The prominence of social media today has highlighted the importance of getting the right people talking about your brand in the right light. Many companies are trying to figure out how to harness the power of influencers within the social media space.
What exactly is influencer relations? I define influencer relations as the process of identifying and engaging with people who have the ability to influence others. Influencers could be loyal customers, bloggers who reach an audience relevant to your product, service or industry, referral sources or even editors of newspapers that hit your target audience. Regardless of where the come from, influencers all share a common trait, other people listen to what they have to say. In the online world, influencers are those people whose opinions on specific topics are respected and whose advice is taken. They are the go-to people for millions of people seeking advice.
Why do people listen to these people? Influencers have authority, expertise, credibility, reach or any combination of the above. Some people are seen as influential because their reach covers thousands of people. Others have a smaller reach but are outright thought leaders on more niche topics or industries. Some people work at interesting companies and, as such, what they say carries more weight than the average person. There are any number of combinations of traits that make people influential but what doesn’t change is that most people will sooner rely on other people for information than conducting their own research. Why? Because it’s easier to listen to someone who has expertise than to develop the expertise myself.
Where are these influencers? Influencers can be found in every facet of our lives, from radio, television, print and social media to vocal people at taxi ranks, dinner parties and in bank queues. There are influencers at work in every human network, online or offline.
How do they influence? People influence people: The more an individual is known, trusted and liked, the more the individual becomes influential. The massive reach the internet provides has helped people quickly build influence networks. It has also enabled ‘offline’ influencers to move their influence online.
Take for instance Josh Spear (@joshspear), a 26-year-old college dropout who is now regarded as one of the most influential marketing strategists in the world. He started blogging daily about things he liked, reviewing products, ideas, people or places that inspired him. People started following and engaging with his blog and created influence, and today a wide range of exceptional people from around the world respect and value his opinion. His different ways of thinking and different ways of expressing himself makes him powerful. He can take an idea, brand or concept that is not in the mainstream consciousness and bring it to mainstream consciousness. Now that’s the power of influence, isn’t it? (Josh will also be speaking at the upcoming Tech4Africa conference)
How do you find / get to know influencers? Influencers can be found in a variety of ways, from a Google search, through tools and news aggregators or by simply following them on the platforms or social networks where they engage on. (You have to find them before you follow them). True influencers will be easier to find as they rise to the surface of most online and offline networks.
How do you engage influencers? This can be done via social media platforms & communications, activation, conferences, product reviews, networking events.
You need to know who you talking to, have a solid understanding of their interests, what they like talking about, whether they are happy to be engaged with and, if yes, how they prefer to be engaged.
It's more than just a message: It’s about listening and engaging.
What are the benefits? Creating conversations, brand awareness, sales or creating ambassadors. The impact and reach of these influencers can be considerable for a brand's online reputation and, ultimately, sales.
One of the greatest things about social media and the internet is it allows us to connect with more influential people than ever before in a single environment.
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this is so true but what happen when an influencer becomes controversial? as a brand that has been associated with a this particular influencer, how do you move away from the preexisting ideas that people have? how do you influence those ideas or change them to work positively for your brand and get you your bottomline?
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