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The Ultimate Guide to
Influence Marketing
Foreword................................................................................................. 1
Introduction to Influence Marketing........................................................... 3
Influence Marketing Defined................................................................ 4
Business Benefits of Influence Marketing................................................... 5
Developing an Influence Marketing Strategy............................................... 7
Top Metrics for Reviewing Progress............................................................ 8
Common Challenges of Influence Marketing............................................. 10
Getting Started with Influence Marketing................................................. 12
Influence Marketing Checklist for the CEO/Executive Team .................. 13
Influence Marketing Checklist for the Senior Sponsor .......................... 14
Influence Marketing Checklist for the Influencer Relations Specialist....... 15
Additional Resources............................................................................. 16
Quickstart Guide for the Senior Sponsor................................................... 17
Quickstart Guide for the Influencer Relations Specialist............................ 30
“We need to understand how the
prospects
we do have make their decisions.”
If there’s one type of marketing that senior executives intuitively understand, it’s influence marketing. It’s just never had a
name before. Most senior executives have spent a lifetime in front of prospects and customers, and they intrinsically know the
importance of influencers. They also listen to their salespeople, who routinely tell them about the people behind the scenes
who are continually shaping and reshaping the purchase decision.
Yet these people have always been beyond the reach of sales forces, which in turn often leads to frustration with the marketing
department for not having access to them either. As a result, the chasm between the sales and marketing teams is reinforced.
It’s ironic then that marketers have often been the most resistant to adopting influence marketing. They’re already overstretched, they’re concentrating on their prospect databases, and these days they’re trying to figure out whether online or offline
outreach will provide the greatest return on investment each quarter. They don’t need another set of shadowy figures with disparate job titles to try to target — especially since those figures won’t likely ever buy anything directly. That’s why until recently,
influencers have been too “fuzzy” to concentrate on.
But there’s good news here. As marketing departments need to deliver more and more (often for less spend), more innovative
thinking is being introduced. We often hear about the search for greater “sales and marketing alignment.” There’s widespread
skepticism around simply buying more and more lists of database names to e-mail. Public relations and accounts receivable
teams are increasingly expected to show the impact of their work on the company’s bottom line, and that too is leading them
to broaden their reach. Yet time and again, the executive-level conversation comes down not to “We need to reach out to even
more people,” but instead to “We need to better understand how the prospects we do have make their decisions.”
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 1
It’s astonishing that so little knowledge has been acquired to address this question. We’ve always said that if those in marketing
departments would spend more time understanding how their prospects’ purchasing decisions are made, they would immediately change more than 50 percent of the marketing they currently initiate. All too often, vendors speak a different language
than their prospects. They fail to explain how their products solve the prospects’ pain points, and those vendors who are shortlisted then misunderstand who’s important in the presentation room (and who’s not).
We talk about marketing to, through, and with our selected influencers. They can most likely offer a level of credibility, trust,
and expertise to prospects that are currently missing from your outreach activities. They can also offer your company new routes
to market. Critically, they can act as a guiding hand throughout the purchase decision process. For that alone, they are worth
identifying and engaging with.
Practice influence marketing throughout your company’s outreach process, and the results will be obvious (and very persuasive).
You’ll have no problem securing the support of your executive sales function.
If you truly want sales and marketing alignment, it’s hard to beat influence marketing. This eBook offers a useful step-by-step
checklist for getting started. I wish you luck.
Nick Hayes
Principal, Influencer50 Inc.
Co-author, Influencer Marketing: Who Really Influences Your Customers?
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 2
Introduction to Influence Marketing
Influence plays an important role in business. Entrepreneurs are often influenced by the mentors they’ve learned from. Employees are influenced by the
culture they work in. And buyers are influenced by the ones they trust when
it comes down to making critical purchasing decisions.
Building that kind of trust takes time, of course. Fortunately, chances are that
there’s already a group of people out there who have earned the respect of
many of your potential customers. Whether they’re speakers, authors, entrepreneurs, or regular Joes who blog in their spare time, their words carry weight
with your target market. That’s where influence marketing comes into play.
Influence marketing is a practice geared toward targeting and building relationships with key individuals who have influence over your target segment
­— and ideally your target buyers.
That might include writers for major publications, industry analysts, industry thought leaders, and senior managers of key organizations. In such
instances, contact is made by phone or in person, requiring significant
senior management time. Contact with other target influencers (e.g., bloggers and trade journal writers) can often take place through e-mail and
social media channels, requiring less senior management time.
Influence marketing is typically the responsibility of a senior sponsor —
often the senior most person in the organization responsible for marketing, such as the marketing VP. For earlier stage companies, this role is
frequently filled by the CEO. The senior sponsor then appoints one or more
people to serve as influencer relations specialist to develop the program and
manage the daily and weekly activities. In many cases, the influencer relations specialist can be a part-time role or part of another employee’s overall
responsibilities.
Influence marketing
can be a valuable
& cost-effective
way to:
»» Increase brand awareness
»» Establish and/or enhance your
thought leadership position
»» Drive more traffic to your website
»» Generate more sales leads
»» Increase your deal close rate and
reduce sales cycle time
»» Ultimately impact the bottom line
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 3
To get started with influence
marketing, the specialist:
Develops
Adjusts
&
»» Develops a list of influencers
»» Develops influencer personas to identify the best
ways to communicate with influencer segments
»» Prioritizes the names into a narrow set of targets
»» Begins reaching out to build relationships, deliver
your messages, and get insights from the influencers
»» Adjusts and improves the program over time
Most of the activities are free, requiring little more than time. The investment is small compared to the reach that can be achieved through the
influencers’ “influence.”
The overarching goal for the program is to get people who influence your
target buyers to write and talk about you in a way that generates buyer
interest and enthusiasm for your products and services.
Influence Marketing Defined
Influence marketing is an updated approach to marketing and public relations
where you target the people your prospects turn to for information. These influencers help generate awareness and sway the purchasing decisions of those
who seek out and value their expertise, read their blogs, converse with them in
discussion forums, attend their presentations at industry events, and so on.
Marketing to influencers essentially means building relationships and pitching your stories to the influencers in a proactive, outbound fashion. Many
influencers are eager for ideas and content to speak or write about.
If they’re interested in your message, they will begin talking about your
company, its leaders, and/or products and services. Influence marketing
builds credibility for you in the eyes of your prospects because influencers
are often trusted resources.
A Quick Example: Exinda Networks
Problem Exinda was an expansion-stage company
with a great product offering and very little brand
awareness in its target market. CEO Michael
Sharma said it was a little like trying to shout from
the mountaintop without a voice.
