The Importance of Influencer Marketing

A recent study revealed that 84% of marketers plan on executing at least one influencer marketing campaign in 2017. But what exactly is influencer marketing? Well to put it simply, it’s that middle territory between a legitimate testimonial and mentioning a product subtly, which is usually done in passing.

Not to be confused with celebrity endorsements, influencer marketing creates word-of-mouth advertising using people that are trusted in their industry/social circle. With this marketing strategy, influencers are building up the brand’s image in the minds of their followers. Whereas celebrity endorsements attaches the fame of a celebrity to a brand or product so that they are associated with that product — as a result people want to buy that product. Both strategies use well-known people to influence the target market. But the way they are executed and how they influence their target market is very different. Today we’ll focus on influencer marketing.

Influencers are specialists in what they do. Different from celebrities, they build communities around themselves in a very niche space. For example, when a brand sends food bloggers their newest cake offering as part of an influencer campaign, the intent is not from their fame but rather the true recommendations within the targeted community.

But why Influencers?

Influencers are deemed to be more authentic as they are perceived to be creators of the entire message. From beginning to end, the message is considered theirs and that lends it a certain credibility. Go and scroll through your Instagram feed now — You can still see your favourite influencers representing products and promoting brands, all while still staying true to their unique voice and story.

Why influencer marketing?

Consumers trust recommendations from word-of-mouth more often than the brand itself. It makes sense if you think about it on a more personal context. Let’s put it into a scenario — You don’t usually trust a person at a party who comes up to you and brags about themselves, but you often believe your mutual friend who vouches for that person. An influencer is the mutual friend connecting the brand with the target audience.

What brands will get in return is targeted exposure to the right consumer, one who is already interested in that particular area and will likely be paid attention. Speaking of paying attention — 47% of online consumers use ad blockers nowadays, giving brands even more reason to put their money behind influencers instead, as they are the ones holding everyone’s attention.

Social media influencers exist on all the primary social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. These platforms have given birth to Internet famous celebrities and influencers. They are becoming more and more savvy about how to properly collaborate with brands for their own creative campaigns.

In 2017, the use of influencer marketing is rising. Collaborations between brands and influencers are only to increase. It’s only a matter of time before social media shifts into a social marketplace.

Studying at a postgraduate level to keep an edge in my career

10 years after my undergraduate degree in Communications, and with almost my entire career spent in Marketing following that, I decided to embark on the Master of Marketing at the University of Sydney.

With some trepidation about studying again I thought to evaluate exactly what I wanted to gain out of my experience at the university and postgraduate study, and I realised what it came down to was gaining further credibility within the industry in Australia.

With a competitive job market, and high expectations for myself of where I wanted to take my career, studying at a post-graduate level was the best way forward to cement my understanding of relevant Marketing theories and keep an edge in my career.

Given the pace that technology has developed since my initial studies, I found learning about the latest theories in the units Consumer Behaviour and Evaluating Marketing Performance, to be some of the most valuable days spent in the course to date. So much has changed as far as consumers making purchase decisions with the ability to quickly check a price, or find another retailer and product advice online. The way marketers work alongside finance, sales, strategy and the C-Suite has become even more important than before as we look to show the value of our campaigns, not just from a brand awareness perspective, but aligned to long term company objectives and revenues.

The best thing about the Master of Marketing course? The networks created, and friends from all different career backgrounds and countries around the world, and the confidence gained by having an additional layer of credibility to take an opportunity at a promotion, new career, engage in a higher level of strategic planning and conversation, or to try something new.

Lana Montgomery

Current Master of Marketing student at the University of Sydney Business School

Are Chatbots the future of E-Commerce?

With Valentine’s Day coming up I wish 1-800-flowers was available in Australia. Being able to order flowers from Facebook Messenger is so 2017, you can literally place an order in a minute without having to call or physically go to the florist. Chatbot is the new black.

In the early days of Artificial Intelligence research, chatbots were seen as an intriguing (but for the most part, useless) technology. Today, chatbots are poised to revolutionise the way we communicate and could change marketing forever. Chatbots and the A.I. technology that enables them are on the rise and constantly evolving.

eMarketer predicts that by 2018, 65% of the global population will use messaging apps. And with so many of these messaging apps now supporting chatbots, it’s not surprising that the global chatbot market is expected to grow exponentially between 2016 and 2023 (source: Credence Research). 

Fun fact: did you know that Facebook Messenger alone now has more than 30,000 chatbots you can interact with. These include 1-800-Flowers chatbot for ordering flower, Poncho chatbot for checking the weather and Uber chatbot for finding a ride. (source: Global Web Index)

As e-commerce consumers become more comfortable interacting with machines online, chatbots will inevitably continue to dominate the online landscape.

