You want to uncover influencers, right?
Find those people that can carry your message, get heard, cut through the noise and get people’s attention? The ones with the most eyeballs, the most leverage, the strongest voice, the most accumulated “social capital”?
Let me tell you a story about Emily.
Emily was a donor to a non-profit organization I used to work for. She wasn’t an especially notable donor, but she was a consistently, quietly loyal one. She sent precisely $100, twice a year, to our annual giving campaign. By most fundraising “standards”, that put her neatly in a “nice but not major” camp.
Emily was also quite unassuming, but she was incredibly passionate about our work. She came to the events, but never stayed for the fancy-dancy reception. She talked with the kids. She was sweet, approachable, and kind. I talked to her often about music, books, and her grandkids who lived across the country. She taught me a bit of Gaelic. I taught her a bit of Spanish, and introduced her to comics (no I’m not joking).
We had a conversation once about the idea of “major donors” and she chided me a bit about how we development folks were so focused on the big gifts. But she mentioned that in her years supporting our organization, she’d always felt like her contribution – however small – made a difference, and that we valued her. We did.
Late one year, Emily died. She was mourned, and missed.
About a month later, I got a call from an attorney representing Emily’s estate. She had made some provisions in her will, one of which was that my organization was to be the recipient of a $5 million dollar endowment gift.
$5 million. That amount made an enormous difference to my organization in one shot.
In the traditional sense, Emily was never the person we would have identified as “influential”. Ever. She was a routine donor that didn’t make a lot of noise, insist on a board seat, volunteer on committees, or throw big money at capital campaigns. She cared nothing for having her name on plaques or lists. By our standards today, her social graph would have been rather paltry.
But she felt like she made a difference to us, and we cared about what that meant. We treated her in a way befitting her emotional commitment, not her financial one. And in the end, she made a more powerful difference to our organization than we ever could have imagined.
Your “influencers” are right there. In your customer database. They’re buying from you already, which means they have the ultimate currency of influence that should matter to you: their business.
They don’t have scads of followers. They might not spend tons of money. Some of them don’t give a rip if you have a fan page, and even if they’ve “fanned” you, they may never be back. They don’t have legions of fans commenting on their blogs, if they have one at all.
Yet they are the ones whose trust and evangelism you need. You’re much better off getting all of your own customers to love what you’re doing than try to convince a Jason Falls or a Tara Hunt or a Chris Brogan that they should care if they don’t already.
Deliver the best goods to the people that hold the keys to your kingdom, regardless of their social graph. Because if you are putting too many of your eggs in the fragile, fleeting basket of influence that’s based simply on today’s notions of popularity and visibility, you just might be overlooking an Emily.
Special thanks to Jim Long for sharing his post, which reminded me of this story and reinforces the need for perspective when it comes to influence.
image credit: Randy Son Of Robert
Thank you for sharing this.
I recently had a similar conversation with some people I know who work in development. Pretty sure they listened, but not sure they heard me.
I’m familiar with the symptoms. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this.
I recently had a similar conversation with some people I know who work in development. Pretty sure they listened, but not sure they heard me.
I’m familiar with the symptoms. 🙂
Treat EVERYONE like they’re your biggest donor, best customer, or next boss. You never know when that might just become true. 🙂
.-= Jim Long´s last blog ..Location Based Mobile Apps – Why “Where Are You Doing It?” Trumps “What Are You Doing?” =-.
Exactly, right? Not only is influence subjective, but it’s often in disguise.
I like that. What an awesome way to encourage some respect among people.
Treat EVERYONE like they’re your biggest donor, best customer, or next boss. You never know when that might just become true. 🙂
.-= Jim Long´s last blog ..Location Based Mobile Apps – Why “Where Are You Doing It?” Trumps “What Are You Doing?” =-.
Exactly, right? Not only is influence subjective, but it’s often in disguise.
I like that. What an awesome way to encourage some respect among people.
In a world of hyper-focus on “finding the influencers”, this is a needed reminder on treating people like people and not numbers.
.-= Sean´s last blog ..iPad – Stemming the Flow of Complaints =-.
It’s the only thing that matters, when it really gets down to it.
In a world of hyper-focus on “finding the influencers”, this is a needed reminder on treating people like people and not numbers.
.-= Sean´s last blog ..iPad – Stemming the Flow of Complaints =-.
It’s the only thing that matters, when it really gets down to it.
Great story, Amber. It’s lovely the way that focusing on the relationship actually turns out well for all concerned. Clearly Emily felt her (small) contribution mattered so she would have been well aware what the impact of a much larger bequest would do. As in most areas of life, it’s the little things that count.
