This document from Traackr discusses different types of influencers and how to engage with each type. It identifies 11 influencer types - celebrity, authority, connector, brand personal, analyst, activist, expert, insider, disruptor, journalist, and provides a short description of each including their typical audience size and engagement levels as well as tips on how to effectively engage with each type. The types vary in their areas of expertise, goals, and how to most productively collaborate with them.
2. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
CELEBRITY
THE
5-SECOND BIO
Celebrities have a huge audience.
Their Twitter feed is like their stream of
consciousness. Their fame is a money-
making machine and they are willing to
endorse a product or brand. Best known for
their ability to broadcast to a wide audience,
they were not born famous. You may find
they have a soft spot for the original craft that
made them who they’ve become.
Find sponsorship opps.
No different than a celebrity
endorsement, you probably
have to buy their attention. If
you’re the hottest company
around maybe not, but then
what do you need them for?
WAYS TO ENGAGE
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
Veronica Belmont,
Revision3
Chris Brogan,
Human
Business Works
Gary Vaynerchuk,
Vayner Media
3. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
AUTHORITY
THE
If you’re interested in a space, these are
the people you’ll recognize. Authorities are
domain experts that everyone looks up to.
They are the most recognized for their craft.
Their focus is on analysis rather than ground
research. They source their data from others
and are experts in connecting topic areas.
They understand their space and know
how to distill meaningful information to their
community. Their audience is always very
relevant and includes industry insiders.
Create value for their
community. They’re a
trusted authority. They can’t
be bought but they can
be convinced. They are
interested in anything that
brings value to their audience
and elevates them in their eyes.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
David Skok,
Matrix Partners
Cindy King,
Social Media
Examiner
Mitch Joel,
Twist Image
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
Their Reach and Resonance is a factor of
how niche the topic. For true authorities,
Resonance will be higher than Reach.
Their Relevance tends to be high on broader
topics and lower on niche topics as they
would cover an array of adjacent topics.
4. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
CONNECTOR
THE
Connectors cover a lot more than one
issue, topic, or industry. They have good
general knowledge, enough to entertain
a good conversation and make educated
connections between topics and people.
Even though their knowledge of a specific
space might not be deep, they know enough
to point you to the right direction. They
thoroughly enjoy making new connections.
Help them grow their
network. Connectors live off
their network. Bring value to
it and you will be gold. Make
intros, help them grow their
network and connect more
dots.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
Macala Wright,
Group Partners
Luke Brynley-
Jones, Our
Social Times
Justin Bedecarre,
42Floors
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
5. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
BRAND
THEPERSONAL
They have an amazing ability to articulate
and amplify messages. They make a living of
consulting and endorsement deals if they’re
successful. Their name is their currency.
They love praises (especially in the form
of linkbacks and retweets) and tend to shy
away from feisty debates.
Help them build their
reputation and SEO.
Help them enhance their
personal brand and you’ll
be fast friends. Hurt it and
there’s no coming back. Find
ways to support their status
and increase their visibility.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
Brian Solis,
Altimeter Group
Jay Baer,
Convince &
Convert
Tina Roth
Eisenberg,
Swiss Miss
6. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
ANALYST
THE
Analysts are subject matter experts. They’re
interested in in-depth industry trends, not
timely news. They have industry expertise
and make a living from consulting and other
high end content or reports they publish.
Or they perform the same function in-house
by contributing thought-leadership to the
industry and their company.
Present new data and help
them build new knowledge.
Help them build the base
of knowledge they need to
perform their job. Give them
access to insider insights and
new data but don’t impose
your analysis on them.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
Jeremiah Owyang,
Altimeter
Barb Darrow,
GigaOM
Zach Hofer-
Shall, Twitter
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
Their low scores can be deceiving as they’re
usually the trusted source for B2B enterprise
and other influencers with larger audiences.
If they’re from traditional organizations they
might be underrepresented because their
publications are behind closed doors.
7. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
ACTIVIST
THE
Activists are hyper focused. They only talk
about one issue or one set of issues. Their
fans are loyal. They have strong ties to
the community right around them but not
much beyond. The size of their audience
is dependant on the size of the issue. They
believe there is one answer to solving the
issue that interests them and will move
mountains to make it happen.
Give them access and
listen. Don’t shy away from
engaging with people who
disagree with your point of
view. To make an impact
though, you’ll need to join
the conversation with an
open mind.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
Sheryl Sandberg,
Lean In
Jack Doresy,
Square
Beth Kanter,
The Networked
Nonprofit
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
8. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
EXPERT
THE
Experts are anti-celebrities. They don’t care
about self-promotion. They read, write, and
curate content in their field of expertise. They
have an amazing ability to become relevant
on new topics. When they’re interested
in a topic they invest time and build their
expertise quickly. But being an expert
influencer in a topic is not the same as being
an authority in that space. They tend to be
technical, detail-oriented, and too specialized
to cater to bigger audiences.
Bring them in for expert
opinion. Stay focused
on their specific areas of
interest. Find ways to help
them produce content,
deepen their analysis and
showcase their own expertise
to your audience.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
Vitaly Friedman,
Smashing
Magazine
Lee Odden,
TopRank
Tonia Ries,
Realtime Report
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
Be aware that their low Reach can
be deceiving: often Experts are the
gateway to bigger influencers. They
are the go-to source for Authorities
to check their information & facts.
9. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
INSIDER
THE
Industry insiders have an expert, yet biased
point of view because they have an agenda:
to promote a story that will shed a positive
light on their company (or mission). They
are passionate and will find alliances to help
build the market story their company needs
to tell. They are pushing their industries
forward without pushing the hard sell,
although buying what they sell should be the
logical conclusion if you listen to them.
Engage in a healthy debate.
If you compete with them,
engage in a healthy debate
but be mindful where the
debate takes place. Never
play against home court.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
Jon Miller,
Marketo
Jon Ferrera,
Nimble
Jerome Ternynck,
Smart Recruiters
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
10. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
DISRUPTOR
THE
Disruptors challenge the status quo and
force us to talk about the real issues and
opportunities that change brings. They
love to understand what’s behind trends,
get to the heart of issues and envision new
solutions. Their audience has come to
expect them to stir the pot and ask the tough
questions.
Fuel the debate!
Come with an open mind
and willingness to explore
uncharted or challenging
territory. Your purpose is to
further the debate and help
them take it to new levels.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
Sam Fiorella,
Sensei Marketing
Judy Gombita
PR Conversations
John Sumser
HR Examiner
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
Their Resonance is high because disruption
tends to provoke conversation. Their
Relevance is average because they can be
pulled in many directions as new issues
arise and conversations evolve. Disruption is
always on the edge of what’s next!
11. The Many Faces of Influence by Traackr
JOURNALIST
THE
Journalists make a living of publishing news.
They tend to freelance for many publications
and maybe have their own. They usually
don’t have complete control over editorial
content. What they’re interested in will be
dictated by editorial policy. Good journalists
have the fact-checking background. They’re
refreshing; they do due-diligence and talk to
people before they publish a story.
Boost their readership with
a juicy story and exclusives.
Engage with them the same
way you engage a good old
journalist: with an interesting,
exclusive, and timely story.
REACH RESONANCE RELEVANCE
LOOKS LIKE
Jenn Van Grove,
CNET
Liz Gannes,
AllThingsD
Sarah Perez,
TechCrunch
5-SECOND BIO WAYS TO ENGAGE
They have higher Relevance on broad
topics but limited Relevance on niche ones.
They need to cover an array of subjects to
make a living. Their scores will fluctuate
based on where they publish.
12. For more information
contact info@traackr.com
About Traackr
Traackr is an influencer marketing platform
that helps you get results with social media
marketing by finding the right influencers
and opportunities.
Traackr uses three metrics for measuring
online influence. Reach is a person’s audience
size. Resonance measures how engaging
their content is and Relevance tells you how
closely their content matches your topic.