This is my four-hour workshop I gave at SXSW 2015.
The workbook that accompanies it will definitely help you make sense of this! Email me at tara.hunt@totem.tc to get a copy of the workbook. (the lead generation form isn't working here)
The 9th May Incident in Pakistan A Turning Point in History.pptx
Real Lessons in Working with Digital Influencers - SXSW 2015 Workshop
1. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Real Lessons in Working with Digital Influencers
2. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
• Interact a LOT. Ask tonnes of questions. Tell your own stories where
applicable. Push back. Share!
• Watch a LOT of Videos. We are mostly covering YouTube, but we can
explore other platforms as well. Show and tell!
• Absorb a LOT of information. My card is in your workbook. Feel free to
reach out to me afterwards if any of it was unclear.
• Have fun! I hope!
Today we will:
3. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
• WHY work with online influencers?
• WHO are these influencers and what have they done to build their
influence?
• WHERE do we find them?
• HOW do we make this work?
Schedule
4. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
work with digital influencers?
5. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
1. They are who the audience is
paying attention to.
2. They are who the audience
TRUSTS.
3. And yes, their audiences include
non-Millennials, too!
3 Reasons to Work with Digital Influencers:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/
12. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
– Marketing Magazine (UK) March 3, 2015
http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1335724/five-marketing-lessons-generation-youtube
!
YouTube celebrities work because their audience wants authentic perspective. "The danger
for the celebrity is that endorsements compromise their perceived objectivity, which is at
the root of what initially made them popular," he argues.
!
Continued reliance on pre-roll advertising and the slick commercialised 30-second spot
fails to tap into the authenticity and immediacy the medium demands. To truly capitalise
on this trend, brands should invest in creating their own content or partnering vloggers.
13. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
are some of these digital influencers?
14. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
A Few Areas of Influence
GAMING DIY UNBOXING SKETCH COMEDY
VLOGGING ANIMATION MAKEUP PRANKS
FASHION & STYLE HOME DECOR MUSIC COMEDY
AUTOMOTIVE FOOD & COOKING TECHNOLOGY NEWS
TRAVEL SPORTS PARENTING PETS
15. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
A Few Platforms You’ll Find Them On
TWITTER YOUTUBE VINE
SNAPCHAT INSTAGRAM BLOGS
FACEBOOK PINTEREST PODCASTS
17. GRACE HELBIG
2.1 million subscribers YouTube
900,000 followers Instagram
964,000 followers on Twitter
!
Vlogger/Comedian
!
Grace has been on YouTube since 2007, when she started her daily vlog. She is an
actor and comedian, who has leveraged her YouTube fame to get acting gigs. She’s
worked with brands like St. Ives.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/7484686814/
18. LOUIS COLE
1.2 million subscribers YouTube
864,000 followers Instagram
590,000 followers on Twitter
!
Travel/Adventure
Louis has been on YouTube since 2011, where he originally gained fame by eating awful things. In 2013, he switched gears to vlog
his travel adventures.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageski
19. GLOZELL GREEN
3.4 million subscribers YouTube
196,300 followers Vine
745,000 followers on Twitter
!
Comedy
Green started her YouTube channel in 2008 - mostly with song parodies and comedy sketches about her life. She interviewed
Barack Obama after the State of the Union address this year.
https://www.flickr.com/pho
20. BETHANY MOTA
8.4 million subscribers YouTube
4.4 million followers Instagram
2,390,000 followers on Twitter
!
Beauty/DIY/Fashion
Bethany started on YouTube in 2009 and since she rose to fame, she’s done a clothing line for Aeropostale, been the face of
CoverGirl, been on Dancing with the Stars, was a judge on Project Runway, and she also interviewed Obama post SOTU address.
She will be 20 this year.
https://www.flickr.com/phot
21. PEWDIEPIE
(real name: Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg)
35 million subscribers YouTube
5.46 million followers on Twitter
5.4 million followers on Facebook
!
Gamer
!
Felix created his channel in 2010 and was the first channel to
reach 15 million subscribers in 2013. He is known for his very
colourful commentary (ie cussing) on his gaming videos. He’s
moved into more vlogging and comedy as well as gaming. He’s
worked with a few brands (like Mountain Dew), but mostly
works on his own. It’s estimated he makes $4-6 million in ad
sales alone per year.