And I guess what struck me was that we weren’t “trying” to court Emily or anything. She felt valued because she WAS, and we simply acted accordingly. You can’t fake giving a rip about someone. And I’m always going to be grateful for the lesson she taught me about how every individual matters, period.
Great story, Amber. It’s lovely the way that focusing on the relationship actually turns out well for all concerned. Clearly Emily felt her (small) contribution mattered so she would have been well aware what the impact of a much larger bequest would do. As in most areas of life, it’s the little things that count.
And I guess what struck me was that we weren’t “trying” to court Emily or anything. She felt valued because she WAS, and we simply acted accordingly. You can’t fake giving a rip about someone. And I’m always going to be grateful for the lesson she taught me about how every individual matters, period.
Hey Amber, very cool story thank you for sharing. Some key life lessons are at play here. Treat people with respect, value their contributions, and we will all be amazed what we will get back in return. I am sure the time you spent with Emily was priceless in her eyes. Good on ya!
It was priceless to me, too. And not because of the gift. She was just awesome, plain and simple.
Hey Amber, very cool story thank you for sharing. Some key life lessons are at play here. Treat people with respect, value their contributions, and we will all be amazed what we will get back in return. I am sure the time you spent with Emily was priceless in her eyes. Good on ya!
It was priceless to me, too. And not because of the gift. She was just awesome, plain and simple.
Geez, now I feel all “schooled” and whatnot, humbled. You have my gratitude for this today Amber.
.-= James Ball´s last blog ..Are You a Fan of Apple Trees and Honey Bees, and Snow White Turtle Doves? =-.
I’m glad James. I’m very passionate about keeping this whole “influence” stuff in perspective.
Geez, now I feel all “schooled” and whatnot, humbled. You have my gratitude for this today Amber.
.-= James Ball´s last blog ..Are You a Fan of Apple Trees and Honey Bees, and Snow White Turtle Doves? =-.
I’m glad James. I’m very passionate about keeping this whole “influence” stuff in perspective.
Thank you so much for sharing this story – what a great reminder to recognize that in the end, its the relationships we have with one another that truly matter. That’s not to say that the Influencers have not worked hard to earn their status and position, but it can often be one person or a small group of people that will make all the difference.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Charity Spotlight – M.D. Anderson Children’s Art Project =-.
What’s interesting is that influence tends to happen to people who do good work. Most of the really trustworthy, impactful people I know that also have some visibility didn’t ask for it, they just got there because they do good things, and people take notice.
Thank you so much for sharing this story – what a great reminder to recognize that in the end, its the relationships we have with one another that truly matter. That’s not to say that the Influencers have not worked hard to earn their status and position, but it can often be one person or a small group of people that will make all the difference.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Charity Spotlight – M.D. Anderson Children’s Art Project =-.
What’s interesting is that influence tends to happen to people who do good work. Most of the really trustworthy, impactful people I know that also have some visibility didn’t ask for it, they just got there because they do good things, and people take notice.
Emily was right. Often we are looking for the “big” dollar donor and forget that every donor is important to meeting the mission. Successful fundraising (or PR or marketing) is about making the connection and building a relationship with the person.
You bet it is. And I’m convinced that I was successful in my fundraising days for that philosophy, and why community is such a natural fit for me. I understand the value of people at a very fundamental level, and the most successful people I know share that sentiment.
Emily was right. Often we are looking for the “big” dollar donor and forget that every donor is important to meeting the mission. Successful fundraising (or PR or marketing) is about making the connection and building a relationship with the person.
You bet it is. And I’m convinced that I was successful in my fundraising days for that philosophy, and why community is such a natural fit for me. I understand the value of people at a very fundamental level, and the most successful people I know share that sentiment.
Relationships. Relationships. Relationships. I know this word is beat to death in the social media echo-chamber. I think we always talk about relationships because, ultimately, they are what matter most.
The other big piece that you so humbly exclude is your relationship, kindness, interaction, caring, etc you had with and towards Emily. You treated her like a human. You engaged with her in a genuine way.
I think this can be tough to scale unless it’s part of the corporate culture (see Zappos, right?). This is where I see the role of Community Managers coming in. Building and maintaining genuine, meaningful, lasting relationships. It does matter – on a professional AND personal level. I’d argue that the personal stuff matters way more.
Thanks for sharing such a lovely story, Amber.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Nerds, Dorks, Geeks, and Cool Dudes =-.
