I’ve been knee-deep in influencer identification projects this month. It’s my first foray beyond custom industry analyst & consultant lists since my vendor marketing days. The work has been fun and interesting and much more demanding (i.e. harder) than I expected. Frankly, I just didn’t realize how much work goes into finding the top 50 to 100 influencers in a … Read More
Social media tracking offers lessons for influencer programs
Companies providing social media monitoring tools and services provide many ways to find and monitor influential voices out on the web. One of the latest proclamations is from Visible Technologies, now promoting a social marketing ROI study: Leading companies ‘use multiple approaches to identify the individuals who wield the greatest amount of influence in any given topic area and to … Read More
HBR: 3 degrees of influence
Influence made The Harvard Business Review 2009 List of breakthrough business ideas. As you know, I’m a fan of the idea that social media may expand traditional spheres of influence by eroding reliance on physical “nearness” (propinquity), to decision-makers. The HBR study by James Fowler and Nicholas A. Christakis tightens the noose the other way: “New research shows that personal … Read More
LinkedIn for the influencer program backoffice
You probably think of LinkedIn as a recruiting and job hunting network. It also serves as a valuable backoffice tool for analyst relations, consultant relations, and fully integrated B2B influencer programs. The price is certainly right: basic services are free, and business upgrades are economical. Plus, the number of profiles keeps growing. As of last week, LinkedIn claimed more than … Read More
Right influencers and wrong influencers
It’s easy to fall into thinking that focusing on the top 15 or 25 or 100 influencers in a given market is a good idea for every company. That’s not necessarily so, unless you can vet their influence with decision-makers for your product or service in your market. Mack Collier points out a good example: his experience with the “Pepsi … Read More
Government influencers and business deals
One group of influencers is about to undergo sweeping change in the U.S.: government agencies and regulators. Government influence varies greatly by industry. Yet it is present to some extent in virtually all industries. In the book, Influencer Marketing, Nick and Duncan identify three likely roles for government agencies and regulators: proclaimers – those who mandate or “proclaim” how the … Read More
More analyst layoffs add to analyst relations challenges
Following on the heels of layoffs at Gartner and AMR Research, comes word that Yankee Group and iSuppli also reduced headcount. Yankee Group CEO Emily Nagel discussed the reduction in the company blog. Meanwhile, there is word of a reduction at iSuppli, a firm that just recently acquired Telematics Research Group (TRG). This much consolidation in the tech industry analyst … Read More
Finding influencers in your sales channel
When you think about the people capable of influencing your customers and prospects, take a good long look at your sales channel partners. A channel partner’s sphere of influence can extend far beyond their own customers and territory. Put their influence to work for you by incorporating them into your influencer program. Success depends largely on choosing the right channel … Read More
Coping with influencer attrition in 2009
It’s going to be a tough year to stay current with influencers. Under normal circumstances, Influencer50 research puts the attrition among a company’s top 50 influencers at about 20 percent per year. That means that in a 12-month period, 10 of the 50 will have changed jobs. It doesn’t look as though 2009 will offer normal circumstances. I would expect … Read More
Aiming influencers at sales objections
An influencer program can be a powerful asset in countering sales objections. Here are a few well-proven tips from our collection of case studies: 1. Compile and prioritize specific sales objections. Don’t accept generalities at the outset. You can generalize later. Start with clear, articulate objections. Get a good sense of frequency, too. 2. Identify external influencers who have both … Read More