WOMMA’s Influencer Marketing Handbook
Brilliant stuff! WOMMA launched Influencer Marketing Handbook – extraordinary set of info about types of influencers, ways of engagement and useful resources on the topic (really good list of readings!!!).
The whole document is a must read for all WOM marketers, obviously, I would like to quote two parts of it, however, two key issues of influencer engagement that – from my experience – companies and/or people, in general, do not comprehend:
1.’Your best influencers may not always be positive about your product, company and/or services. In fact, your biggest fans may at times be your harshest critics. The fact they are sometimes negative will make them far more credible to their networks.’
2.’Influencer programs are, by definition, long-term, multi-year commitments designed to build a relationship; they are not marketing campaigns. Campaigns can augment influencer efforts to help find, activate, or engage influencers in particular activities (like a product launch), but influencer programs need to level out the roller coaster of connections provided by campaigns.’
All we are talking about it trust and loyalty – not to the brand, but loyalty to yourself. Any influential, serious blogger, twitter user, etc will always be expected to write truth and only truth – since this is exactly the reason why we all post online – in our fields ruled by freedom of speech:)