Solution OpenView proposed an influence marketing program. Rather than blow its budget on a
massive advertising or PR campaign that might not
affect its target markets anyway, Exinda would go
for the word-of-mouth approach and try to develop
relationships with key influencers in its target
markets. OpenView and Exinda worked together to
increase the company’s brand awareness within the
market by identifying the target influencers, and
then contacted each influencer to begin building
relationships.
Results Exinda is getting more traffic to its website,
and more keywords are driving traffic to the site
from search engines. The result has been inbound
leads that are more likely to turn into sales.
“The influence marketing program was highly
targeted in the education sector, and the results
speak for themselves. We can track the results and
we’ve seen a measurable increase
in sales in this sector, and I think
we’ll continue to see that.”
Kevin Suitor
VP of Customer Advocacy, Exinda
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 4
Business Benefits of Influence Marketing
Influence marketing offers significant benefits to your customer development efforts. Specifically, it enables you to:
Raise awareness of your brand within your industry/space.
When you build relationships with key influencers, sooner or later you will probably benefit from getting some kind
of “ink.” Perhaps they will share one of your customer success stories, review one of your products, mention your
company in a case study, or write a company overview. These mentions essentially create another mark of your company on the Internet, acting as free advertising for your business. Your prospects will see this information and become
introduced to or reacquainted with your company’s brand.
Increase your Web traffic.
When an influencer mentions your company, it may cause his or her audience to seek out more information, usually by
going to your website.
Test your messaging and value proposition.
More often than not, your influencers are on the pulse of trends within your industry. If you can’t sell them on your
company’s competitive advantage and offerings, you may experience the same friction when selling to your prospects.
Influence marketing provides a feedback loop with people who live and breathe within your space.
Generate inbound leads or inquiries about your company.
Influence marketing gives you the opportunity to communicate your value proposition, offerings, and company background to prospects you may not otherwise have engaged with. Doing so will result in more people visiting your website,
participating in webinars, reading your blog, etc. — some of whom will eventually turn into qualified leads.
Build credibility/overcome objections/close more sales — faster.
When an influencer has given your company his or her “seal of approval,” the people who look to the influencer trust
that person’s word. Your salespeople won’t have to spend as much time selling your value proposition when the influencer has already helped communicate your message.
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 5
Social Media Spurs Influence Marketing
Influence marketing is nothing new. Companies have targeted influencers for years in order to help get
their story told or get coverage in the media. The difference today is mainly twofold: 1) the influencers in
your target market include a whole new set of businesses and individuals, and 2) you have direct access to
these people through social media. To the first point, these “new” influencers are very important to a variety
of your marketing goals. To the second point, it’s not just the tools that matter — it’s what goes in them.
Making this happen takes a plan:
Become the leading expert. There is no better way to influence the influencers than by becoming a leading expert and voice in your industry. How
do you do that? By being the “publisher” for your industry niche. If you
create and curate the leading thinking in your area (i.e., solutions to problems that no one else is covering), then influencers will take notice. This
means that you need to develop a content strategy that focuses on true
thought leadership and solving the problems of your customers and prospects. From the beginning, integrate influencers into your content production. They’ll be much more willing to share your information if you do.
The Content Hub. Think “one-to-many” here. You need a home for all
your great content. That may be a blog or an article repository. American
Express has AMEX OPEN Forum. OpenView has OpenView Labs. CMI has
ContentMarketingInstitute.com. Focus on a core area to begin the influence.
Your content must be shareable. Once you have the strategy and the
platform, make sure that sharing from your platform is incredibly easy.
Tweets, Facebook likes, and LinkedIn shares should all be seamless. It’s
also social proof of your expertise. When an influencer goes to one of your
posts with over 100 tweets, that says something about how effective your
content (and your own influence) is.
This eBook breaks down step-by-step
how to identify and interact with influencers, but the real key is to take the
steps to become an influencer yourself.
Social media can get you there, but not
unless you’re incredibly interesting and
helpful first. Think about a refrigerator
with no food inside. Not good. Not interesting. Let’s stockpile that fridge with
the best food your industry has to offer.
When that happens, everyone will want
to come and partake at your house.
Now that’s what I call influence
marketing.
Joe Pulizzi
Founder, Content Marketing
Institute, Junta 42; co-author,
Managing Content Marketing
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 6
Developing an Influence Marketing Strategy
As with any practice that requires resources and coordination across the company, influence marketing takes time, planning,
and established processes to be executed successfully. It also requires the CEO and executive team to:
»» Buy in to the long-term value of the effort
»» Approve the target influencer list
as a marketing initiative
»» Commit to participating in interviews and other activities
»» Assign a senior sponsor
that will likely transpire as a result of the influence marketing
program
»» Approve the budget to put the necessary resources in place
»» Participate in quarterly retrospective meetings to continually
»» Develop long-term goals for the program
monitor the program
Generally, there are three main roles
for expansion-stage companies:
The CEO and executive team, who set the priorities and goals
for the effort, approve the appropriate resources for the practice,
approve the influencer target list, and commit to being available for
interviews and other opportunities that the practice will generate.
The senior sponsor (generally the senior person in marketing),
who approves the plan, manages the influencer relations specialist,
reports on the goals, and supports the marketing efforts.
The influencer relations specialist, who builds and carries out
the plan, identifies and prioritizes the target list of influencers,
develops relationships with the influencers, makes adjustments to
improve the practice, and delivers tangible results from the program
(e.g., mentions in industry reports and articles, keynote presentations at your user conferences, case examples that include your
company in presentations, blog mentions, etc.).
&
CEO
Executive Team
Senior Sponsor
Influencer
Relations Specialist
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 7
Top Metrics for Reviewing Progress
Metrics are extremely helpful for keeping track of progress
and impact. They will help you gain insights into your
strategy, allowing for better planning as time goes on.
The metrics for influence marketing fall under
three broad categories:
1.Program goals and an approved target list of influencers.
2.Activity metrics, which measure the inputs to your
influence marketing efforts, such as:
»»The number of activities taking place (e-mails, calls,
meetings, demos, etc.)
»»The number of daily and weekly conversations your
influencer relations specialist is having with your
target influencers
»»The coverage level of your target influencers
3.Result metrics, which measure the impact the practice
is having, such as:
»»The number of opportunities (e.g., interviews, speaking
engagements) the influencer relations specialist has
set up
»»The number of mentions in blogs, feature articles, etc.
»»Increased awareness and clearer perception in the
market (if you are doing perception research)
»»Website traffic generated from the mentions
»»Sales leads/sales generated from the mentions
»»Closed sales generated from the mentions
Why Influencers Matter
Every quarter I present to my executive team on the impact
of content marketing, which includes communications and
influencer relations. This process requires heavy analysis
from premium tools like Vocus and Sysomos that visualize
data into pretty charts that executives like.
