Social Media Marketing: Market Influencers

Social media marketing should reach out to market influencers to engage with them and find out if they’re open to learning more about your business. Perhaps you’ve done this is in the past with journalists. It’s important to understand that social media influencers aren’t reporters. They don’t cover a beat and they aren’t obligated to write or comment about anything that doesn’t interest them. That makes it critical that you understand the issues that get their attention. You’ll be much more successful if you can frame your interactions in the context of these important topics. New customers tend to be the most passionate influencers, though not always the most positive.

Influential bloggers have always said that the most important step a social media marketer must take before contacting them is to read their work. This doesn’t need to be time-consuming. In a case of a blogger, scanning a few recent posts, reading a biography and noting the categories or tags that the person uses can give you a pretty quick idea of what motivates him. This is literally a five- to 10-minute process.

Social Media Marketing: Successful Interaction with Influencers

In the case of a users who contribute to a group blog or to citation site like Yelp, start as you would with a blogger: consult the person’s profile and list of recent posts to learn this information. Then take a measured social media marketing approach to initiating contact. Here are some guidelines for successful interaction:

1. Make your initial contact meaningful and positive — Never start a relationship on the wrong foot. Even if you don’t like what the writer has said, find something you do like and post a comment on her blog or profile telling her what you like and why. Don’t limit your comment to something simple like “Great post!” Tell her why you thought it was great, and perhaps add a bit of context or new information. If you have a blog, contact the influencer and ask if you can add her to your blog roll. You don’t have to do this, but it’s a nice gesture and will establish in the person’s mind that you’re paying attention. Bloggers love comments and links. Show that you respect them by offering this small acknowledgement of their value.
2. Ask the person’s advice — Social media influencers have certain emotions that compel them to share their thoughts and opinions. One is that they like to look smart. Another is the need to feel important. Being a frequent flyer used to be as much about the gold luggage tag as the miles and rewards. The same rules apply online. Asking someone for his opinion and showing that you take that opinion seriously is the fastest way to make a friend. That doesn’t mean always doing what the person says, but it does mean showing that you understood him.
3. Take the conversation off-line — If you’re serious about building a relationship, offer influencers something special. This doesn’t have to be expensive; it can be a discount, free sample, trial offer or just a link on your website. Keep these interactions private, using e-mail or the telephone. Also use this opportunity to ask permission to add someone to your press list or to invite him to attend an insider event. If the e-mail address isn’t on the site, use resources to find an alternate means of contact.
4. Follow through — One of the most common mistakes that public relations professionals make is to contact the media only when they have something to promote. That’s not a relationship; it’s a transaction. It’s easy to keep track of what influencers are saying. By utilizing social media monitoring tools, marketers can keep an eye on new activity. Send e-mails or leave comments on their site every so often to show them that you are engaged. You won’t believe how rarely this is done and it will pay huge dividends for you.

More Social Media Marketing Tips for Success with Market Influencers

One temptation in social media marketing is to try to co-opt influencers by offering to advertise on their sites or to pay them. This can be counter productive,  if you want to secure future editorial coverage. Social media influencers are like journalists in their resistance to mixing advertising and editorial interests. They may take your ad, but they are actually less likely to write about you once they do.

Give them the same privileges and access that you would give the media — Online influencers are, after all, just another kind of media voice. They should be part of your everyday press communications and should be granted the same access to events, interviews and news stories as mainstream media.

Some companies worry about legitimizing bloggers by treating them like journalists, but there is no going back. There are added costs and complexities to your press relations program, but the value is there. Excluding social media influencers from your communications channels won’t stop them from talking about you. If you believe in the power of word-of-mouth influence, then you’re better off engaging these people in a conversation than pretending not to listen. It’s better to be part of the conversation that to stand mute on the sidelines.

The question often comes up of whether all social media influencers should be treated the same. I say no. A blogger who writes only occasionally about a topic that’s relevant to you, or who has a small following, does not have to be treated the same way as a true influencer. In reality, most of them don’t expect that. You’re no more obliged to invite every blogger to a press conference than you are to accept anyone who has journalism credentials. In the rare event that someone challenges your social media marketing criteria, be ready to explain honestly your criteria. The social media influencer may not be happy with your decision, but if you’ve articulated a rational argument, you’ve done your part.