May marks the 1-year anniversary of the release of Charlene Li’s and Josh Bernoff’s book, Groundswell.  Several industry analysts have released books since then. I figure it’s a good time to shout out to some recent analyst authors and talk a little about why writing books can be such an important activity for market influencers and influencer relations professionals alike. For IT industry analysts and other … Read More
Earth Day: Who’s influencing green tech and clean tech decisions
Someday, every ICT industry influencer on the planet will include aspects of green or ‘environmentally responsible’ within their area of tech expertise. Â And someday, every influencer relations program will embrace these ideas. Â Someday. Today, it seems appropriate to mark Earth Day with a shout out to some of the pioneers. Here’s a small sampling of some notable industry and competitive … Read More
Juniper’s fresh take on consultant relations
Juniper Networks is updating its consultant relations strategy to better reflect the role these influencers play in customer decision-making. The new consultants program, under the umbrella of its channel partners program, is aimed “at partners who influence a customer’s buying decisions but don’t actually take part in the sale.” This is an interesting approach to formalizing and updating consultant relations … 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
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
Too famous to influence
Social media has made “rock stars” of many ordinary people. They gather audiences and attract vast social networks of friends and followers. Essentially, they achieve celebrity status. If you’re thinking of hitching your influencer program to one of these stars, take care to grab on early in their ascent. Fame can kill influence. Most influencers fall into two categories: peers … Read More
From reputable to roadkill in 60 seconds
Building a trusted reputation among decision-makers takes concerted effort over a long period of time. Damaging a trusted reputation, on the other hand, takes little effort and can be accomplished in less than a New York minute. For 10 hilarious cautionary tales, check out Jim Diamond’s Stupidest Statements Awards of 2008. I like the entries on Sarah Palin, Vijay Prakash … Read More
MrTweet mines influenceville
An application called MrTweet caught my attention over the weekend, mostly due to a discussion on influence initiated by its creator, Steve Ming Yeow Ng. Check out the discussion at the MrTweet blog. Two important points from the discussion: 1. Influence is in the eye of the audience. 2. No such thing as a universal grade for influence. These points … Read More
Cymfony Launches Insight into Consumer-generated Media
Reporting from SNCR’s New Communications Forum 2005: A breakthrough solution from Cymfony helps Fortune 1000 companies understand and measure digital influencers. Cymfony’s new Consumer Insight (TM) addresses the distinct and rapidly growing need to monitor, assess and analyze consumer-generated media. Part of Cymfony’sDashboard series, the new tool helps marketing, branding, research, marketing communications and competitive intelligence professionals analyze consumer discussions, … Read More