How to Make Friends with Influencer Marketing

My grant from the Chris Smith Institute for Exotic Travel was enough to cover both days of Rocks Digital, the Richardson marketing conference formed by the Voltron-like fusion of the Local Social and the DFW Rocks Social Media Conference. As you may recall, the first day featured, among other luminaries, Shelly Fagin.

But even conferences with a pedigree experience surprises. When the second day’s keynote speaker was unable to attend due to a family emergency, Rocks Digital rebooted and rallied, first with an impromptu panel discussion on keeping the ol’ SEO pipes clean, and then by moving around some presentations to make sure things kept keeping on.

Tyler Sickmeyer at the 2018 Rocks Digital Conference. Photo by Scott Peek Photography.

Which is how Tyler Sickmeyer found himself up at bat early. He swung for the fences with his presentation on the changing digital marketing landscape — and where exactly influencer marketing fits in the mix.

Starting with a Disney quote is never a bad idea, and Sickmeyer did just that by advocating for a “be our guest” mentality. What does that mean? Well, think about being a good host, which comes down to being aware of what your audience does and does not want.

The modern digital audience does NOT want:

• An omnipresent hard sales pitch: There’s a reason no one wants to be called a used car salesmen, mm?
• Irrelevant crap: If they’re coming to your page, don’t drive them away by making it hard to find useful info.
• Desperation: Like the old saying goes, begging isn’t foreplay. Confidently provide content they can use.
• To be ignored: If they are giving you feedback, that is free market research! Pay attention and engage.
• To be offended: Not every brand needs to take a stand on every issue, but you should know what’s important to your audience.

The modern digital audience DOES want:

• To be entertained: Consider the fact that audiences paid over $300 million to watch a commercial called Lego Batman.
• To be educated: Answer the questions your audience has and they will love you for it — and probably come back.
• An advocate: The flip side of not giving offense is going one better and being a voice for your customers.
• Value: Customers are more savvy than ever, and they want both their money’s worth and their time’s worth.
• A happy ending: You answered their questions. You provided value. You made it easy for them to buy. Happiness!

So want do these wants and not-wants have to do with influencer marketing? Good question (and you’re my favorite for asking. Don’t tell the others. They’ll just be jealous). They can help you find an influencer who is exactly the right fit.

Inevitably, you’ll need to talk budget. Which is fine! A big-name influencer can cost plenty, but there are also plenty of fish in the sea. As for how to find said fish, Sickmeyer uses Shoutcart. You can search by the sorts of things reflected in the lists above: your audience’s interests, needs, the causes they care about, all by keyword or niche.

Naturally, you’ll want to do some homework on your own, too. Verifying that these influencers are the real deal can take a little sleuthing on your own. Do their followers look legit? Do they interact instead of just broadcasting? Are the likes and shares they receive proportionate to their follower count? All of these will give you a sense that you’re dealing with someone on the level.

Most interestingly, Sickmeyer provided a detail many folks don’t know they can even negotiate. Many influencers will only leave a post up for a set period of time, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can ask about making the post permanent, which extends the value of your investment and the time frame of your campaign. How’s that for a #protip?