How Social Media and Influencers are Evolving Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Social media has completely changed how consumers perceive and decide on brands. Platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube have evolved the way consumers find and choose products. Influencers play a pivotal role in a customer's decision making. For example, if a customer who is scrolling through TikTok sees a particular influencer that they trust promoting a product it could lead to them purchasing the product. Many other personal factors play a role in consumer behavior like age, culture, and income. Sometimes a product may go viral on Tiktok and a particular age group really likes it. It’s important to know what your target audience is, which includes demographic and behavioral factors.
TikTok Shop is particularly popular with generation z. According to Retail Dive, 70% of users said they discovered new brands and products on the platform and 83% reported that TikTok played a role in their decision making. Tiktok has become a major competitor for Amazon and Walmart which are the biggest retailers in the U.S. Many more people are starting to move towards TikTok shops for their shopping. I myself have seen many products that I would buy. Since TikTok is personalized the products are tailored to the audience the algorithm thinks it's best for. This is very effective in brand discovery because the products are being advertised to that specific product’s target audience.
My experience using TikTok Shop showed me that it is very smart and user friendly. I was searching for some new monitors for my room and it recommended a brand that I have never heard of. I was able to discover a new brand just by using social media. The platform is also known to have many different promotions, deals, and freebies. They let you try out products with the catch that you will post a video promoting it. It is a great marketing opportunity for brands because they get exposure and the potential for new customers. Tiktok has changed the consumer journey by having people shop on social media. Instead of shopping in an online store, I can go shopping while scrolling through social media. It reaches people instantly and can generate large sales making it one of the biggest social e-commerce companies.