HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WHO INFLUENCE PEOPLE

“SO, WHAT’S AN INFLUENCER?”

Put simply, influencers are any group or individual that can potentially affect the purchase decisions of your target personas, by driving brand awareness, encouraging consideration, or validating decision making.

WE MEASURE INFLUENCE BASED ON 4 KEY FACTORS:

AUDIENCE

VISIBILITY

ENGAGEMENT

RELEVANCE

INFLUENCE

“...AND WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THEM?”

“Influentials typically generate three times more word-of-mouth messages than non-influentials do, and each message has four times more impact on a recipient’s purchasing decision.”

Source: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/a_new_way_to_measure_word-of-mouth_marketing

84%

In a 2013 Nielsen survey on trust in advertising,

Source: http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2013%20Reports/Nielsen-Global-Trust-in-Advertising-Report-September-2013.pdf

of global consumers said they trusted recommendations from people they know, making them the highest rated form of advertising.

INFLUENCERS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO FAST-TRACK PROSPECTS INTO YOUR SALES FUNNEL

A successful influencer strategy allows you to shape the conversations happening around your brand, products and industry, ensuring the right people are saying the right things.

INFLUENCER ENGAGEMENT CAN HELP TO DRIVE:

Word of mouth and brand awareness

Social proof and endorsements

Brand trust, reputation and authority

“SOLD! SO HOW DO WE GET THESE INFLUENCERS ON BOARD?”

Working with influencers centres on nurturing genuine, reciprocal relationships.

WE HAVE A SIMPLE, 5-STEP PROCESS TO NURTURE INFLUENCERS

IDENTIFY ENGAGEINITIATE CREATE NURTURE

STEP 1: IDENTIFY

STEP 1: IDENTIFY

Influencer identification starts with finding individuals who are the right fit for your brand and your industry

There are a range of free tools you can use as a starting point to discover influencers in your industry

STEP 1: IDENTIFY

STEP 1: IDENTIFY

ManageFlitter

Followerwonk

Klear

Keyhole

BuzzSumo

LinkedIn discussion groups

You can also use the advanced search features on LinkedIn and Twitter to find highly targeted results.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY

Think about the following search terms:

∙ Key industry topics and terms ∙ Your brand name ∙ Your products and services ∙ Competitor brands and products ∙ Industry media and publications ∙ Job titles and roles ∙ Location

STEP 1: IDENTIFY

STEP 2: INITIATE

STEP 2: INITIATE

Once you’ve narrowed your hit list to a targeted selection of influencers, spend some time getting to know them.

(This is a really important part of the process that marketers often forget about, but it could make or break your relationship)

Great conversations are built on listening to what the other person is saying, and the same goes for influencer relationships

STEP 2: INITIATE

Follow their social profiles, read their blogs, look at what content they are sharing

STEP 2: INITIATE

Use this information to build influencer profiles, in the same way that you would build persona profiles

STEP 2: INITIATE

STEP 2: INITIATE

What are their business pains?

Where do they stand on key

industry issues?

What media or publications are

they interested in?

STEP 3: ENGAGE

STEP 3: ENGAGE

An influencer who is unaware of, uneducated on, or uninterested in your brand is not an asset.

The next stage of the process is about introducing yourself, and your brand, to your target influencers

STEP 3: ENGAGE

Establish a dialogue with them by engaging with their content, reaching out to them via social channels, or featuring them in your own content

STEP 3: ENGAGE

TOP TIP: BE GENUINE!Speak to influencers as a person, not as a business

STEP 3: ENGAGE

Find some common ground, and use that as a conversation starter

STEP 3: ENGAGE

STEP 4: CREATE

STEP 4: CREATE

So, you’ve found your influencers, you know a bit about them, and you’ve started to engage them.

The next step is to develop opportunities to partner with your influencers, creating content, campaigns and activity.

STEP 4: CREATE

STEP 4: CREATE

When working with influencers, there are two factors to consider

1: the value to your audience

2: the value to their audience

Your activity should not only meet your business objectives; it must also consider the needs of the influencer

STEP 4: CREATE

It should contribute to the development of their individual profiles and address the needs of their audience by providing them with valuable content.

STEP 4: CREATE

STEP 4: CREATE

Ask yourself the following questions

Relevance - does it speak to their business pains?????

Exclusivity - does it provide insight that is unavailable elsewhere?

Quality - does it provide information in an entertaining way?

Authority - does it provide an expert viewpoint, backed by research and experience?

STEP 5: NURTURE

An influencer could be for life, not just for a campaign - don’t just drop them once you’ve got what you wanted

STEP 5: NURTURE

Build and develop your relationships by repeating the Engage - Create - Nurture cycle

STEP 5: NURTURE

Over time, and with a bit of effort, you can turn influencers into genuine brand advocates

STEP 5: NURTURE

REMEMBER:Identify - Invest time finding the right influencers for your brand

Create - Consider the needs of your influencer as well as your brand

Engage - Open a dialogue by engaging with influencers online

Initiate - Get to know your influencers and build persona profiles

Nurture - Continue to build influencer relationships beyond the campaign

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