Influence is Nothing Without Proof

Brands have been partnering with these influencers to produce and distribute content that impacts audiences in ways that traditional advertising just can39t While brands like Anheuser Busch Marriott CocaColaamp160and Pepsi are aligning with highprofile influencers like Logan Paul Zack Kingamp160and Rachel Talbott for their unique perspective and large audiences many are also discovering that influencers exist across many different audience sizesWe know that influencer marketing has worked for many brands in the past However many of the metrics we use to measure success differ from influencer to influenceramp160or partner to partner as the industry increasingly moves to a scaled approach versus building oneonone relationships with individual influencersAs it stands I think we can sort influencers into three categoriesamp160Q Score ratingsamp160do a good job demonstrating the true value of Tier I and many Tier II influencers for brandsamp160Without Q Scores for social media influencers I would argue that no one has done a good job at measuring the value of Tier III influencers as identified belowTier Iamp160amp160Most of these quotAquot listers are managed by big talent companies While the line is blurring here between celebrities and true influencers it can range from the likes of Pew Die Pie on YouTubeamp160to the Kardashians or author Hank Green The value they bring can be readily measured through Q ScoresTier IIamp160amp160Though they may not have follower counts in the millions or show up on Q scores this big swath of influencers is arguably more impactful within their area of expertise be it herb gardening single momdomamp160or healthy living They can often be activated through a thirdparty partner The best partners are able to quantify the science of who the influencer39samp160audiences are while demonstrating the art of what39s unique about the influencer39s POVamp160Often a Tier II influencer can have a huge impact on highly specific topics such as doityourself enthusiastsamp160or locavore food fansTier IIIamp160amp160This is the nascent longtail of influencer amp160the person in their quotfriends circlequot who everyone turns to when they are shopping for a new caramp160or a new pair of headphonesamp160or a home remedy Often they can be activated by the same thirdparty partners that work with Tier II influencers and be a costeffective way to reach highly localized or specific audiences As with Tier II ideally we are able to understand not just who the influencers are but who their audience isamp160Often that39s not the caseIn all three of these tiers though what is missing all too often are the hard business metrics that tell us whether the work was successful or not Running brand recall studies postexposure to influencer content is still by far the exception to the rule All too often results are measured in proxy metrics like quotengagementquot that tell you how many shares or likes or comments were generated What was product recall Did exposure translate into salesThe truth is that we can do better on behalf of clients We should be looking at brand awareness and preference and even product sales growth amp160It39s time to compare apples to apples and demystify many of the questions that still surround the true value of working with digital influencersWhat I do know is that our internal social leads in the United States across the UK and in Europe are ready to move beyond measuring views engagements and clicks only without diving more deeply into the business impact that influencers can haveWith the intense focus in our industry on ROI the risk is great that the influencer boom could become a bubble and the question will simply be whether the air leaks out slowly or whether the bubble bursts all at onceTo be clear my challenge is both to us on the agency side and to our partners in the influencer space to help us all to go beyond surface measures and really prove out the business efficacy of influencerdriven content and brand communication Onward togetherClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Influence is Nothing Without Proof

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Carl Fremont

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

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Carl Fremont

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