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Influencers have very quickly realized that popularity is considered extremely valuable to brands and PR agencies when they’re choosing who to work with. Due to this popularity-based system, some influencers have taken unethical measures to get their follower counts up.
The act of buying fake followers is making it even harder for brands and PRs to suss out real popularity. What’s more, if you’re simply using a popularity-based system to find the best bloggers for your campaigns, you’re missing a big piece of the puzzle.
Popularity does not necessarily equate to influence. It really just depends on the brand and the influencer at hand.
So, if straight up follower counts aren’t the most accurate judge of influence, what really is?Ahead I’m offering four tips to suss out the right influencers for any brand campaign....
Which is more influential, the message or the messenger? Salespeople have long understood that the likelihood of a proposal being accepted is largely dependent on factors such as the relationship between the salesperson and the buyer. This is such a universal truth that many sales executives refuse to respond to open Request for Proposals if they don’t have prior knowledge of the proposal or a pre-existing relationship with the buyer.
What’s a business to do when it knows it has the better solution or offering but lacks a solid relationship with the buyer(s)? The answer lies in becoming a trusted authority whose works and persona are followed by the target buyers over a period of time. When new business opportunities arise, these authorities are often asked to be included in the bidding process. When proposals are received by those whom buyers follow for trusted business information, they’re more likely to be given added credibility....
In the past week, I’ve felt the power of the influence shifting in the social business marketplace. It seems that most brands have figured out that it’s more authentic, genuine, and real to partner with an influencer than to run more social media advertising. I’ve literally had 4 different brands reach out to partner on Twitter & Instagram with content, and they want me to feel rewarded for sharing their awesome content.
It’s a new strategy to really deliver to the social media audiences based on the niche of the influencer. Also a term you might start to hear more is “micro-celebrity”, these are folks that have a following that is smaller than 100K on any platform. We all want to partner with Taylor Swift but to keep it real, not many brands can afford the endorsement with such a superstar. So the alternative is to work with 5-10 micro-celebrities that are all focused in a niche that serve your CUSTOMERS!..
Content marketing is a great medium to win influencers’ hearts and, being a great content marketing tool, Slideshare can also be used for that purpose: Reaching out to industry experts and establishing relationships with niche influencers.
Here are three notable tactics to use Slideshare for relationship-building.
Today, if you’re in marketing to any extent, you’ll know about influencers and, more importantly, about influence marketing.
What makes a great influencer? Influencers are humans, clearly, not automated content management systems. They are mega-connected on social media (aka they have earned the trust of many other humans to deliver on what they promise) and they have the unique ability to inspire action. The good influencers out there have great knowledge in a particular field, know how to curate that knowledge, add their unique vision and value, and they know how to communicate with their audiences.
If I am a brand, I totally love that potential, that opportunity, that has only been created in the last few years. How can my brand become part of an influencer’s curated content (and in a positive light, hopefully!)....
In this episode I interview conversion expert Doug Karr, the author of Corporate Blogging for Dummies and founder of the Marketing Technology blog. Doug also co-hosts the Edge of the Web podcast.
Doug will explore influencer marketing and how to work with prominent people.
You’ll discover how to identify and reach out to influencers, as well as develop relationships and campaigns that lead to sales....
Their associations like the National Association of Manufacturers, Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the Business Roundtable began by increasing their member ship and member donations. In 1975 only 175 corporations had lobbyists, but by 1982 nearly 2500 companies did.
Political Action Committees (PACS) increased from 300 in 1976 to 12000 in 1985. The mobilization of big business resources had begun, which would ultimately affect taxes, regulations, the wealthy and the middle class. By 2011 they had 12,929 lobbyists dispensing $3.5 billion per year on lobbying.
This story will explain how big business used government to get 4 major tax reductions, modifying or terminating New Deal laws, to create new laws that favored the big banks and the wealthy, to change or rewrite labor laws that would help them bust unions, to negotiate trade agreements that favored the multi-national corporations over labor, and to pressure the government to ignore the trade deficit and foreign currency manipulation. Their lobbying successes resulted in a huge shift of wealth away from the middle class....
But Opinion Elites aren’t just using social media to learn about companies for themselves. According to the study, 54% of Opinion Elites globally said they increasingly hear of what’s going on with companies through social media, and an additional 35% said they shared information about a company with others through social media or email in the past year.
Their efforts to influence others span both the real and virtual worlds – 37% said they proactively tried to influence their friends’ and family’s perceptions about a company because of something they learned about how it conducts itself. So, it’s clear that Opinion Elites are in a strong position to amplify… or not…. a company’s reputational story...
Do you want to be seen as a social media leader in your industry? Is content marketing part of your strategy?
Providing valuable content to your audience can help you stand out on social channels. In this article I’ll show you six ways to raise your social media influence with content....
With 74% of customers using social media to inform their purchasing decisions, getting trusted people with the right audiences to positively gush about your brand can bring you a real competitive advantage.
Gettting the public approval of influencers can increase your leads, improve brand awareness, and skyrocket your credibility. But none of that happens if you can’t get those influencers talking about your brand and its products. Here’s how you can influence the influencers using only their trusty social media profiles...
The crux of the matter is this: while everyone’s capable of making ripples, an elite few actually have the power to make waves. They’re influential. Readers care what they think, are more prone to buy into their points of view and act on them.
These influential types, which we conveniently call “influencers,” serve as a proxy to the online universe. They amplify the messages they choose to. They point the way. They help the common man focus his limited time and resources on the most powerful channels and conversations.Let’s cut to the kill. They sway purchasing decisions...
Dr. Jim Barry of the Edu-Tainment Social Content Marketing blog has put together a list of the top social media influencers (with yours truly on it!).
