Great word-of-mouth programs are centered on talkers. These are the people doing the actual word of mouth. The bigger the talker’s network and the more influential he or she is, the more potential there is for spreading your great work.
And while you can have a ton of word-of-mouth success without top bloggers among your fan base, they can offer a lot of help in speeding things up and starting lots of conversations.
At our recent Word of Mouth Supergenius event, Ogilvy PR’s Virginia Miracle shared her tips on how to build your program and work with these talkers:
- Start with you, not your favorite blogger. Miracle says that targeting a specific influencer is not where you start. Instead, start by figuring out what you have and who your customers are — and, most importantly, who influences them.
- Audit your assets. Define what you have to potentially offer influential talkers. Possibilities include sneak peeks at new offerings, a chance to meet your internal heroes, the opportunity to be heard, consulting and recognition among their peers.
- Keep it consistent. Miracle warns that most poorly run programs spike around events based on a short-term marketing calendar. But great programs work off of yearly calendars designed to build strong, consistent relationships with influencers.
If you like this presentation, check out our upcoming Word of Mouth Supergenius event in New York on July 20.
Twitter
Facebook
Linkedin
RSS
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by SB on Social Media, Bangwinissimo. Bangwinissimo said: How to work with bloggers and influencers — from @sernovitz and @/virginiamiracle http://ow.ly/1WCpC (RT @SBoSM) [...]
Thanks for sharing. I guess we must all focus on not repeating the same mistakes with blogger relations, that PRs have made in media relations.
There is no quick fix and blogging relations must be established first (over a long period of time).
Adding value and helping drive traffic to bloggers will win you friends and I agree with the transparency credits in this video too.
Hope you'll share the slides from the presentation…
My recent post Online Reputation Management – Guarding Your Brand
Good points to remember! Helping out the A-listers and influencers and promoting and engaging them helps when you need to reach out to them – being helpful without asking for them to return the favor in exchange is always key in building any kind of relationship. It’s the Golden Rule again…
Thanks!
This is probably the most concise and (one of) the best breakdowns of blogger relations I've read. Bravo. Our customers can tell us so much about how to reach them and give them what they want/need. I think patience is key. It is always a slow build, which is great. Most solid and beneficial relationships (both sides) are. I might add a fourth bullet that says "Start early and often."
[...] To win over an influencer, ask what you can do for them Before you can win over power-bloggers and other online influencers, you need to know what you can offer them, says Ogilvy PR’s Virginia Miracle. These relationships need to be two-way streets, giving influencers a shot at reaching new audiences or giving them access to valuable information, she suggests. Once you’ve established a relationship, make sure you touch base regularly to maintain the bond, she adds. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media [...]