Influencer marketing—usually recognized as the province of mommy bloggers and social influencers—is also seen by brands as a successful way to reach customers with organic, authentic sharing. But not every brand "gets" it, or knows how to implement an effective strategy in this space.
Enter Influencer Marketing for Dummies.
The first thing I noticed about this book—which, as someone acquainted with many bloggers, social media mavens and PR folk, rang true—is the dispelling of the notion of cheap and fast viral media. "Make it go viral" is often heard by all of these people, and hated equally by all of them, too. It's simply not a measurable or realistic way to engage with your audience socially.
Perhaps even more important is identifying an influencer. Having hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions of followers isn't always an indicator of influence or engagement—and it's explained rather well, along with examples of successful campaigns across a variety of industries and social channels, plus video. Of course, it's the nature of social media that these may become outdated quickly—how many apps were praised as the be-all, end-all, and disappeared shortly thereafter? But that's the nature of technology, too. Expect many updates.
It's probably no surprise this book was written by three Clever Girls execs, as Clever Girls runs these sort of campaigns daily, and the examples are varied, but give the real measurables and strategies used to emphasize the effects.
Deeper success indicators including editorial voice and audience, content mix, timeliness, photography and visuals, and impressions and engagement are discussed in depth. And if you're truly stumped, it addresses how to find the right agency to work with.
I particularly like the short section cautioning against letting interns run the show: I've seen endless problems with this! Someone may be well-versed in social media, but that doesn't mean they can work effectively within your strategy.
There are also guidelines for pricing, which are fairly broad, but at least set some expectation. Specifics like running a Twitter party, setting measurable goals and explaining their relevance are helpful, as well as basics like nofollow links.
Influencer Marketing for Dummies is a well thought out book, with grounded reality I'll share with those who oversimplify or just don't "get" how influencer marketing works. It's eminently quotable and may just make those who laugh at "mommy blogging" think again.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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