Page 292 - Social Media Marketing for Dummies

Understanding the circles of influence

around your customers

It is important to understand who will be most impacted by the purchasing
­ decisions­of­your­customers.­That­alone­will­tell­you­who­the­positional­influencers­
are­ and­ how­ important­ their­ influence­ is.­ For­ example,­ with­ first-time­ car­
purchases,­ family­ members­ are­ very­ important­ positional­ influencers­ because­
they’ll­be­riding­in­the­car­and,­in­some­cases,­driving­it.

Letting consumers shape and
share the experience

Reaching­positional­influencers­may­be­hard,­but­your­customers­will­reach­them­
for­you.­Make­sure­that­your­e-commerce­website­or­even­your­campaign-centric­
microsite­allows­for­the­sharing­of­content­and­posting­to­Facebook­and­other­
social­ platforms.­ Let­ the­ consumers­ shape­ and­ share­ the­ experiences­ in­ any­
format that they want. Make it easy for customers to pluck information from your
website,­such­as­product­sheets­and­e-books,­and­carry­that­information­­elsewhere­
and­to­their­positional­influencers.

Articulating your product benefits
for multiple audiences

You­probably­always­assume­that­you’re­selling­a­product­to­your­target­customer,­
ignoring­the­fact­that­social­influencers­play­a­big­role­in­the­purchasing­decision.­
If­you­know­who­the­influencers­are,­articulate­your­product­benefits­so­that­they­
resonate­with­the­influencers.

Regarding­the­example­of­purchasing­a­car:­If­you’re­selling­a­car­to­a­college­
student­demographic,­tout­the­safety­benefits,­because­the­students’­parents­will­
most­probably­be­involved­in­the­purchasing­decision.­Don’t­ignore­them.

Fishing where the fish are

Marketing to your customers where they spend their time online is a cliché in
social­media­marketing,­but­the­point­holds­strongest­in­the­context­of­positional­
influencers.­Because­these­influencers­are­the­hardest­to­find­yourself,­you­need­to­
make sure that you’re marketing and selling your products where these positional
influencers­probably­influence­your­customers.­So­it­goes­without­saying­that­you­
need­to­have­a­deep­presence­on­all­the­social­platforms­where­your­customers­and­
their­influencers­are­congregating.

276 PART 4 Getting Your Message to Connectors