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September 11 Content Chat Recap: Cutting Through the Influencer Marketing Hype

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Joe Martin ContentChat Recap

Influencer marketing has been getting a lot of press lately. But for every blog post we read extolling its virtues, there’s another saying influencers are a waste of marketing time and money.

That’s why we invited Joe Martin, Head of Social Analytics and Brand Evangelist at Adobe, to shed some light on the current state of influencer marketing.

Q1: Has 2017 been the Year of the Influencer or the year influencer marketing was overcome by its own hype?

Many marketers feel that influencer marketing has become a victim of its own hype.

Don’t believe the influencer marketing hype.

Despite the never-ending hype around influencer marketing, many #ContentChat attendees say it’s still a must-have for content marketers.

Micro-influencers, in particular, have gained notice.

Much of the distaste for influencer marketing that bubbles up stems from a lack of differentiation between celebrity and influence.

But in a world where people don’t trust ads or brand messaging, influencer marketing is a primary way for a brand to extend their audience.

First and foremost, for influencer marketing to be more than just hype, a brand has to make a long-term commitment.


Q2: What is the biggest change we’ve seen in influencer marketing so far this year?

Smart marketers are starting to understand that a large number of followers or being a celebrity isn’t where the value lies in influencer marketing.

Expertise and experience trump celebrity when it comes to influencer marketing.

But some brands are still throwing big budget dollars at celebrities.

FTC crackdowns on the lack of transparency with influencer-created content is showing itself in the increased use of #Ad and other public disclosures of brand-purchased content.

Q3: Are micro-influencers the next big thing in influencer marketing? Or are they an influencer marketplace cash grab?

Over the past year, the term micro-influencer has cropped up to refer to respected industry and community members who don’t have huge social media followings but whose advice is regularly headed and repeated. But some marketers have written off the rise of the micro-influencer as a desperate money grab by influencer platforms without enough big names to go around.

Micro influencers are your content marketing secret weapon.

Find influencers who are already passionate about and already advocating for your brand and build long-term relationships with them.

Q4: What’s one hard lesson brands learned about influencer marketing this year?

You’ll get better results from someone who uses your product or service versus someone whose influence you are renting.

For best results, work with existing customers.

It’s time to shift the focus from paying for campaign participation to building long-term influencer relationships. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for payment.

Building influencer relationships takes time. You won’t see overnight ROI.

There have been some spectacular influencer marketing campaigns gone awry. Here are a few that continue to be mentioned.

Not all influencers are who they say they are…it’s important to do your due diligence. make sure they can drive the results you need.

Q5: Which brands are doing a good job of building positive word of mouth through influencer marketing?

Not all influencer marketing hits the mark. Here are the campaigns and influencers that stand out the most to #ContentChat attendees.

Brands with solid influencer marketing collaborations.

Industry influencers with impact.

Q6: Influencer marekting isn’t for everyone. How can you know if influencer marketing is the right approach for your brand?

Because beauty and fitness brands are killing it with influencer marketing, some marketers may think you need have a consumer product to make it work. But our #ContentChat attendees on the whole disagree. But influencer marketing isn’t the right fit for every company.

Start with defining your content strategy including your content marketing goals.

Not sure it’s a fit? Test and learn.

If you’re marketing commodities or looking for an immediate result, influencer marketing may not be a good fit.

Influencer marketing requires dedicated resources.

Q7: How can a marketing team get started with an influencer marketing program?

OK, you’re sold on the benefits of influencer marketing. Now what? Here are the #ContentChat community’s tips for getting started.

Don’t jump in without a plan.

Start building up your team’s influence.

Engage with your existing community.

Get to know your industry influencers.

Make influencer engagement a habit.

Q8: What are your tips for getting the most out of an influencer marketing program?

Influencer marketing is not “set it and forget it.” Our community shared their tips for getting the most out of influencer relationships.

Build mutually-beneficial influencer relationships.

Make sure your influencer marketing plan is grounded in reality.

Clearly define goals and track your results.

Build influencer relationships, not just influencer marketing campaigns.

Next Steps
To learn more about influencer marketing, check out this and other resources from Traackr:

About Erika Heald

Erika Heald is a content marketing expert and executive ghostwriter. As founder and lead consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, she helps organizations define and document content marketing strategies that drive business growth. Erika led and grew high-performance content marketing teams at Highwire PR, Anaplan, and Achievers. You can also find her on her blog erikasglutenfreekitchen.com or hosting the weekly #ContentChat Twitter chat on Mondays at 12 noon Pacific.

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