5 Key Terms Influencer Marketing Experts Use

Over a long weekend, I knew I’d probably end up on some Minnesota lake with a cold beverage in hand, wishing I had something to read. So, Friday at 5 PM I went through my SFL (save for later) folder to check out my options. 

I landed on Traackr’s “Guide to Influencer Marketing” eBook – a blueprint for customer-centric enterprises. I won’t spoil too much for you, because I’m guessing you’ll want to check it out too. But, at the beginning of the eBook they define five words to help readers better understand how to use their guide best. 

And to be honest, they're great terms to know when talking about and explaining how influencer marketing could work for your company or a client. So, if you're just starting out with influencer marketing, learning these terms is a great way to begin. Let's dig in! 

Influence

"The ability to cause desirable and measurable actions and outcomes." – Brian Solis, Altimeter

Influencer

"A person or group who possess greater than average advantage potential to influence due to attributions such as frequency of communication, personal persuasiveness, or size of and centrality to a social network." - WOMMA

Influencer Relations

"The art of creating social capital between a brand and independent industry experts by building strong, trusted relationships based on shared goals, common values, and uncompromised authenticity." – Dr. Konstanze Alex-Brown, Dell

Influencer Marketing

The process of identifying, researching, engaging, supporting, and activating the people who influence your customers at every stage of the buyer’s journey. The practice aligns marketing, PR, sales, customer service, and product around a common strategy.

Influencer Relationship Management

"The process of building and managing long-term relationships with a select group of influencers. Often described as “CRM for the Marketer”, IRM programs aim to increase the positive mentions of your brand among select opinion leaders, driving brand visibility and advocacy levels. Successful IRM programs aim to build collaborative relationships with key relevant influencers and facilitate the co-creation of content. It has to be a partnership in order to work.” – Kirk Crenshaw, Traackr

Influence + PR + What Your Brand Needs 

So now that you know about influencer marketing terms, what's next? These words and an influencer marketing strategy should really play a key role in your public relations plan if it doesn't already. Using influencers to talk about your brand or service can strongly impact your brand's awareness and reputation. It also gives your brand recognition from people that your potential new customers trust. And the reality is that people trust people... not brands. 

In fact, "84 percent of the WORLD trust peers above all other forms of advertising." It's a hard pill to swallow in marketing because we want advertising to make an impact. But the truth is, this statistic probably includes you and me (and the person next to you). Think about all of the times you've gone to Facebook to see what trends your friends are posting about or you browse Instagram for the latest products and services your local leaders and celebrities are using.  You do it, I do it, we ALL do it. 

So, if you're ready to add influencer marketing to your PR strategy and get your brand/service the attention it deserves, there are two things I can offer. The first, stay tuned on our blog for more on influencer marketing tips. And second, get in touch by contacting us below, and let's chat about how we can help you with it!