THE GROWING NEED FOR INFLUENCER STRATEGY IN PR PLANS
By Robert Wheatley
Word of mouth begins with those inclined to recommend
Are you talking to the influencers who can drive business in your category? Especially the message multipliers who can be enlisted as brand ambassadors and are useful in driving trial of new products and services? Are you purposefully targeting those who sway others, or really just attempting to carpet bomb enough consumers with your messaging in the hopes that no one will escape the barrage?
The effectiveness of your spending can be multiplied ten-fold if you make an effort to better understand the role of influence and how to reach those who in turn reach others. You may agree that word of mouth retains the highest degree of credibility for consumers about what products to buy, so the question remains, are you going after those at the headwaters of WOM?
Just who are they?
In marketing communications there are two paths to follow: the shotgun model that recommends broad-based communication across multiple platforms intended to engage a wide audience. And then the rifle shot, aimed more precisely at a smaller audience of engaged individuals and influencers capable of becoming ambassadors and advocates for brand messaging.
In order for listeners to listen, they must be open to the medium and the message. And in today’s environment of ultimate consumer control over the timing, method and outcomes of engagement, there’s simply no place for messaging that is “pushed at†audiences who are not paying attention. The question we’re considering here: Can we harness the power of influential consumers to multiply the impact of our outreach campaigns?
Yes.
According to WOM research firm Keller Fay Group, there are 30 million people in the US alone who are measurably more likely than average to 1) seek out information; 2) share ideas; and 3) make recommendations to others. Certainly the anything-you-want-to-know-anytime aspects of the Internet has democratized access to information, but not everyone is built to influence and lead.
Those who fit this description, according to Keller Fay are:
Three times as likely as the rest of the population to spread word of mouth Engage in social networks that are almost twice as large as those of other people Are active seekers of information from an array of sources to supply their need to know
These social influencers can accelerate new product adoption because others disproportionately seek out their advice. And this makes sense on an array of levels: leaders lead. There are people we encounter in our circle we look up to, listen to, who always seem to be on top of what’s going on. It is how they are constructed as human beings — their nature and behavior that drives this principle.
On a more global scale, the Word of Mouth Association identifies five types of market influencers:
- People in formal positions of authority
- Individuals who are recognized as subject matter experts
- Media elites (journalists, bloggers, pundits)
- Cultural elites (celebrities, artists, musicians)
- Socially connected people
In this environment of ROI focus and the need to produce the most effective and efficient outcomes in communications per dollar invested, doesn’t it make sense to look carefully at those who are in the influencer wheelhouse in any given product category? It’s imperative that brand communications strategies take these audiences into account and develop specific outreach tactics aimed at engaging and involving them.
The end result: better traction and outcomes for brand communications because the message delivery doesn’t stop with the media we employ, it continues on through the words and actions of those who are compelled to share their views with others around them.
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