It takes twenty years to become an overnight success, so in case you are looking for quick-fix solutions, this article will not be able to meet your expectations.
The math behind brand lovin' is easy: when an iconic celebrity endorses the product or service, the brand awareness takes off remarkably, the profits soar, and that item is swept off the shelves, even the virtual ones. But to get to that status, the iconic celebrities did much more focused, high-quality work in less time than most ordinary people ever accomplish, and as a result they failed and rose more times than the average vanity can cope with.
Back in the days we could expand on our interpersonal skills as we met new people in our surroundings, traveled or worked with them and the feedback we would get was most often face-to-face. Nowadays the line between the online and offline life is erased and our conversations and collaborations continue from one medium to another one. How we interact over the fields of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat and what results we get prove to us that there is some magic behind principles of influence. Robert Cialdini, Dale Carnegie and Eli Pariser are just some of the names that wrote about influence and information that is accessible.
Cialdini identified 6 principles of influence in his bestseller that can be a useful foundation when we include celebrities in our business:
Principle 1: Relationships are based on reciprocity and we are all more likely to say ''yes'' to those who gave us a gift as we feel more indebted to them. In marketing, as in life Cialdini advises, "The implication is you have to go first. Give something: give information, give free samples, give a positive experience to people and they will want to give you something in return."
Principle 2: When people are uncertain about an action to take, they look around for social proof what everyone else is doing to guide them in their decisions. Marketers often emphasize that majority of people have already taken a certain action and this very thought pulls people forward to do the same.
Principle 3: In case we committed verbally or in writing we are more likely to follow through with our promise. Sticking to our word makes us both proud of ourselves and professional in the eyes of others and this is the image we want to portray.
Principle 4: Like is more than a Facebook button; it helps us advance far and beyond. ''People prefer to say ''yes'' to those who are similar to them, who are physically attractive or give them compliments. The implication for marketers is that they should learn more about the preferences of their audience and create the feeling of similarity so as to be the top choice for that market segment.
Principle 5: When people are unsure what decisions to make, they look for authorities in the field. Credibility can be achieved by real expertise in a particular industry, but also status symbols such as remarkable clothes, cars and gadgets. In the world of marketing, testimonials from authorities that are relevant for a particular customer segment can wow them to react or make a purchase.
Principle 6: Scarcity makes items more valuable in the eyes of potential prospects. In order to show that the item is less available and the more original than other ones in the category, advertisers emphasize that this offer is for a limited time only.
Furthermore, to understand the power of celebrities in your business it is good to look at the examples of entertainment industry experts who work side by side with them.
Alice Goldstein has been building high-profile social capital thanks to her family delivery business.Entertainment clients were delighted how her team delivered meals, groceries, jewelry, clothes. She had the opportunity to build relationships with some of the richest venture capitalists, entertainers, athletes and thanks to her diffuse network, with people from all walks of life, her next company Alice Goldstein Entertainment (AGE) was born.
The company succeeds at managing high-profile clients, delivering results to corporate entities and creating special events where they bond and do business. Because Alice and her team were connected with the right people they would get valuable insider business advice and sign up high-profile clients more easily some of them including KISS crew or DJ Ashba from Guns 'n' Roses. Alice reminds us of one fundamental trait of human nature, ''Everyone wants to make a connection so as to build or expand their brand to its highest potential.''
American business lady with Croatian roots, Danica Kombol runs award-winning Everywhere Agency which specializes in influencer marketing and community management. Everywhere Agency became internationally acclaimed in the Guiness Book of Records since their charity campaign #BeatCancer was most shared so as to empower charity organizations that are fighting cancer.
At Spark.me conference she opened her talk with a straightforward question and answer, ''We go to parties so as to socialize and get around other people.'' When it comes to influencer marketing the same formula works because human beings are storytelling species, intrigued to hear and see what happened to others. According to Danica's views the influencers can build their community best as they are out there where their target audience is and they have the authentic voice, instead of mimicking somebody else.
UK-based talent management company Kruger Cowne provides premier speakers and rising talents to various events in over 70 countries of the world with well-renowned names in business, entertainment, design, music and fashion. Celebrities in their roster are sought after because of their capability to engage audiences with their brilliant work and inspiring public appearance; some of them including Boris Becker, Richard Branson, Claudia Shiffer.
Kruger Cowne surpasses the competition thanks to several customized programs such as invite-only Breakfast club with celebrity speakers, the first-ever Rising Stars program that sends One Young World Delegate on a space mission, as well as having the impeccable staff that helps prospects interested in their service from start to finish, and their clients appearing at top conferences and networking events.
''We are all made of stars'' is the line in REM's song and Andy Warhol was right when he predicted that in the future everybody would be famous for 15 minutes. Social networks enable us to connect, radiate our influence and see what our friends are up to. And in such society celebrity influencers are helpers that amplify the message we want to convey and bring more publicity to the brands we are creating.
Photos: Linkedin, Suitelife, Novaivica.me, Kruger Cowne