社交网络的使用在人们的生活中变得越来越普及。在使用这些工具时，我们习惯性地过滤掉看到的广告，但是要想忽略我们最喜欢的名人向我们推销产品就没有那么容易了。名人为某商品代言的这种营销方式被称为 “社交媒体影响力”。本文讨论 “社交媒体影响力” 对个人购买行为的影响。

词汇：digital marketing 市场营销

Have you ever been on social media and seen your favourite celebrity talking about a product? These endorsements might not be totally random, and are actually seen as a vital part of the marketing process. The question is: How do social media influencers ‘influence’ what you buy?

Human desire for status and making friends, combined with our need to belong to a group, make us susceptible to being ‘socially influenced’. Companies often use that desire to have a similar lifestyle to a celebrity we admire to hawk or launch a product. So, what do these endorsements actually do?

Firstly, they can be used to build brand awareness. A social media influencer should have a strong understanding of the platform they operate on, and therefore can create engaging content that not only adheres to the brand image, but sparks their followers’ interests in a product they might never have seen before. 

Secondly, influencers can improve a company or product’s relationship with their customer base. According to InMoment’s 2018 US Retail CX Trends Report on customer loyalty, 77% of buyers have been brand loyal for more than ten years. This is also true of 60% of millennials. A popular celebrity can target key demographics and talk or blog about a product, which can create an instant and lasting bond with the consumer.

Lastly, influencers can improve customer buying habits with seemingly ‘unbiased opinions’. We are more likely to respond to ‘peer recommendation’ than traditional ads, meaning the fact we see an influencer as a ‘friend’ can make us less likely to be sceptical about what we are seeing.

So, the next time you see a celebrity talking about a product, you might want to consider that this could be a carefully crafted marketing strategy designed to target your core needs. If you find yourself perusing a product you’ve seen on social media, you may well have been influenced.

词汇表

social media 社交媒体
celebrity 名人
endorsement 名人代言，名人为某商品做广告
marketing 营销，推销
social media influencers 网络红人
hawk 兜售
brand awareness 品牌意识，品牌认知
engaging content 吸引人的内容
brand image 品牌形象
customer base 客户群
customer loyalty 客户忠诚度
demographic （顾客）族群
blog 写博客
bond 联系，纽带
buying habit 购买习惯
peer recommendation 朋友的推荐，熟人的推荐

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Why can social influencers make such engaging content?

2. What factors make ‘social influence’ so effective?

3. How long have 77% of customers been brand loyal?

4. How does seeing an influencer as a ‘friend’ affect our decision making when we see products they promote?

5. What should you consider the next time you see a celebrity talking about a product?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. That celebrity is always _______ something on the TV! 

hawk                             hawking                           hawks                        hawked

2. _______ is one of the ways influencers choose to promote products.             

Blogging                        Blog                                 Blogs                         Blogged

3. We have to make some _______ for social media.

engaging content           middleman                      hawk                          vendor

4. They have a bad reputation and need to work on their _______.

middleman                     hawk                               vendor                        brand image

5. All companies want a loyal _______.

customer base               blog                                 hawk                          social influence

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。  

1. Why can social influencers make such engaging content?
Because they have a strong understanding of how to use the platform they are working on.

2. What factors make ‘social influence’ so effective?
Human desire for status, making friends and belonging to a group.

3. How long have 77% of customers been brand loyal?
They have been loyal for more than ten years.

4. How does seeing an influencer as a ‘friend’ affect our decision making when we see products they promote?
It can make us less likely to be sceptical about adverts we are seeing.

5. What should you consider the next time you see a celebrity talking about a product?
Consider that this could be a carefully crafted marketing strategy designed to target our core needs for inclusivity.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. That celebrity is always hawking something on the TV!

2. Blogging is one of the ways influencers choose to promote products.

3. We have to make some engaging content for social media.

4. They have a bad reputation and need to work on their brand image.

5. All companies want a loyal customer base.