How to use social activation platforms to engage social influencers in niche audiences
Which activation platforms are best at encouraging advocate-driven content and conversations across Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
2. Businesses Don’t Understand Digital Influence
• With the rise of social media, word of mouth is becoming a tangible form of consumer
influence
• When defining a strategy, a good place to start is by going back to the basics:
– What is influence and what makes someone influential?
– Who is influential in social networks and why?
– How can I recognize influence or the capacity to influence?
– What effect does digital word of mouth have on my business?
– How can I measure successful engagement with influential consumers?
• By better understanding how digital influence works, and with the help of the various
social media influence services, brands can proactively shape and steer positive
conversations and eventually desired outcomes
• *Dr. Bernardo A Huberman, Director of HP Labs’ Social Computing Lab says:
– “Businesses have a finite amount of money and time; therefore, they must identify the most
connected people they can to help expand their reach. In social networks, brands can connect with
everyday people who are celebrities of their networks. The value to businesses is that they can have
access to the respective Rolodex of consumers and reward them as a result”
*Source: “The Rise of Social Influence” Altimeter Group
3. Getting Started: Social Activation Platforms
• What are they?
– Platforms that partners brands and digital influencers
to power and amplify online conversations
– Allow you to engage with influencers in niche topics
and target demographics
• *What are you looking for in a platform?
– Reach
– Relevance
– Resonance
*Source: “The Rise of Social Influence” Altimeter Group
5. Taking Action: Develop An Influence Plan
1. Benchmark: Understand where you are today
2. Audience: Decide who you are trying to reach
3. Strategy: Devise a strategy that connects the dots between you,
connected consumers and their communities
4. Influencer Identification: Identify individuals who match up with
“what your looking to gain”
– Reach, Relevance, Message Resonation
5. Campaign: Execute your campaign in real-time and observe what
is and is not working, then optimize throughout
6. Measurement: Measure your campaign using proper KPIs
– Activities, behaviors, what worked and didn’t work
6. Key Takeaways
• When defining a strategy, a good place to start is by going
back to the basics:
– What is influence and what makes someone influential?
– Who is influential in social networks and why?
– How can I recognize influence or the capacity to influence?
– What effect does digital word of mouth have on my business?
– How can I measure successful engagement with influential
consumers?
• Choose the RIGHT activation platforms
– Reach, Relevance, Resonance
• Develop a proper influence plan
7. Thank you!
– Twitter.com/nickcifuentes
– Facebook.com/nickcifuentes
– LinkedIn.com/in/nicholascifuente
Nick Cifuentes s
Director, Global Social Media
– NickCifuentes.com
– TheRunningFool.com
– ClickZ.com Column:
http://www.clickz.com/author/pr
ofile/2205/nick-cifuentes
Editor's Notes
Context: In the US, more than 66% of all adults are active online using social media901MM Facebook users worldwide; average user is connected to 130 friends and 80 community pages, groups, and eventsSocial media is changing the media landscape: over 90% of consumers trust word-of-mouth advertising vs. 24% for online ads and customers who “like” a brand on Facebook are 41% more likely to recommend the brand to friendsCustomers who “like” a brand on Facebook or “follow” them on Twitter are 28% more likely to remain loyal, paying customersCustomers are using social media outlets to voice opinions about brands: “United Breaks Guitars” has over 11MM views on YouTube; Old Spice launched the fastest growing online viral video campaign ever, garnering over 23 million views after 36 hours.52% of social media users are 35+, compared with 34% in 200850-to 65-year-old demographic jumped to 20% from 9%, while users who are more than 65-years-old tripled to 6% from 2%ACOM will utilize social media for:Sub Adds: A direct response channel for engaging an audience in outbound campaigns, while growing traffic & increasing conversionRetention/Engagement: A platform for interacting and having dialogs with current customers & prospectsAdvocacy: Interactive programs that strengthen & broaden ACOM’s brand Support: A foundation for community-based support utilizing a social-support model and Twitter-based complaint identification/resolution