Influence Marketing is the craft of using real, human-scale interactions as you do business with your customers, partners, prospects, influencers, and other community members in your ecosystem.
People buy from people they know and like. The only sustainable advantage for brands today is to build successful, long-term relationships with their communities. Leveraging relationship-based programs is the best mode to success for 21st century companies.
Examples of influence marketing programs
- Advocacy/MVP/Champion programs
- Blogger and influencer relations
- Developer relations and technical evangelism
- Community management
- User groups and meetups
- Employee ambassador programs
Examples of influence and advocacy marketing challenges include:
- Identifying influencers in your market
- Creating relationships with influencers and community members
- Influencer programs at local and corporate events
- Creating content in collaboration with influencers
- Using advocates for product ideation and testing
- Constructing programs that align with business objectives
- Creating buzz and rapport inside communities
- Balancing personal and corporate brands in social and community
- Evaluating program ROI and KPIs