By Martha Bellet

In our technology-centric world, it has become increasingly important for brands to find influencers to promote their products or services. With the rise in social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, influencer marketing has gained significant traction. An influencer simply mentioning a product they use could prompt their followers to go purchase that product. Why is that? Influencer marketing targets our innate desires and our natural needs as humans to persuade us to buy certain products.

On the internet, it is hard to truly know someone in entirety. Instead we form perceptions based on what we see online. With that we gain a whole perception of a person simply from what we know. This phenomenon is called the Halo Effect – where if someone has one positive trait, that would “halo” over their personality making them seem admirable overall. For example, an attractive influencer may seem like an overall good person, even though we as viewers don’t know them on a personal level.

So, why does this occur? When we create our perceptions of people around us, we rely on what we know. Through a screen, the only thing we may know is physical appearance. If you are drawn to their appearance, you may be inclined to believe you like other things about them too. This creates a strong one-dimensional connection.

Another reason we like influencers so much is due to repetition bias, which is a psychology term used to explain that the more times we encounter something, the more likely we are to accept it. This can be related to influencer marketing because the more they post, the more we tend to like them due to the familiarity bias, when people prefer familiarity over new things. Essentially, the more an influencer posts, the more likely we are to want to support them and buy the products they are promoting. This causes a deeper connection with their audience.

We also like scrolling through our favorite influencers because we feel a sense of control over the information we consume. There is a difference between influencer marketing and typical marketing because we choose what we want to see, the message isn’t imposed on us. The sense of autonomy is empowering, making us want to seek out that sense of control more.

Psychological research proves that a fundamental need for humans is a sense of belonging – to be a part of something. Humans feel comfortable when this need is fulfilled which is why influencers hold so much power in a marketing strategy. Influencers tend to build a community and that, for consumers, can provide a sense of belonging and inclusion. For most consumers, this provides a feeling of security knowing that they share similar interests as other consumers. Additionally, knowing that they have a product that many of those in that community have further reinforces that sense of inclusion.

Recently, more and more influencers have embraced a trend of authenticity, which deepens their connections to their viewers. Whether it is showing imperfect sides of themselves, sharing their personality, or even just being relatable, this vulnerability helps followers feel closer to them, beyond the “perfect” persona we are usually shown on social media. This authenticity is imperative because viewers appreciate the authenticity of their favorite influencers.

Viewers also look up to influencers for guidance about what they should be doing or products and services they should be purchasing. Even if an influencer doesn’t outwardly make an advertisement for a product, people may still be curious as to what products or services they use. This curiosity is rooted in a concept called informational social influence, which simply means we trust people we believe are right. Influencers are positioned as experts in their field, and this leads to an authority bias, or a tendency to trust people we perceive to have power over us.

As a result, people have a strong desire to support their favorite influencer. Whether it’s liking, commenting, or even purchasing whatever they are recommending, we feel an innate desire to help those we respect. We also see these influencers as more than someone on our screen. We sometimes see them as friends, especially with the community they create online. This community sometimes can make viewers see a potential reciprocal connection, strengthening their loyalty to us.

Concluding Thoughts

Influencer marketing taps into many fundamental psychological concepts that make us trust the influencer to make us want to buy their product. The halo effect makes us believe they are an overall good person based on what we know about them. The familiarity and repetition bias make us like them even more based on the amount of times we see them on our feed. The informational social influence and the authority bias lead us to believe we can trust whatever we see, as long as we “trust” the person we are getting that information from. Beyond that, we feel a deep rooted connection with our favorite influencers which furthers this superficial bond. As influencer marketing gains traction in our culture, it is important to recognize their ability to tap into our innate desires and instincts.