22. RYAN HIGA
13.9 million subscribers YouTube
1.6 million likes on Facebook
1.58 million followers on Twitter
!
Comedy
Ryan has been on YouTube from very early days. His channel started in 2006. His channel was the first one to reach 3 million
subscribers in 2010.
23. MKBHD
(name: Marques Brownlee)
2.2 million subscribers YouTube
174,000 followers on Instagram
324,000 followers on Twitter
!
Technology
!
Marques started uploading videos in 2009. He is the most
subscribed to in tech-based YouTube channels.
24. MELISSA MAKER
(channel: CLEANMYSPACE)
245,000 subscribers YouTube
6,433 followers on Instagram
3,683 followers on Twitter
!
Home Care
!
Melissa started doing how-to cleaning videos in 2011
and is a great example of finding a passionate niche
and really rocking it. Though her subscriber numbers
aren’t super high (compared to the biggies already
listed), she’s received over 20million views on her
videos.
25. MANJULA JAIN
222,300 subscribers YouTube
442 followers on Twitter
745,400 followers on Facebook
!
Indian Cooking
!
Manjula was an early adopter in 2008. She isn’t the ‘typical’
YouTube creator - she has grandkids! Once again, a great
example of a channel built on passion and persistence that has
done well over the years. These more ‘niche’ channels
(Manjula’s videos have been viewed over 92 million times) are
important to pay attention to. There are more opportunities
here than battling for the big guys.
27. NASH GRIER
11.2 million followers Vine
4.3 million followers on Twitter
4.1 million followers on YouTube
!
Comedy Sketches
!
Nash shot to stardom on Vine in 2013, but has faced all sorts
of controversy around his use of homophobic and sexist slurs
in Vines. In 2014, Aeropostale, who had partnered with Grier,
got all sorts of pressure from teens to drop him.
28. EHBEE FAMILY
1.4 million followers Vine
35,000 followers on YouTube
30,000 avg views Snapchat
!
Comedy Sketches
!
Great family humour that grew on Vine since 2013. They’ve worked with Disney,
Dignity Health, Regal Cinemas, Nordstrom and Toyota.
29. US THE DUO
4.5 million followers Vine
396,000 followers on Instagram
149,000 followers on Twitter
!
Music
!
A lovely couple with a wonderful story. They’ve been together for three years and became famous on Vine after their
#6secondcovers went viral. They’ve now gotten married and released an album.
30. AMYMARIE GAERTNER
3.6 million followers Vine
274,700 subscribers on YouTube
81,000 followers on Twitter
699,000 followers on Instagram
!
Dance
!
Amymarie is a self-taught dancer and choreographer who shot to
fame with Vine in 2014. She also posts adorable Vines of her dog,
Ginger.
32. CASEY NEISTAT
506,000 Subscribers on YouTube
76,500 followers on Twitter
228,000 followers on Instagram
!
Filmmaker/Activist
!
Casey has been very omni-channel over the years. He first gained
fame in 2003 with a film called ‘iPod’s Dirty Little Secret’, then with
a popular video on the New York Bike lanes in 2011. He’s done
videos with Nike (Make It Count), Mercedes-Benz and J.Crew. He is
prolific on Snapchat now.
33. DASHA BATTELLE
!
Artist
!
Dasha creates what she calls ‘SnapArt’, drawing pictures with her finger and the rudimentary Snapchat tools. She works for
Mashable on the visual storytelling team.
34. JEROME JARRE
8.1 million followers on Vine
1.15 million followers on Twitter
913,000 subscribers on YouTube
!
Pranks/Comedy/Inspiration
It’s hard to classify Jerome. He’s prolific on Vine and on Snapchat…as well as YouTube. His message is about fun and positivity
and he recently did a prank where he turned down a million dollar brand deal (brand unnamed). He’s now raising money to
support other creators in their endeavours. He is thought to be the first Snapchat celebrity.
35. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Power Influencers
Influencers
Social Enthusiasts
Fans
Big audience with lots of clout. Celebrity status. Depending on the network, could be
>100k or >1M engaged followers. Creating content is their full-time job.
Great, engaged audience. Most likely has closer relationships with followers
(answers tweets and comments). They may still have a day job. These are
great people to get to know before they get really big!
They follow lots of influencers and interact on a regular basis. They
are looking to become Influencers one day. Don’t ignore these ones…
you never know who follows back or how they will grow their own
audiences over time!
