8 Things Influencers Can Do for Your Brand- eBook
1. 8 Things Influencers Can Do for
Your Brand
UNLEASH THE POWER OF
INFLUENCER CONTENT
2. 1
PRESENTED BY TapInfluence and Jay Baer
Satisfying the consumer’s need for useful content requires an authentic,
organic, and dedicated voice that leverages the reputations and experience of
people your customers trust. A key source of that consumer content comes from
social influencers, those with loyal audiences on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
Instagram, YouTube, and Vine. Find the influencers and social media personalities
who fit your marketing objectives and help create stronger relationships with
your customers.
JENNIFER SWARTLEY
VP Strategy & Business Development | TapInfluence
@jenswartley
Jennifer heads TapInfluence’s New York office and has more
than 15 years of experience helping enterprise brands like
General Mills, Toyota, and Microsoft understand how to
connect with audiences through content. She has held senior
leadership positions at iCrossing, Meredith Corporation,
Readers Digest, and Conde Nast and holds a Marketing and
Communications degree from New York University.
JAY BAER
President | Convince & Convert
@jaybaer
Jay Baer is a renowned marketing strategist, speaker and
NewYork Times best-selling author who travels the world
convincing businesspeople to make their companies more
valuable by focusing on help, not hype. He is President of the
social media and content marketing consultancy Convince &
Convert. A digital marketing pioneer, Jay has consulted with
more than 700 companies since 1994, including Caterpillar,
Nike, Visit California, Allstate, Petco, Columbia Sportswear, and
30 of the Fortune 500.
www.tapinfluence.com
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3. 2
CONTENTS
1 > The Challenge pg 3
2 > Reach Consumers Online pg 4
3 > 8Things Influencers Can Do forYou pg 5
4 > Reach vs. Resonance pg 7
5 > Case Study: Black BoxWines pg 8
6 > Meet Engagement Goals pg 9
4. 3
THE CHALLENGE
People trust people, not logos
Marketing programs rooted in traditional advertising are facing
increased scrutiny, as word of mouth marketing becomes a
more trusted source of information.
THE ONLINE COMMUNITY IS A NOISY, CROWDED PLACE
Consumers are forced to filter out information to overcome
the noise and commotion. That’s why it’s imperative that your
message comes from a familiar and trusted source.
THE CHALLENGE: TODAY’S MARKETERS
HAVE A LOT ONTHEIR MINDS
> 1
Marketing managers, social media managers and similar
roles are responsible for creating a constant stream
of content to fill their pipeline and meet engagement
goals. But to accomplish this, they must also overcome
today’s erosion of consumer trust in brands.
92%
of global consumers say they trust user-
generated content and word-of-mouth more
than they trust advertising.
–Neilsen
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1,500
pieces of content, on average, are competing
for the attention of each Facebook user every
time they log on.
–Facebook, 2013
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5. 4
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH INFLUENCERS HELP
YOUR MESSAGE REACH CUSTOMERS
Partnerships with influencers can help your brand communicate
on the consumer level in order to achieve a variety of desired goals.
I know Joanna’s a mom like me, so
her product recommendations carry
more weight.
HIGH TOUCH
LOW TOUCH
REACH RESONANCE
HOW CAN MARKETERS REACHTHEIR
CONSUMERS ONLINE?
“
Your brand needs to find people that your audience
already trusts and follows. You need voices that cut
through the clutter to deliver your messaging. You
need real people who can appeal to consumers
through similar experiences and circumstances.
You need influencers.
> 2
The Face
The
Megaphone
The
Connector
The Reporter
The Designer
The
Neighbor
The Artist
The
Defender
6. 5
BE THE FACE
Working with influencers to establish a
face for your brand takes a recognizable
figure with a built-in following who
applies their story to your messaging.
Simply attaching a trusted face to your
brand can be enough to get skeptical
consumers on board.
BE THE CONNECTOR
Utilizing influencers for a connection
can help to build new relationships
within new audiences on networks such
as Instagram and Vine, for example.
And because you came with someone
that audience knows and trusts, those
new relationships will be built on a solid
foundation.
BE THE DESIGNER
Influencers inherently know what will
resonate with your target audience
because they are a part of that audience.
So influencers acting as designers for
your brand (on Pinterest, for example)
can create new products that they know
will resonate with consumers.
Humanize your
brand using a face
with an audience
➊ ➋
➌
Introduce you
on a new social
platform
Create new
products people
want
BE THE CREATIVE
Working with an influencer to produce
content will generate promotional
materials that both your company and
the influencer can share with followers.
Although this content was produced
with marketing intent, using an
influencer will help to make the material
feel at home alongside the other
content they produce.
➍
Produce content
with context
8 THINGS INFLUENCERS CAN DO
FORYOU
Before you can find influencers online, your company
needs to identify its goals. There are eight different
ways influencers can support your brand.
