Lots of people play a part in a typical B2B purchase decision and naturally, identifying them is an important activity for any influencer relations program. You need to know who they are, including their name, job and location. First, you have to figure out who they are. That’s no so easy. The big temptation is to start by asking the … Read More
What’s another word for influencer?
There are several good reasons to replace the terms “influencer” and “influencer marketing” in the marketing vocabulary. What are the best  alternatives? I don’t know the answer, however I see signs of a backlash against misuse and abuse of these terms. What are the issues with the word influencer? To start, not everyone likes being branded as an influencer. As Evan … Read More
Duncan Brown defines influencers
Looking for a useful definition of “influencer” within the context of influencer marketing? Duncan gives a great run down in a B2B Marketing Online feature on influencer marketing by Meg de Jong, acting deputy editor: “Duncan Brown, European managing director at specialist company Influencer50, points out that in terms of B2B marketing, marketers will be specifically interested in those individuals … Read More
Updating analyst relations to support new research-focused influencers
The web has revolutionized the media and research businesses. Freely available and low-cost research is gaining stature as a viable alternative to higher-priced analyst research. Those who publish so-called “good enough†research are becoming trusted influencers in their own right. Plus, maturing web search services make it easier to find premium and sponsored research stored on the web in a … Read More
What’s your definition of an industry analyst
It sounds so simple: tell me your definition of an industry analyst. In truth, coming up with a viable definition for the tech “industry analyst” is not such a simple exercise. Clear-cut distinctions between industry analysts and other types of influencers have been dissolving over the last few years. From 2006 to 2008, I helped the industry come to some … Read More
Aneesh Chopra, CTO of the USA, visits Silicon Valley next week
Market influence is earned, not appointed. Yet, I’ve got to believe that Aneesh Chopra, recently appointed as the first CTO of the United States, is going to become a force of influence very quickly. And I’m looking forward to hearing him speak next week at the Churchill Club. Most of the government tech influencers are people advising on government tech … Read More
Don Bulmer starts up a social influence think tank
Don Bulmer, the SNCR-award winning head of influencer relations at SAP, is forming an informal think tank project on social influence, and in particular, best practices for social influence. He’s issued an open invitation to participate and contribute content. He’s outlined an ambitious agenda. In his words, “As I think about this I am inspired to look more deeply at how … Read More
Thinking about communities of practice
Those of us who watch the watchers tend to use phrases like “the analysts”, “the media”, “the integrators”, “the bloggers”, “the academics”, and so on. Â In most cases, we use these phrases simply as short hand. Â We know that there are few common denominators uniting the people in these positions. Â However, that’s not the message we send to our colleagues … Read More
ZDNet: who do you trust for enterprise software advice?
ZDNet blogger Paul Greenberg ran a poll last week asking who his readers trust most — analysts, journalists, institutional analysts, bloggers, others — “when it comes to a good, clean honest look at the enterprise technology industry… especially around traditional and social enterprise software (CRM, ERP, social network platforms) and technologies associated with it”. With 171 votes to date, the … Read More
Is your influencer network strategic or tactical?
In today’s Email Insider newsletter, guest contributor Chad White (Smith-Harmon) points out fundamental differences between email programs used tactically and those used strategically. His points resonate with influencer programs as well: Those that are using it [email marketing] tactically view email campaigns as isolated one-off events. An email is sent out and sales are tallied up. There’s no bigger picture. … Read More