It is easy to assume that influencer marketing is a fairly new concept, now that social media and other modern-day internet tools have become so pervasive. But it isn’t.

In the 1940s, a study in political communications called the “Multistep flow model” claimed that most people are influenced by opinion leaders and by the information that is second hand. We can easily assume that the same claims extend to the supply chain.

These days, influencer marketing is becoming more sophisticated. Word-of-mouth has always been a fundamental tool in influencer marketing, but social media has added to the complexity of this method.

Social media is crucial in the core activities in influencer marketing, which include:

Defining, identifying, and prioritizing the influencers that will be most useful for your brand Reaching out to these influencers Using their reach to touch consumers Working with the influencers as advocates for your brand

This means it’s important to understand how different social media tools need to be used for the purpose of influencer marketing. To succeed in influencer marketing, you need the right combination of insightful strategy, good tools, and authentic engagement.

Choosing the right influencer is not simply a matter of choosing the most popular person. The credibility of the influencer the strength of their relationship with their audience is also very important.

When you choose the right influencers, you are able to engage an audience that is an “opt-in” network, which is more likely to take action. This is important for achieving both marketing goals and business objectives.

Here’s an infographic that shows what is influencer marketing, why you should invest time in influencer marketing, how influencer marketing campaigns work, and how you can engage various influencers at different levels of a marketing campaign. It also explains the steps you need to take to build an influencer marketing program strategically, including important dos and don’ts.

Influencer marketing: All you need to know

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