whitepaper | NETWORK OF INFLUENCERS

How to Build an Online Network

of Influencers
A guide to finding, engaging, and building relationships using
online social networks
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look, listen
and love
As we head into 2011, we can safely say that to be effective within
online PR, marketing, and communication we need to be social. It’s not
that strange. Humans are social by nature. We’ve been interacting with
each other using a set of shared values and expectations since the dawn
of civilization, and boiled down to its essence, an online social network is
just another medium to advance this instinctual need in people to connect
and engage with others of their ilk.
But when companies decide to enter this realm as a brand or corporate entity, this otherwise
natural process of engaging in social media can seem a bit contrived and artificial. We’ve seen
that more and more companies are becoming eager to join the social web. Many have indeed
taken the plunge only to find themselves in the shallow end with meager results, at which point
they either become complacent or get disheartened.

Most companies are not global brand leaders with the ability to attract millions of followers or
influencers on the strength of their name alone. They realize they are faced with the somewhat
daunting task of actually building their online social network, on their audience’s terms. This
means attracting influencers and potential brand ambassadors by sharing valuable, relevant,
and sought-after information.

Remember to ask why

The problem is that companies often join social networks without actually understanding why
they are taking part. It becomes a matter of “everyone’s doing it, so we must do it too, and as
quickly as possible.” And many companies forget that they have to start from their audience’s
point of view, rather than from their own.

“This means attracting Therefore, to the outsider, a company’s failed attempt to engage
their audience in online social networks adversely affects their

influencers and potential brand image.

brand ambassadors And so, how do you as a company build an online social net-
work of influencers? How can you leverage these influencers to

by sharing valuable, become loyal brand ambassadors in the digital media landscape?
There are some fantastic success stories of companies doing just

relevant, and sought- this. They attract influencers using effective “pull” methods, which
in layman’s terms means engaging your target audience on their

after information.”
own terms.

The responsibility lies with you, the communicator, the PR profes-

sional, or the online marketer. You are your company’s main link to this social media world and
will be one of the faces of your brand in these social networks. Outlined below is a guide to
building this network of followers and influencers. Regardless of which platforms you engage
your social network on, the process is similar: look, listen, and love.

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look
Who is your target audience? Where are they
interacting?
To build a network of influencers, you need the building
blocks, i.e. the people that make up your audience or mar-
ket. But who are they and where can you find them?

Answering the “who” question is relatively straightforward.

Start with your own customers and send out a survey to
find out who they are and what they think of you. (Most
companies do this quite regularly and the data may already be available to you.)

Of course, the idea is not to wade through the thousands of names and analyze potential
influencers individually. Break down the data in such a way that you can make relevant gener-
alizations about your target audience, both with regard to their demographics and their overall
opinion of your company, your competitors, and your industry as a whole. (For example, one of
your conclusions can be that women above the age of 45 do not like your product as much as
men under 30, but a majority seem to prefer one of your competitors’ products to yours).

Furthermore, keep in mind to look beyond your current crop of customers to find an audience
that could become valuable brand ambassadors.

While paying clients are a great starting point, try expanding your scope of
potential influencers to:
•S
 ales leads or potential customers: Do your product?
leads and potential customers your sales •A
 lternative customers: Does an unexpect-
department encounter like your company? ed audience value your product or service?
• J ournalists and industry authorities: Do you •U
 niversity students or jobseekers: Is your
subscribe to industry magazines and are company known as a great place to work?
you aware of the most prominent media Do certain departments within your compa-
figures related to your business? ny require specialist training of their staff?
•Y
 our customers’ customers: If you are • Internal customers: Do your own employ-
selling a B2B service or product, is ees promote, use, or value your products
there a shared end user other than your or services?
direct client? Do they know they are using

Once you know who your potential influencers are, the next step is finding out where they
engage and that’s all about research.

The easiest thing to do is to visit the bigger social networks, search engines, forums, or blogs
related to your business or the different potential influencers you’ve identified, and just search
for your company name, competitors’ names, certain products and services related to your
business, or other areas of interest that can be associated to your brand. If the hits are plenty
and it seems the conversation is active, you’ve struck gold!

Here are some useful tools that can help you monitor the various online channels
your target audience could be using to engage and interact:
•G
 oogle Blog Search, Discussion Search, •T
 echnorati.com: searches through blogs.
and Realtime Search: start your search •B
 oardreader.com: searches through fo-
in regular Google.com, but click the differ- rums and message boards.
ent filters listed on the left to go through
•S
 ocialMention.com: searches through
blogs, forums, message boards, and social
social networks.
networks.

Once you’ve found where your potential influencers are active, sign up to those networks and
message boards or start following those blogs and forums more closely.

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listen
What are they interested in? What are
they looking for? What do they think
of you?
Before you start putting to paper some sort of
strategy on how to engage with your audience
in these online social networks, take a deep
breath and just spend some time listening to
what people are saying about you, your com-
petitors, your industry, or anything else that is
associated with your brand image.
It is vital that you understand what your target audience and your influencers are saying before
you push your conversation or agenda onto them. These potential brand ambassadors might
not know who you are, they might not be satisfied with your product, or they might be loyal to
your fiercest competitor. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be interested in what you have to say.
However you have to make sure you engage them on their terms.

