Learn how to identify and activate your social media influencers and advocates in this session hosted by Eileen Bernardo of Viralheat and Chris Newton of Influitive.
Enhancing Consumer Trust Through Strategic Content Marketing
Identifying and Activating Social Media Influencers in 7 Simple Steps
1. 1
IDENTIFYING AND ACTIVATING
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS IN
7 SIMPLE STEPS
2. 2
TODAY’S PANELISTS
Chris Newton
VP of Business Development
@csnew10
Eileen Bernardo
Marcom Manager/Social Strategist
@eileenrene
eileen@viralheat.com
3. 3
HOUSEKEEPING
• Q&A panel on your right
• Recording for those who couldn’t make it
• All attendees will receive slides
• Twitter hashtags #advocatemktg #influencers
4. 4
WHAT WE’LL COVER
• Why social media influencers matter
• How to identify social media influencers
• How to activate influencers as brand advocates
• Best practices to keeping advocates engaged
5. 5
WHY SOCIAL MEDIA MATTERS
Percent of
74% of people rely on social networks
to guide a purchase decision
Column1
75% say info found on social
channels influences shopping
behavior & enhances brand loyalty
6. 6
IT’S ALL ABOUT TRUST
%
of people trust
brand messaging on
social networks
%
of people trust
recommendations
from friends
Source: Nielsen Report
7. 7
Buyers Don’t Trust Marketing
IT’S ALL ABOUT TRUST
Source: Nielsen Report
#2 most trusted forms of
advertisement
Personal recommendations
& word-of-mouth
.
9. 9
SET THE OBJECTIVE
What are you trying to accomplish?
• Brand awareness
• Product promotion
• Event attendance
• Referrals & sales
• Thought leadership
• Relationship building
• Brand loyalty
12. 12
DETERMINE THE CONVERSATION
• Who do you want to talk to?
• What do you want to talk about?
• Where will these conversations happen?
• When is the ideal time to engage?
• Why is this topic important?
• How will I find relevant individuals?
15. 15
IDENTIFYING YOUR INFLUENCERS
• Influencers - Individuals whose opinions others trust and whose feedback can help another make
or break a decision.
• Impact influencers - individuals with the largest following and biggest potential impact
• Volume influencers - individuals who mention your brand or product
• Identifying your social media influencers
– Manual search
– SMMS tool
18. 18
ENGAGING YOUR INFLUENCERS
You’ve discovered your influencers… now what?
• Have a conversation
• Develop a relationship
• Propose a partnership
• Give sneak peaks/beta access
• Build brand loyalty
• Say thank you
Remember:
Don’t be creepy - stay on the same platform
27. 27
Advocates Do it All
WHAT CAN YOUR ADVOCATES DO?
Referrals Product reviews
Content
distribution
References
Social
promotion
Media
interviews
User
groups
Product
surveys
Customer
Advisory
Boards
Analyst
briefings
35. 35
7 SIMPLE STEPS
1. set clear program objectives
2. brainstorm relevant topics
3. discover the influencers
4. invite them to engage
5. deliver true value
6. offer opportunities to advocate
7. motivate and recognize
then, refine & repeat to maintain engagement
36. 36
QUESTIONS?
Chris Newton
VP of Business Development
@csnew10
Eileen Bernardo
Marcom Manager/Social Strategist
@eileenrene
eileen@viralheat.com
37. 37
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
www.viralheat.com
www.viralheat.com/blog
Notas del editor
It’s true to say that almost everyone is practicing some form of Customer Marketing. Just eight percent of the organizations that participated in our study indicated they had no Customer Marketing initiatives. The remaining 92 percent that do have some form of Customer Marketing were first asked to characterize the revenue contribution, and those results are shown in this chart. It’s a very even distribution of revenue contribution, with just over half – 53% - getting a moderate to significant revenue contribution from customer marketing.
First, is that advocates want to feel like part of the team. They identify with your company and your products. They do not want a wall between themselves and your company, because they think of themselves as an extension of your team. Our customers have given their program an identity, and an identity for their advocates as well – just like The Leafs Nation from my hometown hockey team. They want to be consulted on everything from product design to marketing campaign ideas – feedback has drug-like effects in the brain and advocates just can’t wait to give it to you – so give them a forum.
Second is measurable impact. Advocates want to understand the positive effects that they have on your business. When they give you a referral, they want to know that it’s in demo phase, that it closed in 45 days. When they provide you with data for a case study, they want to know how many people have read it, and have provided positive comments on it. We humans – and indeed, all organisms – are hardwired to receive feedback, so make sure that you provide it.