Page 284 - Social Media Marketing for Dummies

» Positional influencers are that inner circle around the user; often they have
to live with the choices of the purchasing decision. One example of positional
influencers are your family members.

The next sections delve into the social influencer categories, starting with the
expert influencers.

Knowing the Expert Influencers

The Word of Mouth Marketing Influencer Guidebook explained that you need to
account for five types of influencers. When you think of expert influencers, be sure
to cover these five types:

» Professional/occupational influencers: People in formal positions
of authority
» Citizens: Everyday individuals who are recognized as having influence based
on their social network
» Ambassadors: Individuals who may be paid by the brand or are in a mutually
beneficial relationship with the brand

» Celebrity Influencers: Celebrities, artists, musicians, and so on
» Advocates: Socially connected individuals (neighborhood leaders, members
of community groups, online networks, and business networkers)

You can find out more about the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, (acquired
by the Association of National Advertisers) at https://www.ana.net/content/
show/id/womma.

As you scan the preceding list, you may be asking yourself the following questions:

» Are your PR people nurturing online relationships with expert influenc-
ers via all the social platforms on which they have set up presences.

In many companies today, the PR department is part of the social media
group because their functions now overlap. Your public relations people are
probably concerned with these expert influencers and have already devel-
oped relationships with them. It’s not enough to know what the expert
influencers are doing and saying in the physical world — you need to track
their activity, commentary, and points of view online. And most important,
you need to build relationships with these influencers online.

268 PART 4 Getting Your Message to Connectors