We’d just embarked on an influence marketing initiative,
so I was eager to dig into the data. I went right to the
Social Media Mentions dashboard and generated the coveted graph. I admired the massive spike in buzz to start
the quarter. It was majestic. The Everest of awareness.
Then panic struck: the peak did not correspond to any marketing, communications, or product campaign. Moreover, the
rogue spike happened during the Fourth of July holiday –
precisely the last time anyone would expect a surge in discussion about a business-to-business SaaS company. How
would I explain to my CEO that the quarter’s most successful communications program wasn’t a program at all?
Eventually we solved the mystery.
What happened? Scott Monty happened, that’s what. Ford’s
head of social media cheered our content on his personal
blog, and the post started a groundswell of discussion that
rang louder than any concerted effort we’d orchestrated.
One guy, one blog post, and a holiday weekend. I’m always
reminded of this story when I think about
the importance of influencer relations.
Joe Chernov
Former VP of Content Marketing, Eloqua
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 8
Based on your goals for the practice, you may want to track traffic (number of unique visitors to your blog or website), audience engagement (number of pageviews and time on site), conversion metrics (number of click-throughs, webinar participation,
newsletter signups, etc.), or various social media metrics (number of followers, fans, etc.).
For example, an effort with increased Web traffic but low conversions may be considered a success if your goal is to increase
awareness. On the other hand, if you’re looking to increase your number of short-term leads, you’ll want to work to achieve a
higher conversation rate.
To be clear, many of the essential metrics of the practice depend heavily on the goals you set for the program. It’s up to you
to determine the appropriate measures of success.
“Influence marketing is a great strategy to incorporate into your overall
marketing mix. But how do you know your efforts are really paying off?
By setting SMART goals and tracking the key metrics, you’ll be able to
determine a return on objective for your influence marketing program.
Metrics can be tracked in a simple spreadsheet or complex database
such as Salesforce.com. Over time the metrics will help you determine
what’s working and what’s not, so that you can then determine where
to focus your efforts overall.”
Kevin Cain
Director of Content Strategy
OpenView Venture Partners
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 9
Common Challenges of Influence Marketing
Some of the issues you might face when initiating an influence marketing program include the following:
Lack of buy-in and/or commitment from your CEO or executive team.
Before initiating the practice, make sure all of the company’s top leaders are willing to participate in activities with
influencers.
Lack of clear, measurable goals.
Work as a team to identify and set the goals ahead of time. Adjust the goals as necessary over time.
Lack of valuable content.
Without quality content, it will be difficult to tell your company’s story to influencers. Make sure you have enough content to share before you make the initial contact. Make sure you also have a program in place for continuously developing content so that you can provide your influencers with fresh material on a regular basis.
Lack of customer participation.
Influencers don’t want to hear how great you are straight from the horse’s mouth — they want to hear from your customers or end users. Before getting your influence marketing practice off the ground, make sure you have identified
a few customers who are willing to help tell your company’s story. You need to be able to share your customers’ successes with influencers, who are often interested in learning how companies solve their problems.
Not focusing on the right influencers.
Influence marketing can have a great impact, but only if you are targeting the right people, at the right time, with the
right message. This is one of the areas where your influencer relations specialist will prove especially useful. Part of
his or her job is to make sure you’ve identified the right people to target; the influencer relations specialist does this by
spending time monitoring the influencers’ activities.
Delivering the same content, in the same fashion, across the board to all influencers.
It’s important to develop influencer personas, as different sets of influencers have different sets of needs, goals, and
preferred methods of communication. For example, you’ll probably have to approach technical bloggers differently than
you will industry analysts. Reporters will require yet another approach. Understanding your influencer personas will
help your team craft and deliver targeted, effective pitches based on each segment’s needs.
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 10
Trying to focus on too many influencers.
The influencer relations specialist will prioritize the top influencers that he or she thinks your company should be
focusing on. The result should be a small set of influencers. Ongoing monitoring may result in reprioritization
(e.g., the chief editor of your industry’s top niche publication is retiring, so he or she will no longer be a priority target).
Not managing the relationships.
The influencer relations specialist should keep contact files on each of the influencers and set up a system for
communicating with them on a regular basis.
You don’t have a formal plan in place for reviewing your results.
Hold a retrospective meeting each quarter to review the results of your influence marketing practice. Identify what’s
working, what’s not working, and why. Identify three things you can do immediately to improve the practice.
“Software sales cycles are complex and multi-faceted; there are a number
of factors and multiple people in the mix. Surrounding those buyers are
the influencers, who have a very credible and compelling voice. The goal
of influence marketing is to serve this community with information and
insights about your company and its offerings, so they have the information they need to educate their own audiences. A trusting relationship
between your company and your influencers is essential. Influence
marketing should ultimately perpetuate a dialogue that
puts influencers at the center.”
Dan Dillon
Manager of Marketing, Litéra
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 11
Getting Started with Influence Marketing
If you apply the proper resources and effort toward it, your influence marketing program can be up and running within a few
weeks. But after that, you’ll have to allow additional time for the relationships to develop. This eBook contains a number of
documents that will help the people in each role perform their activities relatively quickly.
For the CEO/Executive Team
»» Checklist for the CEO/Executive Team (page 13)
For the Senior Sponsor
(e.g., marketing VP or marketing manager)
»» Checklist for the Senior Sponsor (page 14)
»» Quickstart Guide for the Senior Sponsor (page 17),
which includes tips on:
--Determining the targets and goals –
Helps you set the strategy
--Developing the pitch: Messaging and positioning –
Tips for finding the right message
--Building a content strategy – How to develop
your story
--The influencer app – Creating a system to track
your progress
--Hiring an influencer relations specialist –
How to find the right person for the job
--Training your influencer relations specialist
--Managing the process –­­­ How to measure
against SMART goals
--Marketing to influencers, through influencers,
and with influencers – Inside the action steps
for making the most of your relationships
and quarterly basis – Ideas for reviewing your
successes and failures
--Sample reports ­– How to share your results
--Influence marketing legal considerations –
Things to know about testimonials and
endorsements
For the Influencer Relations Specialist
»» Checklist for the Influencer Relations Specialist
(page 15)
»» Quickstart Guide for the Influencer Relations Specialist
(page 30), with ideas for:
--Preparing and training – Preliminary steps for
getting started
--Identifying influencers – How to find the people
you should be targeting
--Creating influencer personas – Segmenting your
influencer lists
--Building the database – The questions to ask of
your influencers
-- Prioritizing the targets – How to narrow down your list
--Marketing to influencers, through influencers, and
with influencers – Inside the action steps for making
the most of your relationships
--Checking and reflecting on a daily, weekly,
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 12
Influence Marketing Checklist for the CEO/Executive Team
Use the following checklist to ensure that your influence marketing effort will have the greatest probability of success. The
executive team should make sure that all items are checked off and the senior sponsor (e.g., marketing VP) should guarantee
that the executive team is following through on the checklist.