Although most chatbot tasks are relatively basic for now, that is unlikely to be the case for long. Conversational dead-ends happen, and answers are often tone-deaf. But like real people, chatbots need time to learn — think of them as trial and error. 

If you go off script, for example, to change your delivery date, the chatbot doesn’t always follow you. Often you’ll go all the way to the end before you can cancel your order and start again. But chatbots will get smarter as more people keep using them, and as developer perfect what it is that people want and need.

Like all good things in life, it takes time!

Stanley Ritz Kurniawan

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Stan's prediction for 2017 -- Brands should look into daring community management

Happy new year 2017 readers! I truly hope that you all have had an amazing holiday period and are settling back into work well. Looking into 2017, I was wondering what would change in the industry -- I mean, 2016 was a great year and content was amazing, but something bigger must surely be coming.

For me, 2017 is going to rely heavily on content management. Brands need to stop with the generic responses to consumers on social media. We have all seen the consumers posting their dissatisfaction towards something and 9 times out of 10, the brands will have a generic response that say something along the lines of “We are really sorry to hear that, we take your feedback seriously so please contact a team member on 9455 XXXX to discuss further”.

Realistically speaking, we as consumers know we are handed off and are left unsatisfied after getting such a generic response. Also, most brands seem to have this invisible wall up where they are hesitant to go out of the ‘safety box’ to reply to consumers. Social media is a place where people like to have fun -- Many times we like to ‘troll’ brands because we have nothing better to do. Mostly, you get the generic “haha hilarious” or sometimes not get a response at all.

This is something that I personally feel brands should start changing. Community management can be a fun and creative space for brands to market to their consumers. Instead of being afraid and staying in the ‘safety box’ that I have mentioned above, try something daring and out there (within reason of course). But I really think that we as consumers can really relate to those kinds of things and can lead to some sort of attachment to the brand because of it.

I am going to leave you all with this screenshot of a Twitter thread between Wendy’s community manager, Amy Brown and a consumer. She isn’t afraid of leaving the ‘safety box’ and responds in a way that some might see as unprofessional, but others might see as genius. For me personally, I think it is pure genius -- And I think for brands to excel in 2017, they should start looking at community management not just as a ‘crowd control’ space but rather a marketing platform where they can benefit from.

Twitter account of Katy Wellhousen @KatyWellhousen

Stanley Ritz Kurniawan

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Genius marketing behind Snapchat Spectacles

Snapchat Spectacles has been trending this past month for a number of reasons. For those of you that have not heard of them, I would recommend that you search them up right now -- especially if you are big on your Instagram game. In short, it is Snapchat’s first hardware product that they released initially on November 10 of this year.

They are a pair of regular sunglasses that acts as a normal pair with the addition of a one-touch recording camera on the edge of the frame that shoots in a circular video format. It is then synced to your phone through Bluetooth where you can upload the recording on your Snapchat account.

The product itself is a great move forward from Snapchat but for me, it is how they have been marketing and distributing them that is getting all my attention. The Spectacles aren't available generously at any given one time — but instead, you might have to travel half way around the country to get your hands on them. At this moment, Snapchat Spectacle is only available in the US. So what is making Snapchat’s rollout strategy so good?

Image source: http://trendingallday.com/trending-spectacles-snapchats-snapbot/

Artificial Scarcity

The US based company are creating artificial scarcity — everyone loves exclusivity and Snapchat is doing just that with limiting the supply of Spectacles to a specific location, one place at a time. The only place that you can buy Snapchat’s first hardware is through Snapbot, an interactive vending machine that pops up for 24 hours before it disappears — just like their snaps. You can track where the Snapbot is via a map on their website.

Perceived Demand

Minutes after a Snapbot location is shared, videos and photos of hundreds of people lining up for their spectacles emerge online — Followed by snaps of many happy customers but also disappointed customers that didn’t get there in time before the vending machine sold out. The $130 Spectacle then sells for thousands of dollars online, making it one of the hottest products on the market at the moment. It seems that we are clearing Snapchat’s warehouses of Spectacles, when in fact we are probably only buying a few dozen.

Earned Media
Not only are they getting free press from their users taking snaps of the enormous line at the Snapbot locations, but also from traditional media outlets — the press has covered all Snapbot locations to date.

Stanley Ritz Kurniawan

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

How marketing can help your next job interview

“In many ways, advertising is similar to applying for a job,” says Sharon Napier, CEO of advertising agency Partners + Napier.

As marketers, we’re all trying to sell brands to consumers in the hope that they’ll throw it in their “shopping cart”, ask friends about it, or engage with it online. Think about a job application — we market ourselves through our CV and cover letter. The consumer (i.e employers), asks our friends about the product (i.e us the job seekers) and engage with us online (i.e stalk our social media).

