social Influence and What it Means for Targeting Intelligence
Social influence is not a new idea. It's as old as the mountains. However long "social" has been around- society- influence has been around. Cavemen tore branches from trees for weapons, horded food, hurled rocks to show their influence. On a primordial level, strength is influence. But we've since evolved and so has influence, manifesting itself in many attributes. During the renaissance of human development charm was influence. Persuasion was influence. And so it was for a very long time that strength and charm led nations.
But influence is a sum of it's parts, and as it grows, so the number of "parts" increases. Today, on a smaller scale, yet still reflecting a difference in the overall whole, influence has changed. Influence in a marketing sense has become not about strength and charm, but about trust. Previously the paradigm of marketing was persuasion- buy this, it'll make you beautiful, get that, it'll make you stronger, 9 out of 10 doctors recommend Camel's smooth flavor. But in the digital age a wealth of information not previously accessible by consumers is present, and that means "tricking" consumers no longer works, which of course, is a very good thing.
How then do we influence consumers? It's simple- trust! And how do we gain their trust? You influence those that influence them. But to influence the influencers you need to know who they are, and just as that same access to the wealth of information the consumers have can bring you whatever you want, you have to know how to look for it... and most marketers just don't have that awareness.
This is where targeting intelligence comes in. Having the ability to determine, organize, and rank social influence means you'll not only be able to market more efficiently but you'll be able to out-maneuver competitors online and track ROI on your social media campaigns. So learn tomorrow's lesson today, and try out targeting intelligence.