We believe in the value of an influence marketing program and understand that it is an effort that generally needs time
to generate results.
We have agreed on the target market segment for the influence marketing program.
We have determined and set quantitative, reasonable goals that we will work to achieve during the influence marketing
program.
We will support the opportunities identified by the influencer relations specialist by participating in interviews, briefings,
meetings, etc., with key influencers.
We have assigned a senior sponsor and influencer relations specialist; both are committed to the goals.
The senior sponsor and influencer relations specialist have developed an appropriate plan and we have approved the
resources that will be necessary to execute it.
The senior sponsor will report the results and adjustments to us each quarter.
We will adjust the practice based on the results of the program.
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 13
Influence Marketing Checklist for the Senior Sponsor
For the influence marketing program to get off the ground and yield results, there must be commitment to the importance of
the initiative across the organization. There also needs to be an accepted agreement of what must be prioritized to improve the
program over time. It is the senior sponsor’s responsibility to convey the importance of the influence marketing program to the
entire company and make sure that you have commitment.
The following checklist can be used to ensure that this effort will have the greatest probability of success. It’s the senior sponsor’s job to manage the influencer relations specialist and make sure that the CEO and executive team members are engaging
appropriately.
All of the items on the CEO/executive team checklist have been checked.
I have shared the descriptions of our company’s target personas to the influencer relations specialist to help him/her focus on
developing the program around the appropriate audience.
I have communicated the targets and goals of the program to the influencer relations specialist.
I have created a budget and timeline for the initiative.
I will ensure that the influencer relations specialist will have the content and messaging he/she needs to effectively target and
build relationships with key influencers.
I have chosen and implemented an appropriate tool to manage the activities and database for the influence marketing program.
I will ensure that the influencer relations specialist is 1) developing influencer personas and segmenting the influencers by
persona, and 2) focusing on the most appropriate influencers, based on the goals of the program.
I have trained the influencer relations specialist on the system to manage the process.
The influencer relations specialist is engaged and understands what he/she needs to do.
The influencer relations specialist has completed his/her checklist.
I have gained commitments from our company’s executives and customers to participate in demos, briefings, interviews, etc.
I am committed to conducting briefings, meetings, interviews, etc., with influencers.
I have created a planning and reporting schedule to help manage the influencer relations specialist’s efforts and remove
impediments to success.
I will present reviews and proposed adjustments to the CEO/executive team on a quarterly basis.
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 14
Influence Marketing Checklist for the Influencer Relations Specialist
It is the influencer relations specialist’s responsibility to represent the company well, foster relationships with key influencers,
and help influencers communicate the company’s messages to your target buyers. Your senior sponsor should:
Ensure that you are fully prepared to represent the company within the influence marketing program
Make sure that you are committed to the process
Minimize any roadblocks or impediments you encounter
The following checklist can help:
I understand the target buyer personas or segments for the influence marketing program.
I have received the training I’ll need to be successful in representing the company (information about the company’s
background, products, messaging, etc.).
I am aware of and committed to meeting my weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals.
I have been trained on the system being used to manage the influence marketing program.
I have conducted research to identify likely influencers of our target segment(s).
I have developed influencer personas based on my research and have segmented influencers by persona.
I have prioritized and ranked the influencers to create a database of key influencers based on our goals, and I have approval to
proceed with the list. Furthermore, I will adjust and improve the list over time as the results from the program are generated.
I have conducted phone interviews with customers and prospects to validate the influencer database.
I have worked with the senior sponsor to create timelines for the program.
I have received the content I’ll need to be successful when communicating with influencers.
I have completed the necessary secondary research to prepare myself for making the “first contact.”
I have developed and will maintain the contact intervals for the target influencers.
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 15
Influence Marketing Checklist for the Influencer Relations Specialist, cont.
I will continuously update the database of influencers based on my contacts and research.
I am developing relationships with key influencers and scheduling appointments for our CEO/executive team to participate in
interviews, meetings, briefings, etc., with influencers.
I am committed to marketing to, through, and with the influencers.
I have a solid template for weekly retrospective and planning sessions with the appropriate people to review progress and
issues, and to determine the right focal points for the following week.
Additional Resources
How Influencers Influence (Duncan Brown, Influencer50)
Power of Persuasion (Meg de Jong, B2BM.biz)
Influence Without Authority (Allan Cohen)
PR is Dead, Long Live IR (Firas Raouf, OpenView Blog)
Who’s Really Influencing Your Customers? (Influencer50)
How-To: Identifying Influencers, Neutralizing Detractors (MarketingVOX)
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 16
Quickstart Guide for the Senior Sponsor
Determining the Targets and Goals
As with any new marketing program, it is essential to determine a strategy,
identify targets, and set goals. First, try to answer this question:
“Who are the targets of your influence marketing program?”
It is essential to determine a target segment and/or personas so that your
efforts are focused. Gather any previously created materials on your target
segments and personas. If these documents do not exist, meet with the
executive team to develop profiles for one-to-three types of individuals who
are most likely to buy your company’s products or services, and identify
their key characteristics in order to build pictures of them as individuals.
Second, try to answer this question:
“What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your
influence marketing program?”
Possible answers may include:
»» Develop a stronger brand
»» Increase our company’s Web footprint
»» Drive traffic to our website
»» Increase awareness of our brand
»» Generate leads
»» Increase sales
When setting goals, it is
important to set SMART goals.
SMART goals are specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic,
and timely.
Additional resources for determining
the targets and goals:
Determining your target segment(s)
The Power of the Persona
(Bonnie Rind, Pragmatic Marketing)
You’ve Got Your Segments, What About Personas?
(Tien Anh Nguyen, OpenView Blog)
Reconciling Market Segments and Personas
(Elaine Brechin, Cooper.com)
Digital Buyer Persona 2.0: Buyer Personas Segmentation (Tony Zambito, Buyer Persona Insights)
Market Segmentation Introduction (Wikipedia)
Setting goals
Mission Statement and Goal Setting for
Sales and Marketing Professionals
(Thomas Young, EvanCarmichael.com)
Go for the Goal
(Amanda Maksymiw, OpenView Blog)
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 17
Developing the Pitch: Messaging and Positioning
Your company’s message or brand is a huge component of any influence marketing program. The program’s success will depend
on how your company’s messaging resonates with the key influencers. As with any marketing campaign, it is important to determine the position of your company so that it stands out from the competition. If your company does not currently have strong
messaging or positioning, meet with the executive team to work toward finalizing it.