No, it doesn’t scale. It’s never scaled. And the hot water we’ve gotten into as big congolmerate corporate entities is when we’ve tried.
People don’t scale, and people don’t want to be tossed in buckets. That’s the reality. You cannot mechanize relationships, and you cannot automate a genuine investment in other people. Some companies get that. Some don’t. And for my money, I’m betting on the ones that do.
Relationships. Relationships. Relationships. I know this word is beat to death in the social media echo-chamber. I think we always talk about relationships because, ultimately, they are what matter most.
The other big piece that you so humbly exclude is your relationship, kindness, interaction, caring, etc you had with and towards Emily. You treated her like a human. You engaged with her in a genuine way.
I think this can be tough to scale unless it’s part of the corporate culture (see Zappos, right?). This is where I see the role of Community Managers coming in. Building and maintaining genuine, meaningful, lasting relationships. It does matter – on a professional AND personal level. I’d argue that the personal stuff matters way more.
Thanks for sharing such a lovely story, Amber.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Nerds, Dorks, Geeks, and Cool Dudes =-.
No, it doesn’t scale. It’s never scaled. And the hot water we’ve gotten into as big congolmerate corporate entities is when we’ve tried.
People don’t scale, and people don’t want to be tossed in buckets. That’s the reality. You cannot mechanize relationships, and you cannot automate a genuine investment in other people. Some companies get that. Some don’t. And for my money, I’m betting on the ones that do.
Amber this story is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing it! I completely agree that the concept of “influence” can blind marketers to the true value of each of their individual customers. And, who are we to know what a person’s real influence is? Follow count shows such a limited side of a person’s social network or “influence” – it certainly wouldn’t show how big Emily’s heart was or what her plans were. I wrote a similar story (not nearly as heartwarming) http://ktvan.posterous.com/thoughts-about-influence-at-smaz about how true influence bridges the digital and physical world. Looks can definitely be deceiving and Emily’s story is a sweet example of that. Thanks again!
.-= Katie Van Domelen´s last blog ..Location based services are so in right now =-.
Thanks for sharing your poste, Katie. Great stuff. 🙂
Amber this story is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing it! I completely agree that the concept of “influence” can blind marketers to the true value of each of their individual customers. And, who are we to know what a person’s real influence is? Follow count shows such a limited side of a person’s social network or “influence” – it certainly wouldn’t show how big Emily’s heart was or what her plans were. I wrote a similar story (not nearly as heartwarming) http://ktvan.posterous.com/thoughts-about-influence-at-smaz about how true influence bridges the digital and physical world. Looks can definitely be deceiving and Emily’s story is a sweet example of that. Thanks again!
.-= Katie Van Domelen´s last blog ..Location based services are so in right now =-.
Thanks for sharing your poste, Katie. Great stuff. 🙂
Very inspiring and reminds me of my father. He always taught to give generously and to exercise humility. I sometimes struggle with level of engagement and appearing like I’m just trying to get noticed. It’s a good reminder to give generously and not jump up and down for attention.
Thanks Amber.
Attention will always be fleeting, Teri. Being a decent human and banking good work will always endure. Trust me on that.
Very inspiring and reminds me of my father. He always taught to give generously and to exercise humility. I sometimes struggle with level of engagement and appearing like I’m just trying to get noticed. It’s a good reminder to give generously and not jump up and down for attention.
Thanks Amber.
Attention will always be fleeting, Teri. Being a decent human and banking good work will always endure. Trust me on that.
Really like your story Amber. My main point of argument would be in calling Emily an “influencer.” The message I am getting from this story is that “ordinary” people aren’t necessarily the ones who will raise the most money or buy the most products. That’s why we should focus on connecting with our true fans, and not try to win the support of the people who are deemed “influential” (unless they really love us – then it makes sense).
That said, I still wouldn’t call Emily an influencer because she donated $5 million. She was a true fan, but she didn’t actively get others involved in the cause (at least not in your story). To me, she’s an influencer if she were a true fan and also convinced a bunch of other people to be true fans.
What do you think?
.-= Monica O’Brien´s last blog ..3 things you can learn from Adam Baker today =-.
Monica, your comment is precisely my point. I hate the term influencer, in all its permutations. Emily wasn’t an influencer if by that you mean loudly stumping for us all the time. But her GIFT and dedication was absolutely influential to our organization, and it would be selling that horrifically short if we didn’t say so.
