What Will We Do With Influencers

I agree that these more targeted communities will recreate the dynamics of the past. I wonder, however, if the new two-way elements of the tools changes matters.

There's ONE reason to work authentically with causes and cause marketing. Human nature. We tend to trust, to return to, and to support those who have supported or invested in us. It's just *human nature.* Why? Because historically and evolutionarily it paid to do so. It pays to return to the field or stream or woods where we found food before. The chemical reaction (studies show) to being gifted with something is a release of endorphins that attach us emotionally to the gift giver. This being Valentine's Day, we can see that gifts bond us. When you cause market in an authentic way, with true caring and concern for the cause, you create this bond in those who interact with you. You create the very bond that the tobacco and food manufacturers try /do create by making substances that are addictive. They imprison us with nicotine, sugar, fats and salts that make us chemically dependent. Cause marketing links us in a positive, healthy way. If you combine good customer service (something Apple and Virgin Mobile SORELY lack), with cause marketing and a good product (not my Mac LEMON), you will increase your market share by leaps and bounds. It's harder than it sounds. You have to truly care. You have to be authentic. You have to give of yourself. Mark (invisibletv.com) is one of those people who truly cares. Hanes is doing well to work with him and give him socks for the homeless. I know I now buy Hanes because of it. I want to support a corporation with a heart. I was homeless, spoke about it at TED Global 2009, and know without a doubt that Mark, Hanes and those like them have a very bright future. They GET IT.

If your role is to help Hanes (or any other company) increase their market share via social, then knowing exact numbers would be pretty key, I'd say. Let's take it away from a generic blog post and into client mode; obviously you'd want to know exact numbers and stats to move forward, yes? So the original question is from that perspective – otherwise it's blind targeting.

The influence comes from answering questions? Not creating the questions for those who think they control the mantle to answer? ;)

I was selected to be part of the Hanes Comfort Crew last year, and sort of like you Chris, wondered what's now, and how does this work after my initial trip to DisneyWorld with Hanes. My family uses the products, and I don't mind recommending them to my community of readers, but I didn't want to become somebody tooting a marketing message, neither I have.

However – I have found out many other ways to have a relationship with Hanes, in a way that it is relevant and important to me, and my community feels that Hanes is a company that cares. I in fact wrote a blog post about it in my blog, titled “Hanes Comfort Crew – Why I’m Proud to be in”.

I have been able to create stories and life experiences for me and my community, which Hanes has been part of. For example, I hosted a lunch for West Point Military Academy's Flight Detachment last year and Hanes sponsored socks & tees for the military personnel. Hanes showed how they cared about my cause and my community.

Hanes also showed how much they cared about my family – they noticed that my children auditioned for a movie and were aspiring models, so Hanes offered them an opportunity to be models in their latest catalog.

All this said, I don't believe in any company just picking out “influencers” to work together with, I think a big key here is the brand advocacy. I personally would have not went to DisneyWorld and sat around the round table and discussed about Hanes & their social media marketing efforts, if my family already wasn't in that 85% of American families using Hanes products. I have been invited to several similar events by numerous brands, but there are only a handful brands that I have actually done it with (Walmart and Pepsi/Frito-Lay among them).

I think all influencer programs and blogger-brand relationships should start with brand advocacy, and when that does not exist, well… I see that the person doesn't just sell her/his community out, but her/himself. Why would someone even start thinking about “influencing” their community with any type of message including a brand that the person doesn't believe in?

Finally. Brilliant. You get it. It's all about the storytelling, yet to most marketeers, storytelling is too “soft,” too esoteric and not measurable. As a storytelling and communications evangelist, I've seen the companies, organizations, people (you, Chris Brogan!) find immeasurable success by both understanding and utilizing effective storytelling. Every culture since the beginning of time shared only ONE common thread, and that was story to communicate ideas and values.

Trust, in this case, Joseph, would relate to whether the information creator (the blogger, in most cases) has the trust of his or her community (commenters like yourself) when talking about products and services that are being mentioned in the influencer vein. So, for instance, if I'm over on Dadomatic.com talking about Hanes underpants and stuff, can you trust me to be reasonable, honest, and preserving of my community?

That kind.

Some really great points here, Becky. You're right about the way authenticity helps causes and cause marketing.

Very interesting perspective. Thank you for your ideas.

Cults are tricky beasts. I'm not sure anyone's written a good enough book on “from tribe to cult.” Anyone? : )

It's tricky, Keith. Comments are still the Achilles heel of blogging technology, if you think about it. Disqus tries to make it better. So does Backtype. But I'm still not finding the easiest solution to all this.

I've heard about the “slides” never actually seen LOL
Like said, proud to be part of Comfort Crew, and so happy to have you joined in as well!

We now live in a time that the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash. Creating sentimental bonds with products through storytelling is how Social really can move the needle. Deeper bonds are potent. They may not be the reason a consumer purchases a product for the first time but it is exactly the reason why people keep coming back. Social, in my eyes, isn't about adoption – it's about retention. It's about becoming a part of someone's life. Iconic. When someone gazes back they, whether through communication mediums or through action, simply say, “I am a (insert brand here) person.”