Once there is messaging and positioning in place, test it against your target personas and target influencers. Keep in mind
that just as your company has buyer and user personas, it too will have influencer personas. Different influencers have different needs, goals, and preferred methods of communication. During initial research, your influencer relations specialist should
be able to develop influencer personas and segment the influencers as much as possible in order to craft and deliver targeted,
effective pitches based on each segment’s needs.
Remember these tips while developing your pitch:
»» Do your homework first. Try to understand your influencers’ point of interest, beat, editorial calendar, etc., so you can
approach them with targeted pitches that they will be more receptive to. Be sure to read their work (if applicable) before
reaching out.
»» Incorporate your value proposition or competitive advantage into your pitch. This will help you stand out from your competition. It will help answer the question, “Why should I pay attention?”
»» Have a relevant customer success story on hand to keep your influencer engaged. Most influencers prefer to hear about
your company from the perspective of the end user, not the marketing VP. Save yourself some hassle and be armed with
facts when you make a pitch.
»» Deliver your pitch over the phone. By doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to receive instant feedback.
»» Adjust your pitches regularly. Not every pitch or technique will work every time. Remember that influencers are people.
Use your intuition and interpret the feedback that influencers provide to adjust your strategy accordingly.
Additional resources for developing the pitch:
Value Proposition, Positioning and Messaging (SlideShare)
Positioning: As Popularized by Al Ries and Jack Trout (QuickMBA)
Power of Persuasion (Meg de Jong, Influencer50)
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 18
Building a Content Strategy
Content marketing experts Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett define content marketing as the art of understanding exactly what your
customers need to know and delivering it to them in a relevant and compelling way. Over the last several decades, B2B marketers have faced many challenges: engage, do more with less, connect, extend reach, social frenzy, 1.0, and so on. In response to
the challenges, many marketers have shifted to a new direction. This new method focuses on engaging target audiences, listening to their pain points, and communicating solutions that solve their problems.
When building your content strategy, you should keep in mind the following tips and questions:
»» Set your goals first. As with any strategy, you’ll need a map to get to where you want to go.
»» Think of your audience as readers. What do they need to know to be successful? What are their pain points?
»» Provide relevant content that presents solutions to some of the main problems your target audience is facing.
How do you solve industry pain points?
»» Do some research on your influencers. Try to understand the content they’re looking for by reviewing their existing work,
beat sheet, editorial calendar, etc. Remember that you may have to reach out to them to get this information.
»» Segment your influencers into influencer personas. Just as you have different buyer and user personas, you will have different influencer personas. Make sure you understand what each persona looks like, their needs and goals, what information
they are looking for, and how they prefer to receive their information.
»» Determine the appropriate content types for reaching your target influencers and target audience. Different audiences react
differently to different types of content. What works with one prospect or influencer may not work for everyone. Determine
if you need external sources to help with your content creation initiatives. Prioritize your content creation based on your
resource allocation.
»» Track and measure the success of your content against your influence marketing goals. Think qualitative and quantitative. Is
the content helping you build better relationships with your influencers? Are you able to participate in more conversations?
Are your conversations meaningful? Has traffic to your site increased? Do you see a boost in participation on social media?
One of the most critical components of an influence marketing program is content. After all, how can your
influencer relations specialist get influencers excited about your company, products, or services if he or she
doesn’t have any stories to share?
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 19
Additional resources for building a content strategy:
Content marketing
Creating a content strategy
Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs (Junta42)
Top 10 Takeaways from the 2010 Content Strategy Forum
(Newt Barrett, Content Marketing Today)
Junta42 Blog (Joe Pulizzi)
Get Customers, Get Content (Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett)
Managing Content Marketing (Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose)
Content Marketing Institute
How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy (Rohit Bhargava,
Influencer Marketing Blog)
How to Build Your Business with Content (Copyblogger)
Tippingpoint Labs
10 Tips to Optimize Your Content Marketing Strategy
(Lee Odden, Top Rank Online Marketing Blog)
Content Marketing Today
Content Marketing Playbook (Junta42)
Creating a System: The Influencer App
What will you use to manage your database of influencers?
How will you manage activities?
What tools will you use to track open opportunities?
By using an existing system to manage your influence marketing program, you won’t have to worry about answering the previous questions. Several options exist. Cision and Vocus offer Web-based solutions to managing all public relations activities. If
you’re not in a position to purchase a new software tool, you can develop a custom application within Salesforce.com to manage the influence marketing program. If you have Salesforce.com, consult with the person in your company who is responsible
for implementation.
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 20
If you are creating an application, here are some things to consider:
As an...
I want to...
So that I...
Influence Marketer
classify influencer contacts by their role at the influencer
account
know what role the contact plays with
respect to a given account
Influence Marketer
classify influencer contacts by their role on a particular
influencer opportunity
know what role the contact plays
with respect to a given influencer
opportunity
Influence Marketer
associate influencer opportunities with a particular
influencer account and related influencer contacts
know what opportunities I have to
influence an influencer account
and when
Influence Marketer
log detailed information and related contacts to my influencer accounts that may have multiple contacts related to
them, as well as multiple influencer opportunities
know what opportunities I have to
influence an influencer account and
when
Influence Marketer
have a fully functional application with all the objects
I need to track
can stay focused and keep track of the
most important items
Influence Marketer
create influencer opportunities with detailed information
on the type of opportunity, when it will occur, what actions
I need to take to complete the opportunity, the contacts
that are related to this opportunity, and what role those
contacts play with respect to this opportunity
can have access to all of the information related to a particular influencer
opportunity in one place
Influence Marketer
associate influencer collateral, such as articles, reports,
press releases, and white papers, with influencer accounts
and their contacts
can keep track of each of my influencer accounts and contacts and know
what they are doing
Influence Admin
upload influencer accounts with detailed information and
related contacts in bulk from an Excel spreadsheet
can easily upload a lot of information
Influence Admin
run reports on the following objects: Influencer Accounts,
Influencer Opportunities, and Collateral the Influencers
Have Issued
can keep track of all the work we are
doing against the influencers and measure their performance
Influencer Admin
relate a contact to an influencer opportunity
can easily upload mass influence opps
with contacts and contact roles associated to them
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 21
Here are some examples of a
Salesforce.com application:
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 22
Here are some examples of a
Salesforce.com application:
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 23
Hiring an Influencer Relations Specialist
Do you need a full-time influencer relations specialist? For many companies, the answer is probably no, but it depends on your
goals. For example, if you want to target 5-to-10 influencers and close three opportunities per quarter, you may find that a parttime resource does the trick. Perhaps you can fold the influence marketing responsibilities into another role, such as that of
your marketing manager or inbound marketer.
