Creating a strategy for your influencer campaign

2012-02-14 10:55:49 by Craig

Earlier in the week I blogged on the topic of influencers – or brand advocates – and how to identify them. In this particular post I wanted to take a step back, and look at the overall process of how you physically go about developing an influencer strategy, as identification is only a small part of the jigsaw.

When engaging with brand advocates it is important that you develop a plan that closely aligns with your wider communications strategy and overall business objectives. With that in mind, here are a few things you might want to consider when devising an influencer outreach campaign:

• What are you trying to achieve – be very clear on what it is you want to achieve. For example, are you trying to counter existing negative sentiment associated with the brand, or are you trying to generate word-of-mouth about a new product or service launch? Perhaps the goal is something simpler such as increasing traffic to your website, or improving conversion rates? Setting clear objectives will ensure you are able to identify the right influencers for the task

• Listen to your audience – before you dive headlong into any influencer campaign, be sure to take the time to listen to what your audiences are saying about your brand, product and services. If you don’t know what is being said about the brand or your sector, it will be nigh on impossible for you to identify influencers. There’s a host of tools, both free and paid-for, that can help in the listening phases, but be aware that some dig deeper than others so it’s important to choose carefully. There are a few suggestions on tools worth considering in a post I wrote earlier in the week

• Be realistic when it comes to resource – often an oversight in many marketers planning is the amount of time it will take up. Be realistic at the project’s outset, and remember that whilst social analytics tools can help aggregate the data, you’ll still need someone that understands the campaign objectives to sift through the data to extrapolate anything meaningful
• So who are your influencers – now that you have gotten this far don’t blow it by jumping the gun. Be sure, having identified your potential influencers, to take the time and listen to their conversation threads. Doing so makes it easier for you to segment influencers and to tailor your approach for each, therefore improving the effectiveness of your strategy

• Timing is everything – as is the case when dealing with journalists, tailoring your approach is critical when you begin engaging with an influencer. There is no right or wrong way of starting the discussion but it does require judgement, and this is why the listening phase is so important. If you choose to engage via a discussion thread on a micro-blogging service, consider the following: Is the topic relevant to me? Will engaging add any value? And finally, is it appropriate for a brand to get involved in this discussion? Alternatively you may choose to start the relationship offline in the first instance. Want to encourage your influencers to take an active role in supporting your brand? Then always ask yourself what is in it for them? If you can't answer that question then now isn't the right time to engage them and so hang fire until you do have a reason

• Hone the relationship – always be mindful that they are giving you their time, and so it is important to respect them and to make them feel valued. There are three things to remember when looking to build a successful relationship: be authentic, be original and be personable. And remember, every interaction is an opportunity to improve the relationship

Following the above basic framework, whilst not definitive, will provide a strong platform from which to execute a well-planned influencer campaign. Do you agree? Please share your thoughts and comments below.