The influencer continuum

F R O M I N F L U E N C E R T O S U P E R A D V O C AT E T M The roadmap for influencer marketing

From Influencer to Super AdvocateTM

Most brand advocates are “fans” of a brand but they may not have a platform, offline or online, from which to influence others

An influencer causes others to take action: is an opinion leader, has a popular blog or strong social presence, speaks offline to press or to audiences, and/or has a strong network online and off

A super advocateTM is the best of both: a brand fan who also has a platform from which to advocate for the brand.

The Influencer ContinuumTM begins with influencers – those who cause others to take action – and moves them to deep connections and advocacy 2

The Influencer ContinuumTM

Creating a super advocateTM from an influencer takes place in stages: • Providing education/awareness • Building trust and credibility • Creating an emotional connection • Creating brand loyalty It may not be your intention to convert a newly identified influencer into a super advocateTM in every case; you may only need an influencer to transition from one phase of the influencer continuumTM to another in order to accomplish your goals 3

Mapping the Continuum We recommend an initial mapping process which will assist with influencer marketing planning •

Map current influencers in their place along the Influencer ContinuumTM

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Map current/planned brand assets to be used with influencers

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Determine how to move influencers across Continuum phases by utilizing company brand assets

To begin the mapping process, identify the influencers you wish to move through the continuum

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Influencers are most effective when they are contextually relevant

Use the continuum matrix on the next page to help map and plan your influencer program; these are examples to spark ideas for your organization

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Continuum Matrix: Creating Influence Marketing Programs

Influence Clusters are highlyfocused groups of topical influencers aligned to a particular niche, goal or objective Brand Assets are resources tailored against specific phases of the Influencer ContinuumTM

Influence Cluster + Brand Assets = Influencer Program

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INFLUENCER CONTINUUM TM PHASES

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Build Awareness

Phase The first phase in the continuum; generate awareness and educate topical influencers about your brand, product or issue.

Definition The education of key influencers on your brand attributes, features, issues, products and/or services

Objective Build awareness and/or shift perceptions of who you and your brand are

Delivery •

Add value through transfer of unique content and information that’s easily shareable

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Deliver relevant messaging that makes the influencer more knowledgeable about the space and issues

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Allow them to be more knowledgeable amongst their peers

Considerations •

Content is a powerful tool; creating content gives audiences an opportunity to engage with your business, interact with it, and give feedback

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Education/awareness is the catalyst for conversations and dialogues, leading to further progression along the Continuum

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In this phase, strive to understand the other things, beyond your topic, influencers are talking about. This helps craft future programs.

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Influencer Program: Moving Influencer to Awareness Naffa International •

B2B engineering resource company founder used Twitter and other social channels to build his business relationships

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Established him as thought leader in the space and brought recognition to and awareness of the company

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Social activity included sharing of influencer’s content, engaging with them in multiple platforms

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Awareness led to followers plus led to increases in traffic to company website as well as significant sales

TAKEAWAY Creation of social channels, such as a company blog or Twitter account, can help to generate awareness for companies large and small

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Build Credibility

Phase

Delivery

Once in the Awareness phase, it is essential to build trust with your influencers in order to progress into the credibility phase.

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Quality vs. quantity in communication strategies

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Take a consistent approach without overselling

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Strive for two-way communications vs. message broadcasting

Definition

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Develop trust with influencers and help them to identify value in your brand, product or service

Focus should be on building a working relationship with people based on mutual respect; begin by developing understanding of your influencers’ interests and preferences

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Interact with influencers on a friendly basis, comment on their posts, share their content, and join their online conversations

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Show that you're listening, have something interesting to contribute and not just pitching.

Objective Build goodwill and brand resonance

Considerations

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Influencer Program: Moving Influencers from Awareness to Credibility Cabot Cheese •

Mid-sized consumer brand uses Pinterest to highlight their own cheese recipes and those from around the web – Their own recipes are repinned frequently, as they’re adding credible content to the conversation – Cabot also searches out, pins and repins cheese recipes from prominent food bloggers, as well as others, to gain awareness and attention from them and their communities

TAKEAWAY Establishing credibility with influencers can have carryover effect to noninfluencers as well

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Create Emotional Connection

Phase

Delivery

Forge an emotional connection.

This can be done by creating programs that show that the brand is human, has a face, a voice and a personality.

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High touch experiences with the brand

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Establish a common value system: speak the same language as your influencers

Definition

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Acknowledge influencers, solicit feedback on company initiatives and industry trends, aim to learn which approaches, topics, and activities would most inspire them to speak and share on your brand’s behalf

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Networking and social media connections become personal, not just avatars and usernames

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Offline relationships can be extremely powerful in this phase: events, meetings and in-person activities will cement influencerbrand relationships

Considerations

Humanize the brand and directly engage influencers in brand activities and content

Objective Humanize your brand and further differentiate it from others in influencers’ minds

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Influencer Program: Moving Influencer from Credibility to Emotional Connection Lucky Community •

Appinions client Lucky Magazine created a user-generated section of their website, Lucky Community, to showcase blogs and content from up-andcoming fashion voices

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Lucky provides a platform for these influencers to reach a broader audience while making them a part of the Lucky family

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Interaction and engagement amongst community members helps Community content bubble up to the Luckymag.com homepage, further cementing the relationship between Community members and the brand

TAKEAWAY Showcasing influencers and elevating their content is a natural way to create strong relationships

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Create Loyalty

Phase Develop deep brand loyalty by translating personal capital into brand capital through referrals and believers.

Definition Create super advocatesTM for the brand by involving them in longer-term, regular actions and programs

Delivery •

Reward positive behavior

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Trust and emotional connection

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Provide predictable brand experiences

Considerations •

Leverage influencers’ loyalty by regularly seeking their expertise or advice

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Ingraining them in the company’s strategy and allowing them to not only be a influencer but a change maker, will be the catalyst for conversion to a super advocateTM

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Recognize influencers when they impact the company’s direction

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Loyalty – and Super Advocacy – is a long-term commitment and relationship, not campaign-based

Objective Ensure long standing loyalty by providing a reward for positive behaviour, displaying trust, maintaining an emotional connection and providing a consistent predictable experience

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Influencer Program: Moving Influencer from Emotional Connection to Loyalty Ubisoft Brand Champions •

Ubisoft, a multi-platform (Wii, Xbox, etc.) family game developer, created a “brand champion” program populated by influential parenting bloggers

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Engages Champions in events (online and off), promotions, and content creation for the brand

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Champions receive review copies of games for their families, represent the brand at events, and host events on behalf of the brand

TAKEAWAY A great match between brand and influencer will yield/create super advocatesTM with long term loyalty

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The Influencer ContinuumTM •

To effectively engage with influencers and convert them to super advocatesTM, the Influencer ContinuumTM is your road map to success

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It takes time to move influencers through the continuum

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The relationships being developed between your brand representatives and your influencers need to be nurtured and maintained on an ongoing basis

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