"Bloggers are dead"! That's what so many people write today. Would it be the end of the Social Web? Or does it mean that new stakeholders have taken the lead and are now the main hubs of influence?
Moderns vs Ancient influencers; it can sound archaic, but after all, the rise of Social Media has already taken decades. Three main trends - at least - have changed the rules of influence.
- the rise of a world of Apps: new habits, but also new boundaries wherein new people are on the edge. Pinterest power users don't look like the first "stars" of 2006. Instagr.am influencers are less easy to really identify
- Niche communities becoming the main value clusters: a bit like a massive Amazon inventory, what really matters is to "control" or "own" the most specialized & specific items
- The come back of the broadcast industry; let's face it, Twitter business is related to TV & entertainment business. It's not a bad news, as the broadcast industry needs niche clusters to generate money
In this presentation, I've tried to - briefly - summarize the genesis of these new influencers. I've also added some examples of people who change the rules today, from "The Stranger" to JR. I've finally tried to give some insights for brands and marketers.
It's really fascinating to discover these new worlds. They are where a certain pervasive creativity can rise, when it comes to brand/customers relationships. Every new channel also opens a new digital territory. Some are underground, some are overground, but all can be meaningful for citizens. They shape our cultures, as the streets are the most digital places ever.
Just a food for thought:
Instead of thinking a "Facebook strategy" or a "bloggers' outreach", isn't there a way to better analyze when a typology of customers (let's call it "personae" then) are really contacting a brand? Facebook is not a moment of truth, neither is Tumblr. But the ways people use them and transform them ARE the real bones of contention. Instead of thinking "paid" "owned" "earned" media, it'd be far more efficient to ask yourself when and why you can be legitimate to shape an hyphenated identity with your brand.
If Social Media Fatigue there is, it's not because of a real desertion of citizens; it's probably because we - marketers, institutions, web professionals - sometimes forget to imagine again our daily jobs.
If real people forge a new daily-telling (see how different it is from storytelling...), it's maybe time for us to shake up our minds: once upon a time, "we wanted to be the sky." Why not now?