"Understand what
In order to get a clear idea of how to engage your audience,
summarize their interests, conversations, and opinions about

your target audience

you, your competitors, and your industry. You have been
researching your audience already to find out where they are.

are saying before

Use the same tactics to find out what they are saying.

Compare this summary with the results from your customer

you push your survey to see if the conclusions are similar or not. This will give
you a general indication of how your customers compare to the
conversation or general public and how you can approach or attract them in
these networks.
agenda onto them." Now you can start engaging your audience. Reply to people’s
comments on blogs, Twitter, Facebook or other channels, but
also offer your own musings on issues related to your company or industry. A great way to get
an audience interested in what you are saying is to share articles, news updates, and other
information that your influencers will find unique and valuable.

Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts you should keep in mind:

•O
 nly deal with matters you are comfortable saying how good the article was; you have
with and have authority over, but make sure to take part in the conversation and offer
to refer these issues to the right persons. your own two cents’ worth.
•D
 on’t flood your channels with commercial •A
 lways monitor and keep listening to your
messages; keep in mind that social media audience: do they want more of a customer
was created for friends and acquaintances support channel or are they interested in
to keep in touch and share thoughts. the latest news, for example?
•S
 how your human side by revealing the •D
 on’t talk about subjects that are unrelated
real persons behind the company or brand to your business or brand. Coca Cola isn’t
name who are active in these social net- in the business of interior design, and Intel
works. probably doesn’t know the ins and outs of
•D
 on’t just leave comments on blog entries the paper industry.

While a concrete strategy with achievable goals can be a good thing when building an on-
line social network, don’t over think it too much. Know that you will most likely change things
around, involving a lot of trial and error, so keep things flexible. The best thing to do is to write
down why you are building an online network, what are the main subjects you will discuss and
share with your audience, and perhaps just some goals relating to the number of people in your
network over a certain amount of time.

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love
Who are your most loyal influencers? How can you engage
with them exclusively? How can you coax them to influence
others in your market?
Now that you have taken the first steps in engaging your audience
and decided on a concrete yet flexible strategy with some achievable
goals, you can proceed with growing your network (by repeating step
1 and 2) and identifying the most loyal influencers.

Once you’re actively building your online social network, you might
notice that among the many casual members of your audience, there
are a handful of truly loyal influencers that wear their assessment of your company and brand on
their proverbial sleeves. When they love what you’re doing, they will tell the world about it. But
they will do exactly the same if you do something they hate. However, they will also defend your
company to the very end against any contradictory opinions.

“When they love This small group of people is usually quite easy to identify,
as they naturally come forward on their own accord. But,

what you’re doing, don’t get blinded by their profession or the size of their online
network.

they will tell A person with a blog can have as much influence as a profes-
sional journalist.

the world about it." What these loyal influencers crave is recognition for their
loyalty and honesty. This recognition can come in the form of
rewards, giveaways, or prizes. However, the best way to show your gratitude for their engage-
ment is to treat them with a sense of exclusivity.

Here are some tips on how to engage with these chosen influencers:
• Information is key. Find out as much as exclusive group of influencers first, before
possible about your select group of people, publishing them to the wider audience.
including birthdays, email addresses, home •S
 end exclusive offers and promotions
addresses, interests, etc. to this select group, especially in conjunc-
• Don’t ignore anyone’s requests, comments, tion with a wider campaign where your
or questions, but definitely not anyone in loyal influencers are offered something
this group – keep the dialogue open at all additionally.
times and at a personal level, but keep it on •A
 sk members of this group to contribute
their terms. with ideas and feedback. Always show
• Want to create a buzz around a new that you value their input and credit their
product? Send news updates to your small contributions.

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A real-life case of Love

The more you actively treat your most loyal influencers as a privileged group, specially selected
from among the masses, the more keen they will be to act as your brand ambassadors. The
most prominent example of this occurred when the creation of a Harry Potter theme park was
announced. The PR and marketing team behind this significant event did not send out a press
release to a massive distribution list or buy vast amounts of advertising space. They contacted
just 7 people through Facebook, whom they believed were their most loyal influencers, telling
them of the proposed theme park. Within a few hours, the word had spread to hundreds of
thousands of people.

“Within a few hours, While the strength of the Harry Potter brand had a helping
hand in this, the same effect can be recreated on a smaller

the word had spread scale, in your own microcosm. Your relationship with your
most loyal influencers, your brand ambassadors, is crucial

to hundreds of in today’s media landscape. Not only will they promote your
brand within their own network, but they will also defend you

thousands of people." against negativity, as well as provide you with the most hon-
est feedback you can get.

The News Exchange Site is a

place where company content
can be exchanged on users’
terms – guaranteeing that
interested readers are seeing
your story.

www.mynewsdesk.com