The Myth of the Generic "Influencer" in Marketing
Introduction
Imagine this: You're chatting with a friend who says, “I'm a builder.” Naturally, your next question would be, “Builder of what?” The same principle applies to influencers. Despite years in influencer marketing, I still struggle with the idea of labeling someone generically as “an influencer.”
The Complexity of Influence
Take Camila Coelho, for example (https://www.instagram.com/camilacoelho/). She may be a mega influencer in fashion, but for me, she has zero influence, especially when it comes to topics like artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, or soccer. Yet, you can browse the internet and find endless lists of influencers, usually categorized into broad, often vague categories.
The Importance of Targeting
Even professional marketers sometimes request influencer campaigns without defining their target audience and objectives. These people often come to us with generic asks like, “We want to run an influencer campaign, can you help us?” This lack of focus is a recipe for failure.
Let me rephrase: you can’t create an effective influencer campaign without first defining the audience you want to influence. And this is not straightforward.
Case Study: B2B Marketing
It's even more challenging in B2B marketing.
Imagine you're the CMO of a company that sells cloud-based SAP hosting, and you want to create an influencer marketing program. Your target audience could range from small startups to large enterprises, each with different needs and decision-making processes.
Strategic Targeting Options
Who should you target? Well, it depends, and it is a strategic decision. Here are a few options:
Expand Market Reach: If you're the leader in SAP hosting and have limited opportunity for growth in your existing market, you might want to target businesses that haven't selected SAP as their ERP yet.
Convert On-Premise Users: More realistically, you might focus on clients who have already selected SAP and are considering whether to use a cloud version or stay on-premise.
Focus on Existing Cloud SAP Users: You could target those who have already decided on SAP and cloud hosting, without needing to evangelize either.
Convert Prospects within Your Ecosystem: Target people who are already within your ecosystem but haven't become customers yet, focusing more on lead conversion than brand evangelism. These people already know you and may be easier to activate.
Leverage Internal Influencers: Utilize influencers within your own community of employees, partners, and affiliates to expand your brand’s reach.
Sophisticated Targeting Criteria
And within each scenario, you might add criteria such as company size, industry vertical, expertise level, or location. You could even go for more sophisticated targeting, such as identifying individuals who haven’t talked about competitors recently, are influencing people from a specific company (ABM) , are strong on a particular platform (Youtube, Twitter), or are reachable via common connections (reachability is crucial).
The Process of Influencer Identification
Clearly, the ideal influencers are different for each scenario, and the process to find them varies.
For example, in scenario #3, you might start by identifying a list of competitors and relevant keywords to find people searching for hosted SAP solutions. Then, you'd gather a large pool of potential influencers and analyze who these individuals follow for ERP expertise.
For scenario #5, you might begin by identifying the social identities of your clients and prospects.
In both cases, the general process involves:
Identifying thousands of individuals that fit the persona (the community).
Using social graph analytics and content analysis/NLP to identify influencers within this initial set (the markers).
Expanding the list of markers by examining the people they follow or are followed by.
But remember, the starting point varies.
Defining Your Audience and Objectives
Influencer identification always begins with defining your audience and objectives. This process is followed by meticulous market and audience mapping, which cannot be accomplished with a few dollars per month on a generic platform. Effective influencer identification requires detailed analysis, tailored tools, and a strategic approach that aligns with specific marketing goals.
The Relative Nature of Influence
So back to my original point, there is no such thing as a generic influencer. Influence is relative to an audience and an objective.
Camila Coelho might be an influencer for fashion targeting the general public, but even within fashion, there are different types of influencers. For example, Amy Odell (https://substack.com/@amyodell) provides more in-depth insights about style and design, appealing to a different segment of the fashion audience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, influencer marketing is not about finding a one-size-fits-all influencer. It's about identifying the right individuals who can effectively communicate with your specific target audience. This nuanced approach is what makes the difference between a successful campaign and a missed opportunity. So next time you think about launching an influencer campaign, start with a clear definition of your audience and objectives, and remember that influence is always relative.
