If you’re a marketer and haven’t been living on another planet for the past few years, influencer marketing is a term that you’re familiar with. The increasing popularity of influencer marketing has brought every person out of the woodwork sharing their “expertise” and trying their hand at building a program.
In fact, 84% of marketers plan to run influencer marketing programs within the next year. If you fall into that 84% or have already kicked off your influencer marketing initiative, there are some things you need to know.
First and foremost, you need to have a strategy for your influencer marketing program. That strategy should include building relationships with influencers that have mutual interests, audiences and goals.
At TopRank Marketing we have been developing and implementing influencer driven content programs for our clients for many years. We have used that experience (and the expertise of other influencers) to develop the posts below.
Top Influencer Marketing Posts of 2016
#1 – [eBook] Influencer Engagement: 15 Ways to Fail & 25 Ways to Win
The internet is full of fails for almost any topic. Sometimes the misfortune is a funny one, and other times it is not. In today’s world, there is nothing funny about failing at influencer marketing. So many brands have tried (and failed) to implement a successful influencer program. This eBook provides 15 fails, and 25 wins to help your team create a more successful approach to influencer marketing.
#2 – Is Your Influencer Marketing Program Not Effective? Here’s Why
If you’re just starting or smack dab in the middle of an influencer marketing initiative, take some time to slow down and find your focus. Ultimately, a successful program will take time, and focus on the relationships and value created with influencers.
#3 – How B2B Companies are Winning Hearts & Minds with Influencer Content
Today’s customer journey isn’t quite as predictable as marketers would like. Because it is unpredictable, marketers need to find a new (and better) way to connect with customers no matter where they are in their journey. This presentation from Lee Odden takes a dive into how to incorporate influencers into your content strategy.
#4 – 5 Dangerous Myths About Influencer Marketing – Busted!
When new trends (like influencer marketing) begin to emerge, you’ll find that nearly everyone you know claims to be an expert. To uncover the truth about influencer marketing, TopRank Marketing CEO polled marketing industry leaders and experts from the UK who help bust some dangerous myths.
#5 – 5 Ways Influencer Marketing Can Grow Your B2B Company
Influencer marketing can take on many forms, and provide many benefits for brands if implemented correctly. If brands focus on including influencers in their marketing for campaigns only, there is a lot of value left on the table. This post provides 5 helpful influencer marketing tips specifically for B2B marketers.
#6 – Influencer Content Marketing: The Art of Relationships & the Science of Software
There truly is an art to implementing a long-term influencer marketing program. Relationships with influencers must be built over time and special attention spent on creating value for those influencers. TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden has many years of experience working with influencers, and being a marketing influencer himself. In this post you’ll find some powerful insights into what works.
#7 – What is Influencer Marketing? Definitions, Examples, and Resources
Countless complexities exist within the world of influencer marketing. If you’re new to the whole concept or just need a little refresher, this post is a very robust resource filled with examples of influencer marketing done right.
#8 – How Dell Approaches Integrated & Authentic Influencer Marketing
Each organization experiences a somewhat different journey as they find which approach to influencer marketing works best for them. And that’s exactly what Dell’s Shelley Ryan and Lauren Mauro did at this year’s Content Marketing World conference. We can all learn from the experiences of this dynamic duo.
Take Your Time with Influencer Marketing
It’s important to remember that developing an influencer marketing program is not a race. Brands are better off taking their time and finding the RIGHT influencers to help advance their business goals.
Disclosure: Dell is a TopRank Marketing Client