Both advertising and job application are all about the art of brand-building and smart persuasion. Say you’ve successfully marketed yourself through your CV, how do you prepare to market yourself when you’re in the hot seat (i.e the interview)?

First and foremost, you have to know your value proposition. You have to know your skills and talents that are marketable, who and what you’re all about professionally. Your value proposition is the promise of value that you’ll deliver to the prospective employers. This is basically the answer to the burning question “Why should we hire you?”. You want to convey what sets you apart from other candidates and how you would be a benefit to the employer.

Number two, you need to know your ‘target market’. Before walking in into that interview you have to know the company, the industry, and the person who’s interviewing you (stalk them back). Know their style and culture. You basically don’t want to create a campaign without knowing anything about your target market.

Number three, be the solution for problems the company want to solve. If you’re applying for a marketing job and the company’s having problems of ineffective advertising, prepare examples detailing how you’ll solve those problems and how you’ve solved similar problems in the past. This way you’ll avoid empty cliches by backing up your skills with relevant and specific stories.

Lastly, you don’t want to be a product that is all marketing and little substance. I’m talking about putting your best foot forward while knowing your strengths and communicating them in a memorable and persuasive way.

Now that you got all these in the bag, 

Stanley Ritz Kurniawan

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Digital marketing is a job for the future

Digital marketing is a fun, creative and fast-moving sector in the marketing industry. It is also an industry that’s climbing up to the top as more and more businesses move to invest more in digital. Areas such as digital advertising are growing even through the economic downturn, and it is expected to continue to grow.

source: www.kinbloggers.com

Would you believe me if we said that one of the most promising careers in the future is digital marketers and market analysts? You better do because it is. Here’s why…

1. Key to effective communication
They will be the key to effective communication in this digital age that we’re living in, accomodating businesses, organisations, even politicians connect with their potential “customers”. They are the ones who also innovate and develop digital communication while changing the way people do business through the insights of big data.

2. Be in-demand
Digital skills gap is set to widen and the job market is bursting at the seams as more brands are putting more focus on digital marketing than ever before. With 150,000 digital jobs predicted by 2020 (by Digital Marketing Institute in Dublin) and not enough digital professionals to fill them gives those studying digital marketing a competitive advantage. Basically you’ll be gearing yourself up for a career where demand exceeds supply which is always a good move if you ask me.

3. The knowledge is new everyday!
Digital marketing is a job where you get to constantly learn as the industry is changing all the time. Everyday is different and challenging so for those who are passionate about the industry, it is a career with excellent long-term prospects.

So if you want to ensure your employability in the future, digital analysis, development and marketing are the top picks!

Stanley Ritz Kurniawan

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

How to make YouTube work for you

When you see YouTube stars like Michelle Phan and Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie) bringing in billions of dollars through their channels, you would want to start your own too. As tempting as it sounds, captivating and growing a massive audience for a sustained period of time takes much more work than it looks. YouTube might have the step-by-step of how to create your own channel, but there’s no real tutorial on the ‘How To Make Your Channel Profitable’.

As a YouTuber myself (don’t forget to subscribe! ;) ) here’s some basic tips to keep in mind:

1. Get to know your audience and stay on top of the trends!
When starting your own channel, it’s crucial to know your market. There’s a reason why YouTube has a comment section and it’s not only for haters throwing mean (although sometimes funny) comments, they’re there so people can interact with what they watch. Phan once said, “if you know your audience, you know exactly what they’re going to watch.” This requires you to stay on top of trends and the broader social media zeitgeist.

2. Put in a lot of time and effort.
I used to wonder how some of the most trending videos on Phan and Kjellberg’s YouTube are usually around 8 minutes and when I started making videos I realised how an 8-minute video can take as long as three to four days shoot, edit and refinement.

It really is a lot of work! No wonder YouTube stars like Phan and Kjellberg both had to quit their pre-existing commitments (work and uni) to focus on their YouTube channel.

3. Make it authentic.
You know how it can be a bit annoying when you’re watching a video on YouTube and suddenly an ad comes up? Yup, we’ve all been there. Imagine how annoying it’ll be if your video actually sounds like an ad. If you want to communicate effectively, then the best thing you can do is to be authentic.

“The thing that has made YouTube so successful is that you can relate to the people you’re watching to a much higher degree than to the people you see on TV.” - Pewdiepie

4. YouTube is not Hollywood.
While caring about the quality is a good thing, don’t let the creation process bog you down. Viewers are not expecting a masterpiece, what’s important is to get a good content, put it out there and allow the viewers to get to intimately know you.

