Caroline made me do it

Everybody has that one friend. They are usually the person who knows all about anything remotely new immediately. This is the person you ask before you buy anything electronic or gadget related for example. They always know what’s the most up-to-date product on the market and more than likely have some experience utilizing it in their day-to-day life because they waited in line the day it came out so they could be one of the first to try it. Some would call these people “hipsters.” Hipsters are those who knew about that new thing before it was cool to know about said new thing. Technically hipsters shy away from mainstream culture and trends, but in doing so, they often end up dictating culture and trends. An example is “distressed” denim (jeans with holes in them.) This style was made popular because hipsters shunned mass department stores and favored thrifting clothes, which were in various states of disrepair or “distress.” The look became popular and viola – now you know how American Eagle and Hollister came up with holey jeans! Hipsters are just a form of opinion leadership. Opinion leaders are defined as “a person whose opinions about something such as a product or issue have a big influence on the opinions of others” (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/opinion-leader.) They come in all shapes and sizes. The guy that works at the Apple Genius Bar who showed you how awesome Apple Music actually is is technically an opinion leader. Your local barista who made you try that coffee drink you didn’t think you would like but now love is an opinion leader. If they influenced you to try, buy, or in general change your mind about something, they are considered an opinion leader. But how do these opinion leaders operate in today’s social media saturated world?

I’m going to give you an example of an opinion leader that I utilize quite frequently to demonstrate how opinion leaders utilize social media. I am big into skincare. I’m the girl who doesn’t think twice about dropping $85 on an ounce of serum in the name of good skin. I’ve been a follower of Caroline Hirons for just over three years now (check out her blog here.) She’s a big deal in beauty land. She’s a 40-something mom of four, who worked retail for years and is now a trained facialist and makeup artist. She has a blog and YouTube channel which amass millions upon millions upon millions of views each year. She’s witty, but down to earth. She’s no nonsense when it comes to product reviews and she’s built an almost cult following. When she recommends a product, it’s almost guaranteed to sell out within the week, if not the day. It’s been dubbed “the Caroline effect” (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-3344840/I-m-beauty-s-answer-Delia.html.) She has an amazing instinct for knowing what women want out of a product and she goes out of her way to make sure the reviews she writes are thorough, honest, and always enjoyable to read. Caroline is an avid social media user. When she posts a new review on her blog or a new YouTube video with her current skincare favorites (my personal favorite videos) she makes sure to let her followers know. She posts an Instagram story about it, a photo or video snippet to Instagram, tweets out the link, and boom! Thousands of women immediately have a new favorite product. Caroline’s background in the industry (she’s a trained facialist, has worked with dozens upon dozens of brands, and has industry cred) allow her to be a trusted opinion leader, as does her overall personal narrative. Personal narratives go a long way in making opinion leaders. Personal or “character” narratives are defined as “enduring personal stories or accounts that we may understand as being related to particular expressed character types” (Networked Narratives: Understanding Word-of-Mouth Marketing in Online Communities.) Caroline’s character narrative is that of a guru, helping guide us all to the land of good skin, while maintaining her wit and charm as a working mom.   It establishes a connection with her and allows us, as her readers/followers, to understand her not only just as a product reviewer but as a friend, somebody you would want to grab a drink with. People trust their friends, and I trust Caroline Hirons to a fault.

Sorry to wax poetic up there, but my devotion to Caroline Hirons is a great example of opinion leadership and how it can impact the market. The “Caroline effect” I mentioned above? That effect is what companies who get reviewed by Caroline come to expect. It means your products are about to fly off the shelves and your profits are going to soar. It’s a very, very good thing. It’s also fairly cheap marketing. By having somebody like Caroline, who has already done the work of cultivating a captive audience, utilize your product, you as a company can capitalize on the after effects. Opinion leaders like Caroline are partaking in a form of Word-of-Mouth communication. For more than half a century it’s been maintained that Word-of-Mouth affects the majority of all purchase decisions (Networked Narratives.) People like Caroline just do it online now versus in person. The advent of social media has changed the way in which most of us partake in Word-of-Mouth interactions. Now instead of calling that hipster friend of yours to discuss whether or not you should buy into the hype of the newest iPhone (what are we on now? 7? 8?) you can just browse online for your favorite tech blogger or scroll through your YouTube subscription box until you find that one channel with the Genius Bar guy you love to watch on weekends. Trust is being formed online with people like Caroline Hirons every day. There’s a reason why YouTube beauty gurus are able to afford $1 million houses (Zoella anybody?) Consumers trust their opinions and brands know that. Utilizing these online, social media opinion leaders can only help brands and their marketers. Is there a potential for blow-back? Sure. But at the end of the day, isn’t any press good press?

I hope you all enjoyed my take on opinion leaders and social media. See you next week for another post!

Source:

Kozinets, Robert V., et al. "Networked Narratives: Understanding Word-of-Mouth Marketing in Online Communities." Journal of Marketing 74 (2010): 71-89.