Purchasing habits, marketing campaigns and product displays are analyzed by brands all of the time. Marketing isn’t a random shot in the dark, strategies are built from analytical data regarding how human’s process information and respond to stimuli. Building brand trust with influencer marketing is no different.

Endorsements
Influencer marketing is based largely upon testimonials or social proof from authentic users and real customers. Brands can tell people how great their product is all they want, but it doesn’t mean that anyone’s actually listening. Times have changed and customers want to hear why they should get onboard with a particular product from an objective user, instead of a company who is tooting their own horn.

Social Proof

When reviews and testimonials come directly from a brand, it’s viewed as marketing. On the flipside, if a consumer receives a third-party perspective about why a service or product is worth their money, that consumer is more likely to view the information as authentic and sincere.

Instead of creating one large page of testimonials, brands should strategically publish user generated content (UGC) across different pages on their e-commerce and from their social accounts. Getting product reviews and testimonials in front of consumers can easily be accomplished with a simple influencer marketing campaign. Social influencer’s can spread your brand message to new audiences and reach them more effectively because they are speaking their language.

People Trust People, Not Ads
Consumer’s purchasing habits are largely based upon what products they see their friends, family and social networks buying and endorsing. Today we are overwhelmed with so many options to choose from for the same product or service. Brands can’t convince consumers that their product is better than the competitors with just an advertisement. Recommendations of what restaurant to eat at, what shoes or clothes to buy, along with many other product categories, that comes from someone a consumer regularly interacts with is the most likely reason a purchase was made, not the ad they saw.

Why It Works
The data proves that consumers are more likely to trust influencers than they are brand content. 92% of consumers trust recommendations from others, even people they don’t know, over branded content. 70% say that online reviews are their second-most-trusted source, and 47% of U.S. readers consult blogs to keep tabs on trends and ideas (SocialTimes).

Influencers are also valuable in closing many of the gaps brands need filled. They’re useful for teaching consumers about products, getting other consumers to share products online, counteracting negative feedback with positive feedback, creating user-generated-content and boosting sales. Their opinions and endorsements are respected and sought after within their social networks and communities.

Conclusion
Building brand trust should be at the top of every marketer’s list especially in saturated industries. Influencer marketing is not only a catalyst for amplifying a brand’s voice and reach, but it’s also a cost-effective strategy that delivers results. There’s evidence that influencer marketing builds brand trust, so the only next step is figuring out how to implement an influencer marketing strategy that works for you.