Qualifications include:
»» BA/BS in Marketing, Communications, PR, Journalism,
»» A positive attitude, strong attention to detail, and
English, or a related field
»» Exceptional communication skills and an interest
in technology
»» 1-2 years of experience in marketing, ideally with
a technical focus
»» Minimum 2 years of experience contributing to niche
a passion for the new rules of marketing and PR
»» Highly self-motivated and driven
»» Startup experience a plus
»» Salesforce.com experience a plus
»» Entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to innovate
online communities and managing popular social media
sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
The influencer relations specialist’s responsibilities include:
»» Develop, iterate, and maintain an ongoing database of
key influencers who are highly relevant to your company,
specifically in the analyst and multichannel media communities
»» Prioritize the influencers and reach out to them to determine their contact preferences
»» Develop, execute, and maintain a contact plan, combining face-to-face, phone, and e-mail contact with a planned
contact cycle and accountability
»» Coordinate the interaction between the key influencers and
the appropriate personnel at the right time with the right
message
»» Identify and qualify opportunities for your company to be
included in news articles, analyst reports, product reviews,
blog posts, etc.
»» Help develop media pitches
»» Pitch news stories, customer case studies, partner stories,
product press releases, etc., to the influencer database
»» Coordinate the interaction between the key influencers and
the appropriate customers and/or partners
»» Report on progress and a specific set of metrics during
weekly update meetings
»» Manage all activities within Salesforce.com
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 24
The influencer relations specialist’s responsibilities, cont.:
»» Stay current with the latest Web 2.0 technologies and
determine the best ways to use them
»» Work with the team to develop and follow a predetermined
content calendar to create and update content
(i.e., multiple weekly posts/updates)
»» Help the team develop new pitches by interviewing
customers and partners
»» Communicate with influential sites, blogs, and other online
communities to develop positive brand relationships, promote content, and drive traffic
»» Develop a reputation dashboard or system to monitor the
progress of developing the company’s brand
»» Gain a comprehensive understanding of the product and
the market
Training the Influencer Relations Specialist
The influencer relations specialist’s main responsibility is to develop and nurture relationships with key influencers within your
company’s industry. As a result, he/she must be extremely well versed on your company’s history, messaging, positioning, products, and customer information in order to answer any questions influencers may have.
The first thing you’ll want to ensure is that your influencer relations specialist has received proper training on the company and
product. Next, be sure he/she is properly trained on how to make cold calls. Finally, make sure he/she is comfortable using your
automation database.
Managing the Process
As senior sponsor, you will be supervising the overall influence marketing effort. The influencer relations specialist will be working with you to identify the influencers, prioritize key influencers, create the content, and deliver the content to the influencers. While the influencer relations specialist can do a lot of the execution, it is important for you to be a part of the planning to
ensure the program is working toward meeting the SMART goals.
Here are some things to consider when managing the program:
»» What are our impediments to success?
»» What are the weekly focal points?
»» What are we learning from our conversations with the influencers?
»» What changes can we make to the contact plans in order to be more successful?
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 25
Marketing to Influencers, through Influencers, and with Influencers
Once the influence marketing program gets off the ground and the influencer relations specialist begins developing relationships with key influencers, it is imperative for the executive team to support the program by marketing to influencers. Your role
is to represent the company with the appropriate messaging and positioning.
This responsibility mainly includes participating in the following:
»» Briefings
» Interviews
» In-person meetings
The following questions are key:
»» What is the purpose of the phone call?
»» It is necessary for the CEO to participate,
or can another executive lead the call?
»» Has the team prepared all necessary information and content?
The influencer relations specialist
should prepare you for any meetings
or phone calls with influencers.
The responsibility of conducting briefings and meetings should never fall completely on one individual, but rather on the executive team. For example, the CEO should be involved in first-time briefings or interviews in which the goal is to introduce the
company, provide insight on the company’s strategy, etc., whereas the CTO or VP of Products should be involved in technical
briefings or product demos.
Here are some things to keep in mind when conducting briefings or interviews:
»» Know the date of your last briefing with the influencer
»» Understand the influencer’s topics of interest and
be prepared to discuss:
-- New ideas or information
-- Product information
-- Competitive insights
-- ROI
-- Best practices
-- Market shifts
-- Updates to management teams, etc.
»» Develop an agenda so that you don’t improvise
»» Send along your materials (PowerPoints, case studies, etc.)
1 or 2 days in advance
»» Be exact about your company’s information:
-- Number of employees
-- Locations, etc.
»» Nail down the messaging you want to convey in each briefing:
-- Company history
-- Target segments
-- Business problems
-- Value proposition
-- Competitive positioning, etc.
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 26
Additional resources for marketing to influencers:
Power of Persuasion (Meg de Jong, Influencer50)
How Influencers Influence (Duncan Brown, Influencer50)
The Key to Analyst Briefings (Amanda Maksymiw, OpenView Blog)
Check and Reflect on a Daily, Weekly, and Quarterly Basis
Influence does not develop overnight. It may take weeks before you notice any results against your goals. To ensure that your influence marketing program is on the right course, track the following:
On a daily level:
On a weekly level:
On a quarterly level:
»» # of activities
»» # of conversations
»» # of new opportunities
»» Important notes or insights
»» # of conversations
»» # of new opportunities
»» # of closed opportunities
»» Tasks assigned to other
»» # of opportunities created by the
team members
influencer relations specialist
»» # of interviews/briefings completed
»» # of pickups/external mentions
»» # of closed opportunities
»» Impediments or issues
NOTE: Remember to track your progress against the original goals you set for the influence marketing program. This may include
tracking the number of unique visitors, time on website, number of pageviews, number of followers on social media channels, etc.
All of these metrics can be captured in a Web-based tool such as Salesforce.com or Vocus. As the senior sponsor responsible for
managing the daily and weekly activities of the influencer relations specialist, you should be able to pull this information together
fairly quickly to produce reports.
We suggest the entire executive team meet quarterly to discuss the results. During this time, you should discuss any issues or
impediments the team has faced while executing against the influence marketing program. This is a good opportunity to brainstorm
and discuss items such as:
»» Can we see the impact our program is having on our targets?
»» What testing can we do to determine if we are targeting the right set of influencers?
»» What can we do to improve?
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 27
Sample Reports
Daily Report
Influence marketing Daily Update
»» 30 activities
»» 4 conversations
»» 1 new opportunity – Network World
editor is interested in covering product
announcement
Weekly Reports (See charts to the right)
Quarterly Report
Influence marketing Program Q1 Report
»» New opportunities created: 20
»» Number of completed interviews: 10
Include listing of influencers
»» Number of external mentions
or pickups: 16
Include listing of the mentions
and associated URLs
»» Number of closed opportunities: 12
Include listing of closed opportunities
with appropriate links
»» Top issues or impediments throughout
the quarter:
-- Lack of content to support the initiative
-- Lack of commitment
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 28
Influence Marketing Legal Considerations
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2009 developed a set of guidelines for testimonials and endorsements in advertisements.
