See the slides from my talk for a recent Cynopsis Media panel on how to put influencer marketing into play for your brand.

1. FINDING SOCIAL MEDIA
INFLUENCERS TO BOOST
RATINGS & BRANDS
Zontee Hou for
1

2. ABOUT ZONTEE
• Strategist at top consulting firm
Convince & Convert
• Digital marketing consultant &
founder of her own firm, Media
Volery, in New York City
• Adjunct professor of
communications at the City College
of New York
• Has worked with brands ranging
from Martha Stewart Living
Omnimedia to Allstate Insurance
2

3. WHY USE
INFLUENCERS?
Photo: pop culture writer Danielle
Henderson
3

4. WHO YOUR AUDIENCE
TRUSTS HAS CHANGED
4
63% of people trust “a person like
yourself” versus just 43% who trust a
CEO.
- Edelman Trust Barometer 2015

5. IT’S NATIVE ADVERTISING
• 70% of internet users want to learn about products
through content rather than traditional advertising
(MDG Advertising)
• A study found that purchase intent is 53% higher for
native advertising than traditional advertising
(Dedicated Media)
• Ad blockers are on the rise, with a 41% year-over-
year increase (PageFair and Adobe)
5

6. RECAPS ARE ON THE RISE
“In the last few years, however, the
recap has seen unprecedented growth,
coinciding with the more general
increase in cultural attention —
particularly that of high-brow media
— given to television.”
- Madeline Berg, Forbes.com
6

7. HOW DO WE PUT
INFLUENCERS TO
GOOD USE?
Photo: YouTube duo Superfruit
7

8. WHAT ARE
YOUR GOALS?
• To launch a brand/show
• Find influencers like similar
types of content and who
appeal to the right community
• Grow the audience
• Turn casual viewers into
advocates by getting buy-in
• Gain traction among a
new audience
• Give them a good reason to
tune in by flipping the script
8

9. HOW TO
IDENTIFY
INFLUENCERS
• Research:
• Their angle/unique niche
• Size and engagement level of their
audience
• Reputation among other influencers
• Type of content they create (and the fit
with your company/brand’s goals)
• Whether they’ve worked with brands
before, and whether they’re in your
competitive space
• Useful tools:
• Group High
• InsightPool
• LittleBird
• BuzzSumo
• Feedly
9

10. DEMOGRAPHICS ON
VARIOUS SOCIAL NETWORKS
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Snapchat YouTube
• Used by
72% of
online
adults
• While
Facebook
has a high
rate of
accounts
across age
groups, less
than 20% of
its adult
user base in
the US is
aged 18-34
• Used by
23% of
online
adults
• More likely
to live in
urban areas
than
suburban or
rural
• More
popular
with adults
<50 than
>50
• Used by
28% of
online
adults
• Skews
slightly
more
female
• Popular with
non-whites
• Skews
younger
(55% of
online
adults 18-
29)
• Used by
31% of
online
adults
• Dominated
by women
(44% of
online
women
versus 16%
of online
men)
• More
popular
with adults
<50 than
>50
• 41% of
American
teens use
Snapchat
• 45% of
Snapchat
users are
between
18-24
• Most users
are between
13-25
• Snapchat
users are
majority
female
• Used by
63% of
online
adults
• Top place
for
millennials
to watch
content
• Teens and
early 20s
users make
up the
largest
proportion
of its users
10Sources: Pew Research Center, Business Insider Intelligence, ComScore

11. EXAMPLE
OPPORTUNITIES
Photos: Outlander promotional photo,
knitting/crochet fan projects
11

12. RECOGNIZE THE
EXPERTS/ENTHUSIASTS
12

13. TAP EXISTING FANS
13

14. DIFFERENTIATE FROM
WHAT’S OUT THERE
14

15. HOW TO CONTACT
INFLUENCERS
• Get to know the contributor: Familiarize yourself with their content
and point of view
• Brainstorm ideas to pitch: How would you like to work with them?
• Open up a dialogue via email: Tell your company/brand’s story and
why you’re a good fit to work together
• Learn more about them: What kinds of content have they created for
brands? Who are their competitors?
• Discuss content cadence: How often will you work together?
• Get to know their process: Respect their autonomy and find ways to
co-create.
15

16. SAMPLE EMAIL
Hi [James],
I’m a fan of your blog and your [gorgeous Instagram account]. You do a great
job of [capturing city life in unexpected ways] for your audience.
I’m Zontee Hou, and I head up the digital marketing team at NYC Television. Our
shows range from the popular “Chelsea Chat” to this season’s surprise hit,
“Beards of Williamsburg.”
Our team at NYC has selected [12] bloggers who are doing an awesome job of
talking about great resources for New Yorkers. I’d love to invite you to [a
behind-the-scenes studio tour and cocktail on December 2, at our studios in
Midtown Manhattan], as a way to introduce you to [our spring lineup].
Let me know if you’re interested and an address where I can send the invitation,
and I’ll get that right out to you.
Warmly,
Zontee Hou
Digital Marketing Lead
NYC Television
16

17. EMAIL CHECK-LIST
• Communications to the influencers should:
• be succinct, but conversational
• strive to address what motivates the influencer
• reveal your company’s/brand’s personality
• explain the value proposition of working with your
company/brand
• be sensitive to their time and availability
• set up a time to speak on the phone
17

18. CONTINUE THE
RELATIONSHIP
• Relationships are a two-way street: Collaborate with and listen to
them.
• Recognize and support them: Implement rewards, compensate fairly,
and give them VIP treatment.
• SocialToaster
• Be authentic, personal, and engaged with their content.
• Track the relationship and measure results.
• Keep the momentum going.
18

19. CONNECT
WITH ME
• Twitter: @zontee_hou,
@convince
• LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/in/zonteehou
• Website & email newsletter:
ConvinceandConvert.com,
MediaVolery.com
19