Sorry gang, influencers DO matter
There was a little bit of a brouhaha through the blogosphere last week when a report was published effectively stating that “influencers” don’t have as much clout as some think. Two highlights:
self-described social media users put far more trust in friends and family online than in popular bloggers, or strangers with 10,000 MySpace “friends.”
“This shows that popularity doesn’t always equate to credibility,” said Robert Hutton, executive vice president and general manager at Pollara. “Marketers might have to reconsider who the real influencers are out there.”
The last statement is the most important. If you are in marketing or PR, and you think “influencers” is equivalent to “top bloggers” then I have a tip for you: you’re doing it wrong.
PR exec Steve Rubel comments that “trust” is a key factor, while Susan Mernit and Andy Beal both dive in a little into the relationship/reputation side of the analysis. But John Furrier provokes the right question: What Does Influence Mean?
In my eye, influence is based completely topically. For example, as a 10-year veteran of consumer electronics product development and marketing, my peers tend to trust my opinions in the gadgety/marketingy space. I’m always the go-to guy for buying a device, so the last three friends of mine who have purchased plasmas have all bought the one I recommended for them (this Panasonic, or its derivative models). These same friends put a little less stock into what I say when it comes to which club to go to, or where you can buy the coolest shoes. My influence in those areas wanes, and this is true for pretty much everyone.
So if your PR/outreach strategy when it comes to influencers is:
- Decide to target influencers
- Contact the entire TechMeme leaderboard
- Expect wonderful results
In reviewing the second step above, again, you are doing it wrong. ALL influencer outreach programs MUST BE targeted specifically to the product/service you are marketing. 100% of the time, or bust. I don’t care if you are marketing a Web site or a new kind of soup, there is no one list for all needs.
