The Successful Trend of Influencer Networks

Jade Broadus

TravelMindset.com

@TravelMindset

Everyone is talking about

Influencers-

So, who are they?

And what is an

influencer network?

Influencers are…

Content creatorsPassionate about their niche

Instagram Photographers

YouTube Personalities

Twitter Personalities

Offer Trusted recommendations

Have a targeted audience

Pinterest Curators

74% of consumers rely on social media to inform their purchasing decisions.

-ODM group. Technology is impacting consumer behavior through unlimited information to product data and fellow customers’ experiences. How can a brand have a voice in all the user content and feedback that surrounds their products? Influencer marketing.

90% of consumers trust peer recommendations. Only 33% trust ads.

- per Nielsen. Consumers have begun to tune out traditional ads, and increasingly connect to their social networks to guide buying decisions. Influencer Networks can provide more authentic and creative ways to target audience.

Scott Cook, the founder and CEO of Intuit INTU, said it best,

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is–it is what consumers tell each other it is.”

And consumers trust influencers. Peer to Peer interactions.

• A Bridge from the brand to influencer/bloggers• Selected network of vetted bloggers and influencers that create a

community (combination of high trust and high reach for biggest impact)

• Offer cross promotion to widen reach of campaigns• Combine marketing and PR (combine where digital ad dollars are

spent)• Create unique campaigns that highlight influencers and engage

audiences with creative, inspiring content• Manage the program and provide metrics• Strength in Numbers (Can be more powerful than working with just

one influencer.)

Influencer Networks are…

Expedia Viewfinder Blog & #Expediachat:

-Select group of bloggers who create content based on locations Expedia wants to feature.- #ExpediaChat is a weekly Twitter chat where those same influencers co-host the chat.

#MeetSouthAfrica in numbers

15 travel bloggers4 itineraries9 provinces

10,000+ tweetsThe #MeetSouthAfrica blog trip in May 2013 was a collaboration between South Africa Tourism (SAT) and iambassador.

https://vimeo.com/87886763

Cayman Islands and Pinterest

-Shared to audience of 2MM Fans-9 Pins-Between 200- 1000 repins each-Freedom for Influencer to capture authentic moments and share with audience-Wrote content for her own blog and Travel Mindset.com-Shared on Travel Mindset’s social media accounts-Cross promoted by several of the groups members on their accounts

So what makes a great influencer group?

Create a win, win, win, win.

Create a win-win-win- win.A win-win-win means the influencer group is a good match for the blogger/influencer, the brand, and most importantly- the audience.

• A win for the brand is results- so increased brand engagement, increase page views, increase video views, increase in hotel room bookings, increased email sign ups or visitor downloads.

• A win for the blogger/influencer is partnering with brands that match their audience’s needs and passions and creating content opportunities where the blogger is compensated for their creative work.

• A Win for the audience: Getting to know about destinations, brands, topics that they might not be familiar with in an engaging, inspirational or entertaining way.

• A win for the network: quality bloggers and happy brands. Finding the right mix of bloggers/influencers to have a happy community that is really engaged so they are creating the best content for the brand.

What the Influencer Networks Should Be Doing:

•Research the Brand- what themes do they want to market and who do they want to target (brand awareness, video views, promotion of current campaign/ families, couples, adventure, food)

•Figure out the best bloggers: Vet the bloggers and meet them in person if you can

•Be Creative

•Think Beyond the Typical Press Trip: Parties, Contests, Multiple Season Campaign, etc.

•Show Value and the ROI of working with the Network

Benefits of working with an Influencer Network over just one blogger:

• Influencer Networks create a community- Cross Promotion and Increased Brand Awareness on different social media channels

• Larger or more targeted reach• Ability to reach multiple markets in one campaign- partnering

with influencers with different niches• Syndicate Content• Turn Key Opportunities that make it easy for the marketers or PR-

the Network is managing the campaign

How do bloggers pick the right influencer network for them?

• Research- look, listen and join in the conversation. See if you like what they are doing. Are they creating unique campaigns or the same old, same old?

• Start a conversation. Get to know the group- there are a lot of influencer groups present at TBEX- meet with them and see what they are like in person. Relationships are key.

• Quality vs. Quantity: what types of bloggers are in their network? Do you fill a void that they might need?

How do Brands pick the right influencer group for them?

• Quality vs. Quantity

• Cross promotion

• Unique ideas- allow the influencers to be creative and authentic to their audience

• Flexible

• Money: When considering your new quarter budget, send RFPs to Influencer groups. Consider breaking up your digital ad dollars and using a portion for an influencer campaign. Get the most bang for your buck.

Questions?

Jade BroadusTravel Mindset

@TravelMindset