This covers everything from consumer to expert endorsements. What does this mean for an influence marketing program?
Essentially the guidelines indicate that there must be transparency around testimonials or endorsements of any kind that are
published on the Internet, especially if there is a business relationship involved (e.g., X is a customer) or there is an exchange
of resources (e.g., Blogger X was given the product for free in order to write a glowing promotional review). In the end, remember to disclose any information that may fall into the gray zone.
The new guides will apply evenly to endorsements you initiate and to unprompted endorsements you pick up and use. You are
accountable for claims made in both types of endorsements. If you use an endorsement, you’re accountable for it. Come up
with an action plan as needed.
Additional resources for legal considerations:
Attention Mommy Bloggers: The FTC Isn’t Coming After You (Meghan Keane, Econsultancy)
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 29
Quickstart Guide for the Influencer Relations Specialist
Preparing and Training
To ensure success in this role, meet with your manager to clearly understand the goals and overall strategy of the
influence marketing program.
Be sure you have been trained on the following for your company:
»» Target segments
»» Target personas
»» Company history
»» Product/services overview
»» Benefits of the product/pain points addressed
»» Industry overview
»» Senior management team overview
»» Customer overview
Some additional training in the following areas may help the process run more smoothly:
»» Influence marketing in general
»» Making cold calls
»» Using the database (e.g., Salesforce.com training)
Additional resources for preparing and training:
Influencer Handbook (WOMMA)
Introduction to Influencer Marketing: Who’s Really Influencing Your Customers? (Influencer50)
The Influentials (Ed Keller and Jon Berry)
Best Influencer Marketing Practices, Tactics, and Resources (Larry Chase, WDFM.com)
Theory of Relate(ivity) (Everyday Influence)
Cold Calling in the 21st Century: The New Rules, Part II (Wendy Weiss, The Customer Collective)
Online Salesforce.com Training (Salesforce)
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 30
Identifying Influencers
Once you have a good understanding of your company’s target personas, target segments, goals, and system for managing
leads, you are ready to begin the research phase to build your influencer database.
Influencers may include the following:
»» Bloggers (and microbloggers)
»» Business and trade journalists
»» Journalists for major publications
»» Buyer groups, purchasing lists,
and procurement authorities
»» Commentators
»» Consultants
»» Conference and event speakers and organizers
»» Consumers and consumer groups
»» Industry analysts
»» Peers (role-based, industry-based)
»» Value-added resellers (VARs), distributors, and similar
channel partners
»» Venture capital firms/investors
»» Participants in online forums and user groups
How do you identify key influencers? A good place to start is with secondary research. You can find a great deal of information
online for a relatively low cost.
Here are some tips for identifying influencers online:
»» Develop a good list of a variety of keywords to conduct
»» Explore LinkedIn. There may be well-established groups
general searches. Use Google to identify experts within
your company’s space by using these keywords. This is
a generic tactic that may help you find a wide range of
influencer types: bloggers, analysts…you name it.
within your industry. These groups are often composed of
multiple types of influencers.
»» Set up multiple Google Alerts for your company and
»» Use blog search engines such as Google Blog Search and
Technorati to find the key bloggers for your company.
Use a few different keywords to ensure the best results.
»» Look for influencers on Twitter by using the search
feature or use a tool like TweepML to find lists of people
interested in a certain topic.
competitors, as well as 5-to-10 keywords to get the news
as it happens. This may also catch anything you may
have overlooked.
»» Use PR tools such as Cision and Vocus. These tools can
help you find influencers as well as manage the engagement process.
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 31
Primary research is also an excellent way to find key influencers. Invite your current customers and prospects to participate in
an online survey or phone interview, and ask them where they go for information within your industry. If you’re doing outbound
prospecting, ask your prospects questions to uncover their influencers. Most will be willing to engage with your company and
offer up the information without resistance. All you have to do is ask.
Here are some questions to ask:
»» Where do you go for information on (industry/topic)?
›› Do you read any online/printed publications?
-- Which one(s)?
›› Do you read any blogs or other websites?
-- Which one(s)?
»» Do you get your information via word of mouth?
»» Who do you talk to in order to get more information on (topic)?
›› Analysts? (get names)
›› Other network administrators? (get names)
›› Industry experts? (get names)
Additional resources for identifying influencers:
How to Identify Influencers (MarketingVOX)
Power of Persuasion (Meg de Jong, Influencer50)
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 32
Creating Influencer Personas
Just as you have personas within your target audience, personas exist within your influencer database as well. Influencer personas are based on the type of influencer and the goals and issues they face. It is important to have a basic understanding of
the different types of influencers you engage with so you can segment them as much as possible, build relationships with them,
and craft and deliver targeted, effective pitches based on their needs.
Here are examples of some of the goals and needs of various types of influencers:
»» Searches for and writes about cutting-edge news
»» Needs unique new ideas
»» Needs quotes to add to a story
»» Needs an expert
»» Wants to sell a research subscription
»» Provides valuable product reviews
»» Is working to become an expert in a
specific space, etc.
For example, bloggers have different needs and goals than industry analysts, and therefore, you may need to approach them
differently. Because bloggers typically are more interested in social media, it may make sense to engage over Twitter. However,
you may need to use a more traditional communication vehicle when engaging with an analyst. Learning about each influencer’s
needs, goals, and preferred methods of communication will be crucial.
Each company will have its own influencer personas that it will want to target — just as each company has its own set of buyer
and user personas.
Here is an example of what an influencer persona might look like:
Technology Blogger
»» 95% are male
»» 25-40 years old
»» Caucasian, Indian, Asian
»» 95% are college educated
»» Technical degree, possibly from a state school
»» Married
»» May have one or two children
»» Lives near a major city
(primarily in California, East Coast, and Midwest)
»» Pays attention to big news announcements, such as product
launches
»» Very active on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare)
»» Very gadget-savvy
»» Wants to know about new, unique ideas
»» May blog on multiple platforms
»» Reads TechCrunch, MacWorld, Gizmodo, Computerworld,
peHUB, Lifehacker, The Onion, The Daily Beast, Wired
»» Loves Pandora, Last.fm, and podcasts
»» Goes to YouTube for a laugh
»» Active LinkedIn profile
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 33
Building the Database
Now that you’ve identified some potential influencers, do some additional research (either online or over the phone) to learn
more about them. Specifically, review their content, examine how they engage online, and study their beat sheets or editorial
calendars (if applicable). At this point, as you begin to learn more about your influencers, segment them into specific influencer
personas. This will help you later, as you create and prepare pitches.
