Social Media Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Tapping into the Positional Influencers

Finally, there are the positional influencers. These are the people who are closest to your customers and influence them the most at the point of purchase. Because they are the people who have to live with the purchasing decision, they are the most vested in it too. But they’re not celebrities, so they’re not always noticeable and can be the hardest to find. They’re important, but marketing to them can be similarly difficult.

What makes tapping into the positional influencers harder still is the fact that how big a role they play in a purchasing decision varies dramatically by the purchase. For example, if you were to buy a desk for your home, your spouse or significant other (arguably the most important positional influencer in your life) would have a huge impact on the purchasing decision. Their opinion would heavily influence where you shop and what you choose. On the other hand, if you were purchasing a laptop for professional use, they would play a much smaller role in the purchasing decision. This is because the choice doesn’t impact them significantly and the product isn’t of interest to them even though it’s a high-consideration purchase.

Without a doubt, positional influencers are important. Identifying them can be challenging, as can developing an understanding of the weight they may carry.

Sometimes it may be hard to separate the ...