Dear PR Matters,
I work in a PR agency, and am fairly new in the business. Whenever we have clients that ask for proposals, they always ask us to include influencers in the mix.
I have to admit, though, that I am not quite clear on what influencers can do apart from the fact that they are celebrities or have many followers in social media. What is really an influencer? How does one become one? How effective are they in PR programs?
Other colleagues also would like to know more about them, as this would be very helpful in our work. Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Gayle A.
Dear Gayle,
Your question is quite timely because with the advent of social media, so-called influencers hve become part of many marketing programs.
In the Philippine setting, influencers are mostly celebrities or well-known personalities who have a large following in social media. They function as brand ambassadors or as they say brand evangelists, to that help create brand awareness and image building.
Your question actually has two parts—1) What is an influencer?; and 2) How effective is influencer marketing? We will try to answer the first question in this column, and the second in next week’s.
The Business Dictionary.com defines influencers as “individuals who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their (real or perceived) authority, knowledge, position, or relationship.”
“In consumer spending, members of a peer group or reference group act as influencers. In business to business (organizational) buying, internal employees (engineers, managers, purchasers) or external consultants act as influencers.”
With this, there are many faces of influencers that remain untapped. These include journalists, academics, industry analysts, professional advisors, celebrities and individual brand advocates.
Lifestyle editors in broadsheets can be considered influencers because it is a fact that the stores, restaurants, and wellness centers they feature on their pages not only get some buzz, but lead to sales. Stock-market experts can also be considered influencers because their picks are considered good investment options. Academics like Queenie Go Chua can also be considered an influencer because of the Kumon system that she has brought here.
We may not follow their lives the way we do with celebrities, but their thoughts and their recommendations lead us to make purchase decisions.
In iA, Influencer Analysis says that “influencers are normal people who are often connected to key roles in media outlets, consumer groups, industry associations or community tribes. Influencers may not be aware of your company, but represent control of an audience segment that is important to your business.”
“Such individuals are not simply marketing tools, but social relationship assets,” it continues. “They may be the person for affecting key contracts, supporting new product releases, or part of a resource pool that increases market awareness and industry shift before it happens.”
In an article for The Outreach Marketer, Kristen Matthews says that “the term influencer is not grasped as easily as it’s thrown around. It’s like everyone is ‘doing it’, but ‘doesn’t know how to do it.’”
That is because of the mistaken notion that influencers are limited to celebrities, as is practiced in the Philippines. But the concept of an influencer, actually has its roots in the social sciences.
I came across a book, Influencer: the Power to Change Anything, which was actually written in 2008 by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler.
The book is based on the studies of a handful of behavioral science theorists, including the legendary father of social learning theory, Dr. Albert Bandura, who have discovered the power to change about anything. Through years of careful research and studied practice, the authors have developed powerful influence principles and strategies that can be replicated and others can learn.
The book shows how we can become influencers in our own circle by mastering the six sources of influence. These are:
1Personal motivation—work on connecting vital behaviors or intrinsic motives;
2Personal ability—coach the specifics of each behavior through deliberate practice;
3Social motivation—draw on the enormous power of social influence to both motivate and enable target behaviors;
4Social ability—people in a community will have to assist each other if they hope to succeed;
5Structural motivation—attach appropriate reward structures to motivate people to pick up the vital behaviors;
6Structural ability—ensure that systems, processes, reporting structures, visual cues support the vital behaviors.
As you can see, anyone can be an influencer. In next week’s column, we will discuss influencer marketing and its effectivity.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the UK-based International Public Relations Association, the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for marketing and communications of SM, is the local chairman.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.