5. Create a brand for your channel
While this sounds very technical, creating a sense of familiarity to your channel is basically what branding here means. Keep your style consistent so that viewers know what to expect. Once you created your brand, you need to keep your content align with your branding.

Stanley Ritz Kurniawan

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Why marketers should think ‘selfish, scared, stupid’

‘Selfish,’ ‘scared’ and ‘stupid’ may not be inspiring words, but business strategist Dan Gregory claims these should be on top of marketers’ mind when they think about their brand, product or campaign.

Mr Gregory is co-founder of strategy and branding agency The Impossible Institute and co-author of the book Selfish, Scared and Stupid. He argues that three instincts--self-interest, fear and simplicity--guide human behaviour, and urges businesses to exploit these tendencies.

‘We tend to think of selfish, scared, and stupid as negatives… The truth is, they’re not,’ Mr Gregory said in a 2014 interview. ‘It’s actually a recipe for success. But because it doesn’t sound good, we tend to ignore that and pretend that we act in other ways.’

When businesses ignore human selfishness, fear and bias for simplicity, they ‘end up with strategies built around human ideals versus human reality,’ added Mr Gregory, whose portfolio includes top brands such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, News Corp, Vodafone and the NRL.

Image source: http://odemanagement.com/speakers/dan-gregory.html

The so-called behavioural design strategy works not only with brands but also with ideas. It is easier to influence or persuade a target audience, Mr Gregory says, when statements are framed simply, answer the question ‘What’s in it for them?’ and address fear of loss or risk.

Mr Gregory, who is also a sought-after motivational speaker, is scheduled to give a talk during the University of Sydney’s End of Year Master of Marketing Reception on November 17, Thursday, 5:30 p.m., at The Refectory, 5F, Abercrombie Business School Building.

Besides Mr Gregory’s talk, the event will showcase presentations from the three finalists for the AMI Prize for Best Consulting Project for 2016 awarded by the Australian Marketing Institute, which accredits the University of Sydney’s Master of Marketing Program.

This year’s AMI Prize finalists are Lis Churchward, who focused on revitalising the brand of the Centre for Veterinary Education in the University of Sydney; Jessica Ratcliff, who developed an on-premise sales and marketing plan for Taylors Wines; and Maria Ignatia Gharib Andrigehetti, who drafted a new marketing plan for Tigerlily Swimwear.

       

The consulting project is a key feature of the University of Sydney’s Master of Marketing program. It allows students to apply frameworks learned in class to actual business scenarios. The students’ clients and mentors have been invited and will take questions during the event.

The End of Year Reception is an opportunity for students to interact with faculty, lecturers, mentors, alumni and industry guests. Those who have received invitations for the event are requested to confirm their attendance before Monday, November 14.

Kim Patria

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School.

Stepping up your Instagram game

A lot of people are still trying to figure out how to crack the photography code when it comes to Instagram. It’s a very interesting platform where all your photos are side by side, below and above each other. If you're someone that wants to get exposure through Instagram and not just taking Sunday afternoon shots with Nan, here are a few tips that I have learnt over the years.

credit: http://www.justlikesushi.com

Decide on your feed style and content

Before you post your first photo, you need to plan ahead and decide on the style that you want your feed to have. Whether it be black and white, over exposed, under exposed or flat lays, keeping your feed consistent throughout will be appreciated by your followers. Not only does the individual photos matter, but also how it looks side by side. Another thing you need to decide on before starting your Instagram game is the content. You might be into fashion and post photos of style and fashion of the day’s (OOTD) or you might be into culinary and take photos of food. Your followers will definitely appreciate this because users follow you because they like your content. If you’re posting all about food and one day you post something that’s irrelevant, they might question it or be put off by it.

Light is your friend

As a professional photographer, I know how important light is for a photograph. Lighting is key and arguably the most important aspect to a photograph. Without correct lighting, no matter how good the subject is, it will be very hard to achieve good quality images. So when there isn’t good light to light up the subject, walk around and find a spot that has good lighting before pressing the shutter!

Colours, shapes and lines

An image becomes engaging when it has strong colours, unique shapes or strong lines. Without one of the 3 in an image, it will look flat and become unappealing. So before opening your Instagram app on your phone, look around and try to find one of these elements to compliment your subject.

Likes or no likes?

This is possibly the most important thing when it comes to Instagram. Most of us get carried away with the amount of likes we get for an image. That shouldn't be the driving factor when you shoot photographs. You need to appreciate the fact that any type of art is subjective and no two people will be the same when asked whether they like it or not. Take photos not for the likes but because you love the images you produce. No matter how many people are following you, you know that those people appreciate your photographs.

Stanley Ritz Kurniawan

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School