Traditional brands and individuals in the blogging community connect with other influencers in their niche with services and rewards to create what is known as “influence marketing.” Over time the marketplace has become more transparent with online communities like Triberr, and Swerve. Google has also evolved with Google Plus, and it’s new search engine algorithm, Hummingbird, which further changes the game on how the personal brand can utilize this type of marketing.
How can your personal brand best connect with other influencers? The main answer is through content – the main driving force for Google – making influence marketing more like search engine marketing. Today the micro blogging channels allow brands to collaborate and share information. In essence this allows for more of an attraction to products and services through high level influencers in a niche.
Today a personal brand can become more personal with its audience and competitors. These connections create more of an awareness and can even help drive traffic to your website, where these leads are potential customers.
Steps to influence marketing
Creating a simple campaign is not enough to connect with other influencers. In order to reach a larger audience for your brand, here are some key factors to success:
• Full social media engagement – How active are you on your social media channels? You will want to create meaningful conversations in addition to sharing the best content that meets an audience’s needs. This rapidly growing environment is a hot bed of high level connections to reach out to and engage with.
• Know your social score – Social measurement services like Klout, Kred and PeerIndex are measuring your brand’s influence each day, and creating a score based on that activity. In today’s competitive environment it is becoming more important than ever to show your level of influence to your audience and peers.
• Become active on Google Plus – Soon this growing social platform will be opening the doors for advertising. If you want to make even more connections, and present your brand’s message to the world, then this is the place to be.
• Share content mindfully – Pay attention to who is spreading the word on your content, products, and services. Share their information in order to open the door of opportunity for your brand. Services like Social Buzz Club and Commun.it are great places to start this process.
As influence marketing evolves it is important to stay on top of the latest trends, and become more personal with your audience. Get to know their likes, needs, and stay on top of any customer service issues that may arise on social media. Stay focused on your niche, and remember that fresh original content is still king. Build a team for your personal brand that is professional and can relate well to your audience with a clear message being projected.
Influence marketing is more than a ‘one-of-many’ trends — it is an important and evolving channel. Now that Google is getting into the game, you can rest assured it’s something you’ll want to add to your marketing wheel house.
