Getting your company message out there, positioning brand identity and web presence with your market niche and target audience is key to maintaining a competitive edge. Businesses must learn word of mouth engagement and build message flow with online influencers.
At first glance, it may appear that the web is populated by a diverse cross section of company promoters, personal branders and guerilla blog commenters. Devising marketing strategies to cut through the 'noise' and speak directly to your potential market segment is essential to propel an audience to willingly come and visit.
There is an estimated 500 billion 'Influence Impression Data' per year, divided into two recognisable strands where people are sharing information about products and services online :
Influence impressions: Occurs on social media and networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others. The key users know generally who they're connecting with and know the people who will read them.
Influence posts: The more permanent data found in blog posts, ratings and reviews sites, and in discussion forums. Less tangible as it's not usually known how many or who will actually be reading or follow up.
Understanding 'who' and 'how' those all-important 'word of mouth' messages work to help spread the good word about your company, its products or services is, of course, vital to success online. In other words, your online marketing campaigns need to involve a 'peer influence' approach to engaging recognised 'influencers'.
A 'Peer Influence' Pyramid places 'influencers' into three types:
- Social Broadcasters
- Mass Influencers
- Potential Influencers
Social Broadcasters - powerful awareness creators, they emanate from an exclusive species of bloggers, writing content daily, who have built a vast readership loyally following their news, advice and opinions. Followers will dutifully click on links and recommendations but will still make their own mind up on follow through action.
Reaching Social Broadcasters - requires building relationships over the longer term rather than only contacting them when you need something! Show respect for their large audience following by creating individualised offers for them that reflect your understanding of their uniqueness and point of view. But be mindful and check the FTC guidelines for endorsements.
Mass Influencers - who make up only 16% of the pyramid but account for 80% of the influence impressions about products and services. It's therefore, important you don't ignore the 'minority' that creates the 'majority of the influence'. You also need different strategies to reach the different types of influencers.
Engaging Mass Influencers - which will include their family and friends they frequently turn to before making important purchases - by giving them something to talk about! When you understand their key interests and passions you can give them more content they will be unable to resist sharing.
Potential Influencers - or the 'average consumer' with networks of people -friends, family, peers- they actually know, offline. These networks are rich with trust, and make up 84% of the total population of the 'Peer Influence' pyramid.
Attracting Potential Influencers - by making everything drop-dead simple! They are not as motivated nor as technically savvy as the other two categories. So you need to come up with ideas that are quick and easy, requiring little to no effort, and obviously relevant to your defined audience that they can't help but spread the message. Retain their engagement over time by frequently addressing them between larger campaigns.
Remember - the steps of your 'peer' pyramid may be tricky to gain foothold at first but over the long haul, gold may be discovered at the hidden centre!