Amp It Up: What B2B Marketers Need to Know about Social Influencer Amplification
By Joshua Nite
Allow me one more scary story, even though Halloween is over…
Once there was a marketer who created an eBook with content from ten respected influencers in their industry. The marketer released the eBook, sent an email to notify the contributors…
And not one of them shared the content. Without amplification, the content was dead on arrival, and some say it haunts the marketer’s office to this very day…
Whew! Spooky story, right? One of the big benefits of influencer marketing should be built-in amplification of the content.
But influencers don’t always hold up their end of the bargain. Fortunately, there are a few things that B2B content marketers can do throughout the content co-creation process to help influencers follow through on amplification.
5 Tips for Social Influencer Amplification
Before you even choose influencers for your project, you can start strategizing for maximum amplification. Here are my top tips in chronological order.
1 — Pick Influencers Who Engage
If you’re relying on follower count to choose the right influencers, you may be missing the mark. Some B2B thought leaders have hundreds of thousands of followers, but very rarely interact with their audience. The biggest red flag: If someone only posts links to their own content, they’re not likely to promote yours, even if they contributed to it.
Instead, look past follower count to find influencers who are enthusiastically engaging with their audience. They should be sharing other people’s valuable content, replying to comments on their posts, and generally treating social media like a conversation instead of a broadcast medium.
That genuine enthusiasm for their chosen subject matter is irreplaceable. If you have to choose between a broadcaster with millions of followers and an engaging expert with thousands, pick the latter.
[bctt tweet=”“Look past follower count to find influencers who are enthusiastically engaging with their audience. If you have to choose between a broadcaster with millions of followers and an engaging expert with thousands, pick the latter.” @NiteWrites” username=”toprank”]
2 — Give Before You Get
B2C influencer marketing is usually transactional: I give you these shoes, you post some videos of yourself skateboarding in them, I cut you a check. For B2B, however, we have an opportunity to build relationships that are mutually beneficial beyond just compensation. That’s not to say you shouldn’t pay influencers, of course — just that money shouldn’t be the only reason they’re on board.
To make sure you’re going beyond the transactional, start by selflessly promoting the influencers you’re courting. Share their content with your audience. Curate quotes from them and link back to their blog. Make sure you include thoughtful commentary that demonstrates your admiration is genuine.
In short, make sure the influencer knows you’re as dedicated to their success as you are to …read more
Source:: Top Rank Blog