I am their target market. As a mom, household shopper, and blogger, I think that Influencers need to approach this topic very carefully. SM marketers have bombarded networking sites like vultures to a dead animal and if I sense that someone is coming after me with neon dollar signs in their eyes, I will shut them off faster than a lightening strike. I do not want to follow an influencer in the name of networking only to find out later that I was just another hopeful “ROI.”

While I have seen and follow some very good influencers who successfully use their platforms to promote certain items within their communities, I have also seen and unfollowed many careless and uninformed souls who have abused the SM tools, turning away many in the process. Social media is so oversaturated with zealous peddlers that you have to sift through the superfluity of repetitive touting in order to find the networker who is sincere about building an authentic community.

Please do not misunderstand me: I am an advocate of using social media as a tool for marketing and brand evangelism; however, I think it all boils down to “full disclosure” and “engagement.” I don’t mind if you endorse a product as long as you keep talking to me personally. Don’t just throw a bunch of advertisements at me without some form of communication to your audience. I do not need to be spoken to directly, but I do want to see a human side of an influencer. I want to know that they share in the hectic and craziness of life because that shows relatability, even though we both know that we all live completely different and unique lives. I want to know that I am more than just a statistic of the estimated 82.5 million moms in America and a target of your “ROI.” It goes back to the phrase “they don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Show me you care about me as an individual and I will listen to what you have to say. Treat me as a future dollar sign and I will take my business elsewhere. After all, I’m the one with the power to decide whether or not I want to be an “ROI” or not. Give me a return of my investment and I will probably give you a return on yours.

If Hanes is looking for ROI, I would point to the comments. You have 30 – 40 people (the exact number eludes me, but who cares) actively talking about their brand. Maybe it is not selling t-shirts and underwear right now but it is putting their brand on top of mind for us. Just my 2 cents.

YES! Perfect!

I actually was just writing on Thursday I think it was and made reference to audiences vs. communities. Wow. Umm, I feel like I'm STARTING to get this stuff. I should write a post…”how social media taught me to be human”

Thanks Chris.

Everyone is an influencer at some point. Everyone has a social network. They don't even vary in size all that much. So who is an influencer vs who is the influenced all depends on the context.

I'm working on a social media campaign for an indie movie at the moment – and, not surprisingly, I'm hearing 'what's in it for me' on every side. Most heartening to me is that the bloggers I'm engaging are most interested in making sure that what I want them to write about is a match for their readers, their community. Yes, a couple did name a price – and that seems to be the deciding factor – but that's been the exception, not the rule.

As the campaign head and instigator here, it's essential that I not only tell them how great this will be for them – the blogger – but, more importantly, for their audience.

Chris, I think it helps to see influencers as customers and as people you want a positive relationship with – not as members of a “target” group or “resources” available for a marketing campaign. Although it is still important to define a “target” group, the way we work with them has to be different than the way we did with our century-old marketing model that delivered “messages.”

Ryan described this as the difference between an audience and a community. People (not targets) are going to respond better to interaction and exchange of value than they will to broadcast messages. Personal opinions, two-way interchange,and full disclosure if a company has asked you opine about their products will likely work best.

This is really awesome. Being able to take influencers or brand champions or just leaders and support them to create community is exactly what we need. Chris, you have the great understanding that need to be able to have these communities. Especially as our lives get busier, and we seem to have less and less time. Connecting to other professionals, business and people with similar interests will be essential. I think at the core that is what everyone really wants. The simple need we have to be accepted, welcomed and heard. Nice work! Thank you for sharing

One of the challenges that social media faces is that it asks people to 'participate' – to engage and take part in this thing we call community. This is a much higher bar than just broadcasting messages in the hopes of shaping perception – because now it assumes action on the part of the 'audience'. It imagines and hopes for actual conversations about things like underwear and office supplies – and often can't be measured in media buys or 30 second spots.

But the payoff is huge. People like Chris are catalysts – but the real important conversations occur around the kitchen table and sidelines of soccer games.

No, I have no connection with Hanes whatsoever. Nada. Unless you count my son's underwear drawer because he likes Hanes Tagless. In that case, I'm a customer.

That's actually pretty amusing to me that you suggested such a thing. I'm a locally-owned small business advocate and advisor. And sure, big company bureaucracy make these things more complicated – but the bottom line is that basic principles work. I agree with you that “manufactured relationships” are thin most of the time and turn me off – but I tend to think it's because the company can't get rid of its “traditional marketing” perspective and way of thinking. I think that's where a lot of corporate social media efforts fall short – behind it all is a traditional view of marketing that is counting beans and pushing messages, and cannot clear the fog to enjoy the benefits of real transparency and authentic relationships. Sad for them. They are missing all the fun.

Can Hanes shed a traditional perspective and do something remarkable WITH their customers? I have no idea if they will – but they COULD. It isn't outside of the realm of possibility.

I'm not really part of Hanes, so I hope they see this and decide what they can do to support you. Wishing you the best. : )

Not all companies who are exploring or trying to get into social media are expecting a straight ROI. In my industry, asset management / investment management, a lot of the conversion comes offline and the prime question is: “will people invest their money due to social media?”. That is the true ROI for my industry.

I quite agree with your mindset here.

You're quite right about the zealous peddlers aspect. I love your perspective on this. Rest assured that there are plenty of companies reading what you're saying and factoring in your perspective.