As you begin to reach out to your influencers, input the information in your database and set up contact intervals to manage
your activities. While it may seem like a lot of prep work, all of this data will prepare you to pitch your company’s news and
stories effectively to the influencers.
Here are some things to keep in mind while building the database:
»» Understand the influencer’s area of interest or beat
»» Understand his/her preferences (e.g., e-mail over phone calls, etc.)
»» Know all of the influencer’s channels (e.g., blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
»» Familiarize yourself with the influencer’s recent work
»» Review any editorial calendars or media kits, if applicable
Speaking with the influencers during this process can prove very valuable. Here are some suggested questions:
»» How often do you report on this space?
»» What do you look forward to writing about?
»» How do you typically gather information before writing an article?
»» What do you need to know before writing an article?
»» Are you attending any trade shows or conferences within the next few months?
With regard to events:
»» Are there specific events that directly relate to this space that we can participate in? If so, who should we contact to
explore these opportunities?
»» Which events would you recommend that we participate in?
»» What are our options for participating in these events?
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 34
Also:
»» What costs are involved?
»» Are there deadlines or requirements that we should be aware of?
»» Is any preparation needed on our part to participate?
»» If we could choose only a couple of methods of event participation, which would you recommend we choose?
»» Can you give me the name and contact information for someone who deals specifically with these types of events?
With regard to awards:
»» Are there specific awards directly related to this space that we can participate in? If so, who should we contact to explore
these opportunities?
»» Which awards do you recommend we try for?
Also:
»» Are there costs associated with getting nominated for these awards?
»» Are there specific requirements or deadlines that we need to be aware of in order to be considered for these awards?
»» Is any preparation needed on our part to become nominated for these awards?
»» If we were able to choose only a couple of these awards to go after, which would you recommend?
»» Can you give me the name and contact information for someone who deals specifically with these types of awards?
With regard to product reviews/buyer’s guides:
»» Are there specific product reviews or buyer’s guides that (our company name) could be considered for?
Also:
»» Do any of these product reviews or buyer’s guides focus directly in this space?
»» Are there costs associated with getting recognized in these product reviews/buyer’s guides?
»» Are there specific requirements or deadlines that we need to be aware of to be considered for recognition in these product
reviews/buyer’s guides?
»» Is there any preparation needed on our part to become recognized in these product reviews/buyer’s guides?
»» If we were able to pursue recognition in only a couple of these product reviews/buyer’s guides, which would you recommend?
»» Can you give me the name and contact information for someone who deals specifically with product reviews/buyer’s guides
in this space?
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 35
With regard to reporters:
»» Can you give me the names and associated contact information of reporters who typically write in this space?
»» Which of these reporters do you recommend I contact first?
»» Are there any reporters that focus primarily on this space?
With regard to overall recommendations:
»» Overall, how would you recommend we prioritize all of the possible opportunities that we have discussed for
(company name)?
Here is a sample screen shot
of an influencer profile within
Salesforce.com:
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 36
Prioritizing the Targets
Once you’ve completed your research, chances are you’ve developed a long list of influencers. Take the list to your manager and compare your results against the program’s targets and goals. It will be especially important to prioritize the
influencers if you have other job responsibilities in addition to managing the influencer relations program.
Keep these questions in mind while prioritizing:
»» Will this influencer help me achieve my goals?
»» Have my prospects/customers named this person as an influencer?
»» What is this influencer’s reach?
»» How much time will it take to create and convert an opportunity with this influencer?
»» Do we have enough resources (time, human capital, content) to target this influencer?
Marketing to Influencers, through Influencers, and with Influencers
Marketing to…
Once you have a solid understanding of your company’s influencers, you are ready to begin targeting them. Start reaching
out to the prioritized influencers on the phone and via e-mail. Explain why your company is different and why they should
pay attention. It may make sense to segment your influencer database by influencer persona so that you can build pitches
and messages that truly resonate with each segment’s needs.
Here are some sample pitches:
“Hi, my name is _________ and I’m calling from _________. I have your editorial calendar in front of me and was
wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions.”
“ABC is a global supplier of XYZ. I am looking to identify opportunities that will extend ABC’s reach. I see that you focus
on XXX. Would you be interested in hearing a customer success story?”
Overall activities may include:
» Introductory meetings » Formal briefings » Product demos » News sharing
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 37
Marketing through…
To market through influencers, you should actively support your influencer’s efforts in spreading the word about your
company.
»» Make an effort to listen to and understand an influencer’s point of view about your brand before and during their engagement in a brand program or marketing activity, or simply as a customer of your brand.
»» Invite and respect the opinions of participating influencers, even if they’re contrary to the brand’s position. Agree to share
or make available these opinions throughout your organization as is appropriate. Furthermore, you might consider giving
your influencers the freedom to tweak your messaging specifically for their audience. Your influencers should know their
audience extremely well, and by giving them this freedom, your company will get more exposure.
»» Never ask influencers to falsify or “hype” any product claims, make usage claims without direct experience, or back claims
that neither they nor the brand can substantiate. Never ask an influencer to undertake a task on your organization’s behalf
that they are uncomfortable with or do not believe in.
»» Thank influencers who have participated in brand-initiated programs. “Thank yous” are simple, effective, and universally
appreciated.
Marketing with…
Once you reach the stage in which you are marketing with influencers, you have hit gold in terms of influence marketing.
At this point your influencers are completely sold on your company’s products and services and they may be happy to
speak about your company to their followers. It is important to maintain the contact rhythm to continue benefiting from
the relationship.
Additional resources for marketing to influencers:
How Influencers Influence (Duncan Brown, Influencer50)
Influencing the Influencer (Brian Solis)
The Art of Schmoozing (Guy Kawasaki)
The Value of Influence: The Ultimate Guide to Influence Marketing | 38
About this eBook
This eBook was created by OpenView Labs to help companies develop their influence marketing strategies and efforts. It includes checklists
and guides for the key roles involved to help your organization get started with the influence marketing process.
About OpenView Labs
OpenView Labs is the strategic and operational consulting arm of OpenView Venture Partners, a global Venture Capital fund that invests in
expansion-stage technology companies.
More Information
Visit the OpenView Labs website for more ideas and inspiration for senior managers of technology companies.
To learn more about OpenView Labs or OpenView Venture Partners, contact us directly at (617) 478-7500 or [email protected].
You are welcome to republish excerpts from this eBook, as long as you link back to OpenView for attribution. Please also share this eBook
in its entirety with anyone you think would be interested.
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