Is Influencer Marketing Outdated? Discover Two Powerful Strategies to Boost Your Brand Presence

Have you ever been scrolling through Instagram and come across a post from an influencer you follow, only to think, “Another sponsored post?” You might double-tap out of habit and scroll right past it. Sometimes, you’re only paying attention to their face — how pretty or good-looking they are — and not the product they’re promoting.

Promo codes, referral links… none of that is why we followed them in the first place.

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Influencer Marketing: Still Effective?

In the past, many brands loved spending large budgets on influencer endorsements, whether it was collaborating with Instagram personalities, sponsoring YouTube content, or producing custom promotional videos. These used to be considered cutting-edge marketing tactics.

But as the number of influencers has exploded, it’s starting to feel like inflation in the KOL world. In 2022 and beyond, can this still be considered a cost-effective strategy?

Fake followers, fake livestream viewers, fake likes — these tactics have become almost standard in the influencer industry. Even top celebrities have been caught inflating their numbers to negotiate better sponsorship deals. But let’s be honest — when you pay for ad space, are you hoping it reaches bots and inactive accounts?

What’s worse, influencer campaigns often scream “sponsored content,” and audiences can sense that right away. Most people just scroll past it, or worse, begin forming negative impressions of the brand due to the constant ad fatigue. Consumers rarely believe the influencer is a genuine user of the product, so at best, these campaigns boost visibility, but rarely generate real engagement or conversions.

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Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Let’s now introduce the core of our approach: word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM).

This is quickly becoming the next major trend in marketing. Word-of-mouth happens either when a consumer actively searches for answers and finds your product, or when your product is subtly introduced through a memorable story that creates a powerful emotional association with your brand — all without being recognized as an ad.

WOMM is all about consumer-to-consumer recommendations.

According to the latest Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising report:

88% of consumers trust online reviews written by others — the same level of trust they place in recommendations from family and friends.
74% of consumers list word-of-mouth as a key factor in their purchase decisions.
92% of consumers trust personal recommendations more than brand-created advertising.

The Power of Word of Mouth Marketing

Here are the two major types of WOMM strategies we use:

1. Forum-Based Storytelling

We publish articles across major online forums and proactively engage with replies and comments to generate buzz and discussion among consumers. Positive feedback from users helps drive herd behavior, encouraging others to also believe the brand is good.

In some cases, we’ve even created demand surges and “selling out” effects through well-crafted stories and reply threads.

For example, by including multiple comments from users claiming to have bought the product and sharing positive experiences, we attract more readers who, influenced by peer feedback, rush to buy as well.

Our forum-based campaigns have repeatedly topped the Dcard national trending list, and we’ve reached the #1 spot in many of its sub-forums.

Our word-of-mouth articles have been reposted in online news over hundreds of times, generating tens of millions of views — even media outlets in Hong Kong and Macau have reported on them.

2. Review-Based Strategy

Most people research reviews before buying a product. If they find mostly negative feedback, consumers will hesitate — and just a few bad online articles could cost your business millions in lost sales.

But with just a modest budget, we can address your online review problems.

If you’re a new brand, we recommend:

Publishing widespread positive reviews
Creating unboxing and trial content

This not only builds a positive brand image but also increases visibility.

If your brand already exists, and online feedback is mixed, we suggest pairing it with SEO strategies to promote several high-quality positive articles, working to push them to the top of Google search results.

If your brand suffers from mainly negative sentiment, we recommend a neutralization strategy:

Don’t rush to post obviously biased positive content.
Instead, respond with a neutral tone, as if from a genuine user, to gradually calm the negativity.
Over time, this builds a more favorable brand impression.

If your brand is facing a PR crisis, this approach works too. Rather than confronting angry users directly, we suggest speaking from their perspective, and breaking down their arguments logically. This can inspire other netizens to join the conversation in your favor.

This strategy leads to natural bandwagon effects, and soon the power of online conversation works for your brand, not against it.

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Is Influencer Marketing Outdated? Discover Two Powerful Strategies to Boost Your Brand Presence

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