The bulk of people on social networks just want to interact with
their friends, but they still really love it when a brand they love
interacts with them.
38. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
The Theory of Emotional Arousal
Adapted from Jonah Berger’s studies in Contagious: Why Things Catch On
Emotional arousal is a state of heightened physiological activity.
High-arousal emotions include joy, anger, fear, surprise, awe and
distress. Positive high-arousal emotions incite us to share.
39. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
High Arousal vs Low Arousal
HIGH AROUSAL LOW AROUSAL
+
Awe, Joy, Love, Excitement,
Humor, Hope, Giddiness,
Inspiration, Surprise
(happy), Obsession
Contentment,
Relaxation, Calmness,
Satisfaction
-
Fear, Distress, Anger,
Anxiety, Disgust,
Tension, Frustration,
Alarm, Annoyance
Depression, Sadness,
Loss, Pity, Boredom,
Gloom
!
Though sad moments are shared by Digital Influencers, the moments are shared to give hope and inspiration to their audience.
Though sharing their sexual orientation was emotional for the twins, the outcome was incredibly positive.
41. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Mimetic Desire (theory by René Girard)
“The theory of mimetic desire says that we do not desire things
directly for ourselves in a linear fashion, but rather we desire
objects because someone else desires that object.”
42. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
How Mimetic Desire Works
I’m just like you…I was bullied and
lost. I’m silly and imperfect! Now
look at where I am! You can do it,
too!
OMG! We love you, Bethany! You are so
inspirational! We want to be JUST like you! We
want to dress like you, eat like you…BE you!
!
Because Bethany and her
kin are just ‘normal’ kids
that followed their
passions - exposing
warts and all - other
‘normal’ kids see
themselves reflected and
are motivated to follow
the same path.
43. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Even Traditional Celebrities Are Doing It
!
Traditionally, celebrities had a polished,
perfect image. The growth of democratized
media has shifted the desire for the audience.
Now we want to see imperfection. It is in a
moment of human frailty that we see ourselves
and feel that we have something in common.
44. They put their audience first.
“empowerment & sense of community”
http://www.fastcompany.com/3033832/the-art-of-
45. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
— Marvin Weisbord, author of Productive Workplaces: Organizing and Managing for Dignity, Meaning and
Community
How to build a community:
!
“People support what they help to create.”
46. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
!
Start small. Content creators don’t need tons of money or fancy equipment to develop big
viewership. They need to cultivate a connection and then build from there. It’s as though
successful YouTube content creators have intuitively – or perhaps out of necessity – built their
brands and businesses on the premise that you need to lead with a minimum viable product and
the development of your community of customers, culled from the audience you attract, to have
a better chance of being sustainable.
— Rock on Ink Magazine
48. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Finding the right influencer is crucial to the
success of your campaign. There are a few
tools available and a process to help you pick
the right one. Here are the steps:
1. Define your goals
2. Figure out your audience
3. Research the space
4. Narrow the options
5. Reach out
Finding the Right Influencer
https://www.flickr.com/pho
49. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Are you trying to:
build awareness?
seem popular?
seed high profile reviews?
build relationships?
sell a product or a service?
other? or all of the above?
Defining Your Campaign Goals
51. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
ADVOCACYRETENTIONEXPERIENCEPURCHASECONSIDER
Audience Awareness Stages
AWARE RESEARCH
This is where influencer marketing is AWESOME. You should use other tactics here.
52. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Best Way to Set Up Your Program?
manually
53. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
WHY Manual Setup?
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
You own the relationships It takes a lot of time
You understand the community (both the
customer + influencer)
—
It saves you money —
You get the jump on emerging influencers —
You could learn some tricks of the trade —
It’s hella fun —
55. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Figure Out Your Audience
To understand who influences them, you need to know more
about your audience:
!
Who are they? (demographics)
!
Where do they hang out online? (online behaviour)
!
What are their interests? (psychographics)
56. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Figure Out Your Audience
HINT: If you don’t already have data about your audience, take a
look at data on your competition or proxies. You won’t want to
copy them, but you can learn from them.
60. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Getting To Know the Space
Now that you are committed to spending lots of your free time on
social media, following who your audience follows, you’ll
discover:
!
The rules of engagement
!
The insider language
!
The tropes
61. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
The Rules of Engagement
“You are the bomb.”
“I’m hanging with you.”
“I’ve checked you out.”
