When you’re looking for your brand’s social media influencers, it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers. You might think more followers means more influence, but in reality, it’s about much more than that.
According to Ben Cobb, global content and community manager for Reebok, there are lots of ways to create an influencer program, but to find the right influencers, you have to focus on what and who you’re trying to influence. In his presentation at SocialMedia.org’s BlogWell conference, Ben shares some lessons learned from Reebok’s search for the right influencers for their Classic Leather brand.
Some key points from his presentation:
- Fame doesn’t equal influence: Reebok learned that even though one celebrity advocate had lots of followers and the right audience, he was only influential in music, not fashion. His social media followers were put off by mentions of Reebok’s shoes where they expected to hear about hip hop.
- Let your influencers have their own voice: Ben says that audiences can easily spot canned marketing material — and they’ll point it out. He recommends giving your influencers guidelines, but letting them put it in their own words and on the social platforms they feel comfortable using.
- Bring them into the brand: Since the best influencers actually love and care about your brand, give them every reason to feel connected. Ben says they bring influencers to design meetings, show them how the shoes are made, and invite them to company events.
Watch Ben’s full presentation below. The slides are available for download.
If you like this presentation, see more great social media case studies like it live at BlogWell Dallas, Feb. 19.