Marketers consistently look for ways to increase awareness and push consumers down the purchase path, and influencer marketing remains a solid option. But are influencers really influencing in favor of your products?
A couple of weeks ago a friend tagged me in a photo of a popular social influencer who we’ll call Goldie (for the record, it will be easy to figure out who she is). I actually was once counted in the more than one million followers this influencer has, but I grew tired of the product shilling. Curiosity got the best of me on this particular day, so I stuck around and perused her profile, including her Instagram stories. And it just so happened that she was talking about a product I’d actually been considering. As the new owner of a Dyson vacuum — a product that has changed my life — I have a newfound affinity for the brand. My love for the Dyson (based off a single experience with a vacuum) knows no bounds and I was even considering purchasing a new hair dryer with an insane price tag, just because it had Dyson’s name on it.
Every so often, I’ll buy a product an influencer is paid to endorse, but only if it fits what I perceive their area of expertise to be. And since Goldie started her illustrious influencer career with YouTube hair tutorials, and now owns a hair extension brand, I’m more likely to pay attention to her experience with a hair dryer. More likely than, say, a home alarm security system.
But then Goldie gave her review of the Dyson hair dryer.
Okay, let’s be real. She gave the worst excuse for a product review in the history of Instagram product reviews.
It started out innocent enough. “I just realized I never gave my review on this Dyson blow dryer and I’ve had it for a couple months now,” she begins, in a towel, holding the dryer, in what I’m assuming is her bathroom.
“And now that I’ve used it for that long, I can’t imagine using anything else,” she continues. Whoa! That seems to be a ringing endorsement, and for a split second I found myself again attempting to justify the ridiculous cost. But then she kept talking, and things went downhill fast.
“It’s literally the best,” she says with a little bit of a halt in her voice, as if to indicate that what was coming next was anything but why it’s literally the best. She then confirms that direction, “And yeah…I don’t know what else…”
Cut to black.
The end.
No reasons why it’s the best. No reasons why she can’t live without it. No reasons why I should consider spending $400 on something I could get in a grocery store for twenty bucks. No additional Instagram videos or pictures or blog posts on why Goldie is promoting this product.
I’m not sure if it was sponsored or not. From all my digging, I can’t see any indication of a relationship between Goldie and Dyson. There are, however, several interviews she did to coincide with her hair extension launch, and these articles all discuss how high heat damages hair. She is, without a doubt, an expert when it comes to hair products. And for a brand like Dyson or another brand with similarly high consideration products, knowing that she isn’t able to articulate why a consumer should consider taking the next step to research (never mind being convinced to purchase) a product, is concerning.
A week later I was in a salon chair getting my hair cut and colored, and my stylist reached for the hair dryer. I noticed it was the same, expensive — and admittedly beautiful designed — Dyson hair dryer Goldie had shared in her Instagram story. I asked my stylist if she thought it was worth the money. “If you have a ridiculous amount of thick hair, or if you’re a professional using it for hours every day, then it’s an awesome product,” she said. But as for me and my ridiculous amount of fine hair? “It just doesn’t make sense for you,” she finished before she recommended another hair dryer with similar technology, for less than half the cost.
Recommendations are better than reviews, and recommendations from experts are better than reviews, and above all, recommendations from experts we trust are what we — consumers — need to feel confident in order to make a purchase.
Goldie’s post had the opportunity to bring not just awareness, but to directly impact conversion. Maybe it cut to black because her phone died. Maybe one of her kids started drawing her lipsticks all over the white walls. Maybe she loves so many things about her Dyson hair dryer she struggled to pick just one in that moment. But unfortunately she didn’t provide enough information to give consumers confidence in her recommendation.
My stylist’s input, on the other hand, felt tailor-made to me and my needs. Instead of taking a chance on an expensive product that ultimately would have been returned, she pointed me in the direction of the product that made sense for me. It’s important to note that she is an advocate for the beautiful hair dryer — for the right person. But brands don’t pay her to drive awareness to their products.
They pay Goldie.
So what could (and should) Goldie do differently as an ambassador for brands and their products?
Consider this review on a pair of Faction Skis.
It isn’t unhelpful, and in some ways, those 5 stars make you feel a little more confident in giving these skis a shot. But then consider this recommendation from an expert as seen on the ExpertVoice platform.
Instead of a general comment about enjoying the product, this recommendation touches on multiple points that help drive confidence in a product purchase.
So what do consumers need in a recommendation?
- Who should use the product
- Why they should use it
- Who shouldn’t use the product
- Why they shouldn’t use it
We consider experts like retail sales associates and category pros to be the best influencers, and we see their beneficial product recommendations every day on ExpertVoice.
Influencers like Goldie serve a purpose. But the trust level and personalized interaction from a category professional — like my hair stylist — elevate product reviews to recommendations. Brands must see beyond follower count when considering their influencers, and they must empower their influencers with product and knowledge. Experts will be excited to share, consumers will buy more confidently, and sales will increase.
