7 tips to activate social influence marketing

83% of purchase decisions are influenced by Word of Mouth (source: Groundswell). Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Blogs, Forums and Rating & Review Sites are a virtual smorgasbord of comments that can persuade us to buy or stay away.

But some people have more influence over our decisions than others. It might be that they are actively involved in the communities we’re members of, or are trusted sources of information on a particular subject, or they simply have a vast network of connections. These people are called Influencers.

Social Influence Marketing is primarily the act of leveraging Influencers to amplify a message. But, getting people to help shape your customer’s purchase decisions isn’t easy. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

7 tips to activate Social Influence Marketing

1. You have to find them first. It’s not always obvious who is an influencer. It takes time and wearwithal to filter through the millions of users online and find the ones who genuinely impact your target market. There are tools abound that help companies find the right amplifier. Rapleaf, Radian6 and Media6Degrees are just three such paid tools. There are also many free tools that can help guide you to the right people, namely: SocialMention and Twitter Search.
2. You have to qualify how much of an influence they really are.
   Influencer50 has defined criteria to measure the degree of influence one holds:
   Market Reach – the number of people an individual has the ability to connect with.
   Independence – whether an influencer has a vested interest in promoting a particular point of view.
   Frequency of Impact – the number of opportunities an individual has to influence buying decisions.
   Expertise – how much of a subject matter expert is the influencer.
   Persuasiveness – the degree of consequence in ignoring an influencer’s advice.
   Thoroughness of role – the extent to which influence is exerted across the decision lifecycle.
3. You have to know what motivates them. So, now you’ve found them. The next challenge is to motivate them to spread your message. Some businesses believe this is as simple as throwing some money at them. This is often a big mistake. Although there are a number of powerful influencers who do get paid to write reviews or promote products, others are vehemently against it and believe it will hurt their trust and credibility. Instead of money, these types of individuals may be driven to be the first to report about an interesting new product. They may be looking for authority recognition or press. Or, they may simply want to provide their network with an exclusive deal or offer. It’s also important to recognize that these types are also likely to want to be blatantly honest with their review or experience (see #7). The key is to find out what is important to them, how this may affect your message and, ultimately, what will motivate them.
4. You have to make it easy for them to amplify your message. First thing first, unremarkable ideas offline will be unremarkable online. If you want someone to be motivated to talk about you, you need to be talk-worthy. You also need to provide the influencer with a rich resource of information to be able to experience without overwhelming them. You have to be clear about what you’re trying to say. And, you have to make it easy to share (think links, videos, product trials, etc). Make it difficult for someone to talk about you and they’ll be silent.
5. You must think ethically. If you ask someone to promote or persuade, they have an obligation to disclose this information to their readers and followers. And you have an obligation to disclose your relationship with them. WOMMA put together an ethics policy that I think does a good job of covering standards of conduct. I recently heard a great example of ethics gone wrong. Netflix, who has recently launched in Canada, held a launch event which drew a great crowd. The media was there in droves and began interviewing the crowd to hear what they had to say. It was leaked a few hours later that a good percentage of people in the crowd were hired actors paid to say wonderful things about the launch. This type of behavior is unethical, and in many countries, illegal.
6. You should give them a taste. If you want someone to speak with passion, to believe in their statements and to feel good about their endorsement, you must allow them to try what it is you’re selling. Not to mention this is the law for many countries – and for good reason. Again, it is unethical for someone to talk positively and influence the perception of others if they’ve never tried it themselves.
7. You should consider involving them in the process. One of the things I mentioned above is that if you want someone very influential to speak about you, you need to be prepared for anything they might say. One way of helping to build a positive experience for them is to involve them in beta testing, planning, or pre-launch trials. Ask them what they have to say before it’s launched to a broader audience and help them shape a better experience. Not only will you have a presumably better outcome, but you’ll have an influencer with a vested interest in its success.

Other Social Influence Marketing / WOM Resources

I’m going to be speaking at The Special Event Show 2011 on the topic of Social Influence Marketing on January 25, 2011 at 4:00PM.

Jeff Hurt over at Velvet Chainsaw wrote a great post about WOM Marketing for Event Marketers.