74%
of consumers rely on social networks to guide
purchase decisions.
–SproutSocial
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> 3
7. 6
BE THE MEGAPHONE
Working influencers into your marketing
mix helps them understand the voice
of your company, what the messaging
should be and how to get the word out.
Tell them what your brand wants to
say but give them the freedom to say it
in a way that’s more authentic to their
audience.
BE THE REPORTER
Influencers can act as journalists,
documenting your events to build up
anticipation with photos on Instagram
or videos onYouTube. This tactic gives
consumers real people to associate
with, and learn about, new things going
on with your brand.
BE THE NEIGHBOR
The goal in using influencers as
neighbors is to guide community
conversations and content based on
communal topics on Facebook, Google+,
etc.They’re the ones who answer
questions and tell personal stories that
like-minded people can relate to on a
very familiar and daily level.
It’s important to understand and highlight the social platforms that are most relevant
to your audience. For example, Baby Boomers may favor Facebook, while Millennials
can best be reached on Instagram,YouTube andVine.
Spread the word
to their audience
➎ ➏
➐
Cover your event
using voices on
the ground
Spark
conversation in
your community
BE THE DEFENDER
Bringing influencers into your
marketing organization to help with
crisis management can mitigate the
hype surrounding those situations. If
consumers aren’t going to your brand
for information, you want to be sure
to inform the trusted sources they are
going to for answers.
➑
Arm your crisis
management
8 THINGS INFLUENCERS CAN DO FORYOU
8. 7
This can be represented on a scale that denotes the total amount
of followers influencers accumulate vs. the devotion of their
following.
DOESYOUR PROGRAM REQUIRE GREATER REACH
OR GREATER ACTION FROM A SMALLER GROUP OF
INDIVIDUALS?
Answering this question will help you to be successful. Offerings
with a low barrier to adoption such as a free trial or a packaged
good may require greater reach. More expensive purchases that
require more consideration, such as a major appliance, may
require more devotion.
CELEBRITY
STATUS
QUALITY
CONTENT CREATORS
BUZZ BUILDERS &
PROMOTERS
ADVOCATES &
EMPLOYEES
When choosing influencers, marketing professionals
need to understand that influencers come with a range
of attributes and strengths. Some online personalities
can deliver vast audiences and huge reach while
others, such as employees and friends, deliver more
authenticity and trust. A key element in the success of
your influencer marketing program is finding the right
mix for you.
REACH RESONANCE
81%
of US respondents indicated their friends’ social
media posts directly influenced their purchase
decisions.
–Forbes
REACH VS. RESONANCE
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> 4
9. 8
How influencer
marketing made a
big splash in a little
time for Black Box
Wines
50 Influencers
60 Days
• Blogs
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest
Influencer marketing can help marketers by increasing
reach, views and engagement with original content.
Many industries are experiencing success partnering
with influencers, including food and beverage, fashion,
entertainment, fitness, education, technology and
parenting.
31%
44%
56%
223%
INCREASE in overall pages viewed per
visit over the same period last year.
INCREASE in“share of voice”in June
due to the number of mentions of
Black Box Wines in blog posts.
INCREASE in overall time on site over
the same period last year.
INCREASE in positive mentions of
Black Box Wines.
AMPLIFYING CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT
A CASE STUDY FOR BLACK BOXWINES
> 5
10. 9
THE GOAL ISN’T TO BE GOOD AT SOCIAL, BUT GOOD AT
THE BUSINESS BECAUSE OF SOCIAL
Partner with the strategic experts at TapInfluence who can help
you ladder up metrics driven by influencers to larger business
objectives. You have to tell the story in the language your
business is speaking to show how these efforts are working to
move the needle.
MANAGE CONTENT AND INFLUENCERS EVERY STEP OF
THEWAY
• See which influencers
are most effective
based on reach, views
and engagement
• See which social
platforms are
performing best
• Get actual dollar value
of content created
• See trends on
how content and
influencers perform over time
• Make smart decisions based on real-time data
No longer a burden, social marketing can become a
focal point of your marketing mix.
MEASURE AND OPTIMIZE CONTENT
TO MEET ENGAGEMENT GOALS
I went to my boss and showed her
all our engagement but still can’t
capture more budget…“
71%
Consumers are 71% more likely to make a
purchase based on social media referrals.
–Hubspot
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> 6
11. 10
You’re ready to build a relationship with influencers,
but where do you start? Strategic experts at
TapInfluence can examine your current social media
and online marketing efforts to determine how
influencers in their network can reach your audience.
They can help you create an influencer marketing plan
to start communicating with your audience through
trusted and effective influencers.
For more information on finding and utilizing sources for
influencer marketing, connect with us online at
www.tapInfluence.com/contact
or contact us directly at:
info@tapinfluence.com
(720) 726-4074
WHAT’STHE NEXT STEP?
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