We were fortunate to spend the 4th of July holiday at my sister and brother-in-law’s lake house in upper Michigan. Right on the lake and surrounded by trees, the house is indescribably peaceful—even when filled with five kids. Well, most of the time.
With three older cousins and a Nana who is pretty slack on the rules, my daughter Nora is exposed to a lot of firsts when she spends extended periods of time with the family. Last time we were at the lake house she learned—after about 20 failed attempts involving half-chewed, ingested gumballs—to chew bubble gum.
As an only child, Nora is both independent and fairly cautious, but when she gets around her cousins she, naturally, wants to do whatever they’re doing.
Due to her low-risk demeanor, which she most definitely gets from her dad, when my sister brought out her family’s new toy—a “side by side” or glorified ATV—and asked who wanted a ride, I thought there was no way in hell my daughter would be down. But she was actually a bit more interested than I had anticipated, and when her cousins volunteered with delight she was sold. I think I was more nervous about it than she was.
The crew jumped in the buggy, and we ALL enjoyed the ride.
The idea of peers, highly regarded figures, etc., impacting someone else’s actions is not a new concept. That’s the whole idea behind celebrity endorsements. However, in recent years, the term “influencer marketing” has been increasingly used, especially when it comes to social media marketing.
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which focus is placed on influential people rather than the target market as a whole. It identifies the individuals that have influence over potential buyers, and orients marketing activities around these influencers.
For example, marketers will often send their products to a social media personality in hopes they’ll use it, love it and share it on their channels, ultimately enticing that person’s followers to also try the product. Or, more commonly these days, marketers will pay the influencer to share the benefits of their product with their followers, hoping for the same result.
As a parent, utilizing influencers—from cousins or grandparents to kids at school or even cartoon characters—is one of the most powerful and most beloved methods of persuasion.
Now if only I could find an influencer who could persuade Nora to listen the first time, every time.
Marketing Like a Mother 