The good Doctor has written up a fascinating, detailed post on the 4 archetypes of these influencers, describing the traits and types of influence they have in the industry, including: Educators – provide help and insight Coaches – engage and assist (you’ll find me here!) Entertainers – engage and inspire Charismatics – provide insight and inspiration...
Want sway? Who doesn’t?
We all want to be influential.
So our conversations often become about influencer marketing—you know, the fine art of getting big kahunas in your camp. To achieve greater reach and resonance (ooh, fancy marketing words), you try to win over the people who already have it. And it can be amazingly effective.
I’ve found a fair share of articles and eBooks on influencer marketing, which cover the basics, but haven’t seen many practical and powerful “go get it done” lists. Consequently, I created one....
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In a recent study, nearly 60% of marketers stated that they are planning to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2015.
Variety magazine found that six out of ten teens are more likely to believe and buy from YouTube stars than movie stars.
And, earlier this year, a survey from digital agency Burst Media found that influencer campaigns are a good deal for brands, earning $6.85 in earned media value for every $1.00 of paid media.Influencer marketing is now a vital brand strategy for building credibility and boosting sales.
But what is an influencer, anyway?...
In my first post, I summarized the shift currently taking place in corporate communications. We’re now ready to delve more deeply into the digital communications landscape, starting with the rise of the influencer. In today’s world, setting a solid influencer strategy means that we need to understand….
We’ve said it before: 90% of the world’s data has been generated in the past 2 years, and content marketing is approaching mass adoption. How can you break through the noise and get your message to the right people at the right time?
Many marketers are turning to influencers for content marketing amplification – in fact, a recent poll of 125 marketers shows 59% plan to increase their influencer marketing budget over the next 12 months. This means more marketing departments are devoting time and resources to creating authentic relationships with the people who matter most to their business – influencers who shape the industry as trusted resources....
One way to keep your content moving is to share relevant posts from influencers in your line of business. Any piece of content coming from an authority on your subject will surely be taken seriously by your followers. The cherry on the cake is when one of your own articles or Social Media posts gets shared by an influencer, as it gets in front of many more eyes immediately.
Once this happens, do you know what’s the best way to take it from there? Your response to the influencer’s attention can make it or break it....
In this episode I interview Jason Miller, the senior manager of content and social at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. He’s the author of Welcome to the Funnel: Proven Tactics to Turn Your Social and Content Marketing Up to 11. Jason is also an excellent photographer specializing in rock bands.
Jason focuses on creating sharable content that also generates leads.
You’ll discover how content ties into influencer relationships and how to leverage it....
Consumers trust recommendations from other consumers far more than they do branded content. With that in mind, businesses are jumping in head first. Unfortunately, the process can get out of hand pretty quick, but here’s the good news: As businesses start to see the importance of working with bloggers, more tools are becoming available to empower marketers to run seriously smart campaigns.
From finding the right bloggers to managing outreach to tracking campaigns, here are some of the best tools to manage blogger campaigns from start to finish....
...But here’s the thing: With the right tools, time and a hint of talent, creating the perception of being an influencer is possible by just about anyone. Focusing on the signals that commonly lead to the perception of authority, individuals can work on developing their personal brand and popularity far above their expertise and ability to affect action.
Perception vs. reality. Now I’m not saying that everyone who has cultivated a strong personal brand is superficially popular or influential. I’m saying that it’s easy to create the perception of influence through personal brand and companies should take that into account when creating their influencer programs....
Key influencers on social media can highly increase your reach on those networks but they can also have a very positive effect on off-the-page SEO. Identifying your key influencers and making sure that they share your content is one of the most overlooked SEO techniques in marketing.
Building up an influencer marketing program inside your company can have very straightforward benefits such as lead generation or sales, but don’t overlook the “small” (but extremely important) benefits like the increase of social shares and the continuous improvement of your website’s SEO. Remember most website traffic is still generated via organic search in most industries....
It’s surprising how many businesses I talk to which aren’t familiar with the concept of blogger outreach.Although blogger outreach has been around for a number of years, there is still quite a bit of novelty in it (great time to be a blogger outreach software).If you’re in need of brushing up, here’s some must read articles!..
What is the source of my influence? I create content, yes. I engage consistently, of course. But at the end of the day it gets down to trust, right?
That’s why the emerging Citizen Influencers have to be very judicious in their relationships with brands. Likewise, brands have to be discerning about their expectations from influencers.
If brands become too exposed with too many bloggers, both parties will suffer. If the credibility of the blogger declines, the effectiveness of their advocacy is doomed.
“No” is a legitimate strategy
That’s why I am saying “no” to most opportunities right now. I have to be incredibly selective. First, it has to be a company I truly, authentically believe in and second, I have to limit how much I do because if this blog ever becomes filled with spammy sponsored posts or suspicious brand advocacy, you’re going to go away. And you should....
Do you want to be a sought-after resource in your niche?
Do you need tips on how to become a Twitter influencer?
To be a leader on Twitter, it’s important to understand the dynamics of Twitter conversations and the role of influencers.
In this article I’ll show you the two most important types of Twitter influencers and how you can become one....
LinkedIn has more than 313 million members worldwide. With such a thriving community of business professionals, there’s no question you’ll be able to find the person you need to enhance your business while using the platform. It has grown to become one of the most useful places to find leads, learn about other companies, and discuss ideas in the working world. You can create content using LinkedIn Publisher, follow industry leaders using Pulse, and even join relevant LinkedIn Groups to connect with other like-minded individuals.There’s honestly so much to LinkedIn (we haven’t even scratched the surface in ourprevious posts) that it’s common that new users to the platform have trouble getting started. Once you create your profile and import your current contacts, what’s next?...
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Practical ways to ID real influencers.