Speaking With Influencers: A Buzz Marketing Guide

By Ethan Lyon, Senior Writer

Consumer conversation and engagement are increasing in value as a new era in marketing emerges. Consumers are empowered to be their own Private Eyes–dig deep to find true value via reviews, free reports and blogs. Consumers are turning to word of mouth (via the web) as a valuable resource to make purchasing decisions. Access to communication tools on the web have amplified the importance and influence of word of mouth. Though it’s not possible to transition all of your marketing efforts to a viral campaign on YouTube, companies are realizing the power of product / service value and their communication with influencers.

To elevate your word of mouth efforts, we are going to take a look at how to effectively  speak with influencers:

Buzzworthy Product

The first step to generating buzz, is to have a compelling product that adds value to the market. It’s all about “earning” the buzz through great products and experiences. Do your market research, crunch the numbers, do whatever you have to to find a market need. Nothing is more wasteful than creating a generic product with little to no value. Influencers will not respond positively to an average, mundane product / service. If your product has value, it will earn its stripes through word of mouth. Value is essential in generating buzz.

Engaging Buzzing Influencers

When engaging influencers, identify the right target person / group to talk about your product. If your product / service  is not relevant or important, it will fall upon deaf ears. Go big then fine-tune your target. Identify the market, then the key players within it.

Once you have a shortlist of influencers, you can develop a strategy. For example, if you’re launching a new iPhone app, you should consider influential blogs such as Mashable, RWW or the iPhone App blog. Once you’ve decided on a shortlist of blogs, what are their passion points? Mashable is geared towards social media, covering a swath of topics, whereas iPhone App is very specific. Now you have the key players, how are you going to reach out to them? Are you going to have a press release, warm e-mail, conference (online or digital), event, leverage your connections? How are you going to reach those influencers?

To engage that short-list of influencers, offer exclusivity. If you’re product is readily available for anyone and everyone, what benefit are you giving your influencer? Take example from Google. The sandbox version of their new product, the Google Wave was offered to a select group of influential developers. Exclusivity gives them control and privilege over information.

Do Something Different

At this point, you’ve identified influencers and now you have to get their attention. How are you going to differentiate yourself from all of the other companies seeking influencer attention? Can you leverage a cause-related initiative to attract some attention? How about a event specifically catered to influencers.

There are companies whose mission it is to create buzz for your product. Buzz-masters include BuzzAgent, Trendsta, House Party and many more. There are niche buzz companies such as House Party. They supply party hosts with client’s products. Influencers then review those products. If you’re product can get buzz through niche agents, go for it. The more clarity you bring to your strategy, the more effectively you can execute and measure your results.

Active Listening

Develop open communication with influencers. If you’re willing to expose your product to influencers, have a tough skin. Though not everyone does not share your passion for product / service, it’s important to keep an open mind. If anything, it can be valuable feedback to make your product better. Acknowledge their feedback and be responsive. Though you cannot change your product overnight, you will consider their suggestions to make the product better. Though you might be vehemently opposed to their suggestions, remember they’re an infleuncer with a fresh perspective. Fighting back will only dissolve a possible relationship. Let them know you can about their opinion (because you do!) and you’re going to do everything you can to improve their experience.

Active listening is all about learning. Your product / service can benefit from influencer feedback. Remember, you’re always learning about how you can do better. If you adopt an open-minded philosophy, your company will be all the better for it.

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