Influencer marketing was one of the biggest marketing trends of 2017 and is showing no signs of slowing down in 2018. Yet successful influencer marketing requires a strategy and careful planning in order to be successful.
Join Content4Demand, a content creation and content strategy agency, for a hands-on session breaking down influencer marketing best practices and use cases. Content4Demand Director of Marketing, Steve Voith, will share actual client examples of influencer marketing and weigh in on how B2B marketers can start fueling content using outside influencers. Participants will:
● See different types of influencer campaign models and approaches (through actual client content samples)
● Get tips for adding credibility to their content and campaigns
● Understand the dos and don'ts for successful influencer engagement
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Today’s Speaker
Steve Voith
• Director of Marketing & Demand
Generation
• Background in B2B content marketing and
corporate communication
• Fun Fact: I’ve been to Arizona 20+ times
and NEVER been to the grand canyon
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Content4Demand is a B2B agency specializing in…
Buyer-Focused Strategy and Content Agency
Content Creation for Every Stage of the Buyer’s Journey
Campaign Strategy: Audience Analysis, Planning & Activation
Driving Demand Through Buyer-Focused Content & Campaigns
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Today’s Discussion
PART I
Influencer Marketing
Foundations & Best Practices
PART II
Emerging Influencer Tactics
& Trends
PART III
Q&A
B2B
Influencer
Marketing
In Practice
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Not all content is created equally
Source: 2016 Content Preferences Survey Report, DemandGen Report
Source: 2017 Content Preferences Survey Report, Demand Gen Report
Your buyers have specific needs
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Source: 2017 Content Preferences Survey Report, Demand Gen Report
Consider the message buyers need to hear
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What exactly is
influencer
marketing?
Is that like using Kardashians
to sell stuff?
Photo Credit: Instagram/Kim Kardashian West
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Influencer
Marketing
Defined…
Influencer marketingis a form
of marketing in which focus is placed on specific
key individuals (or types of individual) rather than the
target market as a whole.
It identifies the individuals that have influence over
potential buyers, and orients marketing activities around
these influencers.
- AdWeek
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What makes
influencer marketing
so valuable?
• Adds credibility and clout to
content
• Helps amplify content to target
audiences
• Makes your content and your
brand more authentic
“[Influencer Marketing] opens up an
entirely new world for companies to
connect with increasingly
elusive and discerning
audiences in ways that are more
natural and relatable.”
- Brian Solis, Author, Analyst, Altimeter Group
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The Value of Influencer Marketing
87% of buyers
give credence to
content that
features industry
influencers.
- Demand Gen Report, Content
Preferences Survey, 2017
Influencer marketing
content delivers
11X higher
ROI than traditional
forms of digital
marketing.
- TapInfluence study with Nielsen
Catalina Solutions, 2016
49% of people
say they rely on
recommendations
from influencers
when making
purchase decisions.
- Twitter & Annlect, 2016
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The State of Influencer Marketing
Experimenting | 49% Campaign-Driven | 36%
Ongoing Program | 11%
Integrated Program | 4%
Source: Traackr, TopRank Marketing
Most brands (49%) are still only experimenting with influencer
marketing programs
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Top Goals for Influencer Marketing
• Improve Brand Advocacy (94%)
• Expand Brand Awareness (92)
• Reach New Targeted Audiences (88%)
• Increase Share of Voice (86%)
• Improve Sales Conversion (74%)
• Manage Reputation (68%)
• Drive Lead Generation (67%)
Source: Traackr, TopRank Marketing
The next wave of influencer marketing
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90% of brands
say there are either
pursuing employee
advocacy programs
or have programs
already active
Source: Prophet, State of Social Business;
33% of buyers trust
brands, whereas
90%
trust product or service
recommendations from
people they know
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• Includes social sharing, online reviews,
brand advocate blog posts, videos,
testimonials and images
• UGC can spike engagement by as
much as 28%
• 92% of consumers trust organic,
user-generated content more than
traditional advertising—this correlates
to the B2B space too
User-Generated Content (UGC)
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4 Types of Authentic Content
Validation
The brand highlights how it’s having a positive impact on a customer’s
business. This can be in the form of customer case studies, references
and social sharing.
Education
The goal is to help current customers use a product or service better.
This can be in the form of company forums, communities or hubs, as
well as brand ambassadors who can help customers troubleshoot
problems.
Dedication
The brand spotlights customers that are the epitome of a success. This
can be in the form of MVP programs, referrals and speaker bureaus.
Inspiration
Brands can turn to their advocates to further grow the relationship and
offerings of the company. This can be in the form of customer advisory
boards and other business collaborations.
produced through
customer advocacy
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Types of
Podcasts
Source: Hubspot, What Video Marketing Metrics Should You Pay Attention To? November, 2017
1. Live Interview
2. “Look Back”
3. Pain Point
4. Review
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A Few Podcast Rules to Live By
• Make it episodic and be consistent with publishing
• Sometimes less is more
• Find opportunities to repurpose
• Influencers and customers are great to include as guests for
your podcast
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The Future of
Influencer
Marketing
Revolves Around
Relationship and
Community
Building
57%of companies believe
influencer marketing will be
integrated in all marketing
activities in three years.
- Traackr, TopRank Marketing
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Final
Takeaways
1. The time is ripe to trial
an influencer campaign
2. Set realistic
expectations for target
influencers
3. Experiment with what
works best for your
audience
what recommendations would you make to improve the quality of the content created/provided by B2B vendors. Buyers don’t want the content you produce to be all about you and your products. They need it to be about them, their pain points and the information they need to justify a buying decision. This can’t be done without a solid understanding of who your buyers are and what motivates them.
How many of us in the room are honest asking ourselves if we should create perscritptive, predictive or conversational content when we are planning a campaign. We really should be.
The reality is this kind of a question should be one of the starting points for campaign development and the answers are found in your buyer personas and buyer or campaign messaging requirements.
STEVE
Alicia
Alicia
Let’s pick one of the definitions to review and color on
Image
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http://hub.coxmedia.com/i/534804-stand-out-get-noticed-for-local-businesses/0?
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http://view.ceros.com/g3-communications/cox-cx01-080-iig-mobile-master-class/p/1
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Fully executed program for influencers
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http://2ef481265d476ef16a79-607a4a8529318cceb97115a2c504e09a.r66.cf1.rackcdn.com/LinkedIn_LI009_EBK_SocialSelling_Final.pdf
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Bing samples
https://advertise.bingads.microsoft.com/en-us/insights/growth-marketing
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Pretty standard to use videos on product and demo pages—that’s for a reason…the power of sight and sound really helps crystalizes sometimes-complex ideas/products
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A great example of using video to fuel a more engaging experience
What is UGC and why should you use it
These are from Laura Ramos (forrester) on the 4 types of authentic content you can create with your customers
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https://soundcloud.com/bing-ads
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Having a host speak with a guest to breakdown and “look back” at an existing piece of content and comment/call out highlights
Focusing your podcast specifically on a top pain point or collection of pain points
A review of a product, service, view point, etc. (influencers and/or customers) are great options