Become the Influencers of Choice

A number of brands seek to place their products and services in front of recognized influencers with lots of followers - Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Kanye West come to mind. Influencer marketing is a huge business with more than 73 percent of luxury fashion and beauty brands actively participating, according to a report from Fashion and Beauty Monitor entitled, The New Face of Luxury.

Macy's is taking a different approach to its influencer marketing efforts. Instead of relying on celebrities, Macy's is turning inward, recruiting its team members and personal stylists as brand ambassadors. Team members from across the continent can apply to become a member of Macy's Style Crew program. If accepted, they are expected to share promotional posts on their personal social media platforms. Currently more than 300 team members produce and post, with Macy's assistance, video clips of products on the video platform Tongal. One video, reports Glossy, features an employee conducting a bar-tending tutorial that contains links to glassware and cocktail accessories available at Macys.com. Another video shows a Macy's associate hiking with links to the athletic apparel that the hiker is wearing.

Macy's is not alone in leveraging its employees to become influencers and drive more consumer traffic to their ecommerce and brick-and-mortar offerings. Kate Spade and Everlane also are relying on employees to be brand ambassadors on social media sites. Macy's rewards members of its Style Crew program based on sales volume as opposed to the number of posts. Macy's is leveraging the people who know the brand the best, who can speak with Macy's authority and voice. Tongal reports that one associate sold $15,000 worth of handbags in a week.

Lessons for kitchen and bath showrooms: Why not leverage your team members to become your social media brand ambassadors? Work with manufacturers to produce video content that illustrates how their social media peers will benefit from renovating their kitchens and baths, or replacing dated and lower quality fixtures.