“I recognize you.”
“I’ve seen you around.”
AWARE INTERESTED INTERACTED ENGAGED TIGHT
start here
and ONLY here
62. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: The Makeup Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFMaLuI1uxc
!
Pretty self-explanatory,
Makeup Tutorials are
step-by-step how-to’s on
creating a look. Kandee
Johnson, Michelle Phan,
Tamang Phan and
Carli Bybel are some of
the biggest in this
category.
63. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: The Haul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtpFYJNue9E
!
Hauls are video blogs that
document what the
YouTuber just purchased.
Originally brushed off as
‘stupid and shallow’ by
critics, haul vloggers
have grown to have some
of the largest, most
dedicated audiences on
YT.
64. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: The Tag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us_E-QyQEp0
!
Tags are powerful
because they spread
through the community
(they also exist on
Instagram as photo
challenges). It’s ‘tag’ as
in tag, you’re it!
!
There are 361,000+ TMI
Tag videos
65. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: The Challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nT_pX0cGV0
!
Challenges are like Tags, but
they are usually more
physical in nature (and
participated in by the male
creators more).
!
There are 503,000 results for
Cinnamon Challenge on
YouTube. Glozell’s is the
most popular with 43million
views!
66. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: DIY’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cttmSGew-EA
!
DIY’s are how-to videos on
recreating stuff you would
normally buy in the store,
but are simple enough to do
yourself. Of course, they are
also how-to’s, but I always
think that DIY’s are the
simpler brethren of How-
To’s.
!
Rarely do I see anyone build
something insurmountable
(like a house).
67. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: Pranking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t0EtKlQxyo
!
Prank channels are very
popular on YouTube. Pranks
range from simple to very
elaborate (like this one or
like the Just For Laughs
Gags pranks). The audience
really loves being in on the
joke and watching the poor
victims of the prank being
tricked.
68. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: Unboxing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoc8d0gcf08
!
Unboxing videos are
incredibly popular. Started
with the tech set, it’s now
the toddler crowd that’s
gotten involved. Sometimes
called ‘toddler crack’, the
toy unboxing channels are
some of the most subscribed
to channels and have led to
YouTube creating children’s
tools that access only these
channels.
69. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: Lists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY7fz_9kStQ
!
Before Buzzfeed video,
there were many, many
list YouTubers.
!
Lists are usually in
numbers (10 things you
didn’t know about blah)
and are both entertaining
and informative.
70. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: How It Works
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV--EABqhiY
!
How it works is not only
informative, but it’s very
entertaining and is highly
searchable on YouTube.
!
These videos are mostly
scientific, but are
sometimes just
explorations in social
behaviour.
71. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: Play With Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ99CVsQI88
!
Minecraft is one of the
biggest gaming communities
on YouTube, but there are
many gamers that post
entire games or sections of
their games and get
hundreds of thousands of
views.
!
Why? Well, why do we
watch sports? Video games
are the new pro sport for the
next generation.
72. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
TROPES: Draw My Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqfSdF6M-g4
!
This Tag cut across all
communities and genres on
YouTube and nearly every
YouTube celebrity has made
one. They are wonderful
ways to learn more about
the YouTubers we follow.
!
They are made by telling
their life stories (highlights,
of course - with serious
issues) and drawing out the
story.
73. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Narrow the Options
By the time you get here, you will probably know enough
influencers, but just in case, there are some tools you can use
to:
!
Find the right influencers
!
Set up influencer campaigns
!
Figure out if you are on the right path
86. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
The Creative Process
The Influencer knows his/her own
audience the best.
Give him/her the creative brief + be clear
about the campaign goals and then let
him/her bring you back a proposal.
87. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Being Clear With Your Goals
CLEAR/REASONABLE GOALS UNCLEAR/UNREASONABLE GOALS
Give away # of products. 500,000 giveaway entries.
Show how to use the product in an
image.
100,000 hashtags.
Produce a video that integrates the
benefits of the product.
250,000 views.
Maximize impressions of product
review across social networks.
3 million impressions.
88. | @missrogue | Tara Hunt | TOTEM.TC |
Measuring Success
As aligned to where Influencer campaigns move the needle:
1. increase awareness (mentions, impressions, reach)
2. create more authentic positive reviews (number of reviews on review
sites, unbiased videos/posts results in a search)
3. positive feedback on your product/brand (thumbs up, shares, positive
comments)