Why is the most money or the most products always influence? And yes, Emily DID get others involved. That wasn’t the point of my post. The point is that even “getting others involved” isn’t influential to me, that’s just getting attention. Driving people to act is important, but as Emily proved, one action by one person can be hugely important indeed. Moreover, who knows how many people her gift inspired that would never say so outwardly? Influence isn’t always loud.
I think we have to ditch the notion that influence is just about “convincing” people, and our being able to see that on the surface. Influence is demonstrated by actions, and even the small ones will ALWAYS be influential to me.
It sounds to me like Emily’s contribution made an impact on the organization. Slightly different from influencing the organization, in my opinion, but maybe we are saying the same thing and the argument is semantics, which is rarely interesting to argue about 🙂
I work in word of mouth marketing and we are constantly talking about influencers. Research from the book The Influentials shows that “One American in ten tells the other nine how to vote, where to eat, and what to buy.” It’s actually written on the cover of the book. Pretty powerful stuff.
True influencers are real. They are not necessarily the Chris Brogans or Tara Hunts of the world, nor are they the people who buy the most products or provide the most PR. (We are in complete agreement there.) But they are people who talk about products they love just because they love them – and that can make or break good brands. That has nothing to do with the amount of money they donate before or after death.
In short, I see what you are saying, but the semantics are off to me. Highly recommend The Influentials though. 🙂 Thanks for the interesting discussion – it’s always fun to see other’s views of the world.
.-= Monica O’Brien´s last blog ..3 things you can learn from Adam Baker today =-.
Let’s try this tack.
Influencers are real, yes. You clearly understand the true definition of what makes that so.
But the majority of the social media, marketing, PR and communications community does NOT treat them that way. Influence = awareness = eyeballs = loudness and attention and a million other things. I’m not disputing that influence is real, I’m disputing that our *notions* of influence are being used well.
And in the case of Emily, she’s an example of what happens when you ascribe influence incorrectly, or treat influence as a blanket concept based on popularity or visibility. That’s my point.
I’d still argue that Emily influenced things and other people’s behavior, because I saw it. But you’ll just have to take my word for that, I guess.
Great conversation.
I think we’re all in strong agreement here.
The challenge is execution.
I can bet that Amber and I together must receive at least 20 “influencer outreach” emails from PR firms a week. And that’s a low ball assumption.
The idea of reaching out to the people already talking about your product is dead on in my book.
Sadly, many people see influencers as people with high reach or “influence” within certain audiences and they don’t care if we’re already talking about the brand or not.
.-= Sean´s last blog ..iPad – Stemming the Flow of Complaints =-.
Really like your story Amber. My main point of argument would be in calling Emily an “influencer.” The message I am getting from this story is that “ordinary” people aren’t necessarily the ones who will raise the most money or buy the most products. That’s why we should focus on connecting with our true fans, and not try to win the support of the people who are deemed “influential” (unless they really love us – then it makes sense).
That said, I still wouldn’t call Emily an influencer because she donated $5 million. She was a true fan, but she didn’t actively get others involved in the cause (at least not in your story). To me, she’s an influencer if she were a true fan and also convinced a bunch of other people to be true fans.
What do you think?
.-= Monica O’Brien´s last blog ..3 things you can learn from Adam Baker today =-.
Monica, your comment is precisely my point. I hate the term influencer, in all its permutations. Emily wasn’t an influencer if by that you mean loudly stumping for us all the time. But her GIFT and dedication was absolutely influential to our organization, and it would be selling that horrifically short if we didn’t say so.
Why is the most money or the most products always influence? And yes, Emily DID get others involved. That wasn’t the point of my post. The point is that even “getting others involved” isn’t influential to me, that’s just getting attention. Driving people to act is important, but as Emily proved, one action by one person can be hugely important indeed. Moreover, who knows how many people her gift inspired that would never say so outwardly? Influence isn’t always loud.
I think we have to ditch the notion that influence is just about “convincing” people, and our being able to see that on the surface. Influence is demonstrated by actions, and even the small ones will ALWAYS be influential to me.
It sounds to me like Emily’s contribution made an impact on the organization. Slightly different from influencing the organization, in my opinion, but maybe we are saying the same thing and the argument is semantics, which is rarely interesting to argue about 🙂
I work in word of mouth marketing and we are constantly talking about influencers. Research from the book The Influentials shows that “One American in ten tells the other nine how to vote, where to eat, and what to buy.” It’s actually written on the cover of the book. Pretty powerful stuff.
True influencers are real. They are not necessarily the Chris Brogans or Tara Hunts of the world, nor are they the people who buy the most products or provide the most PR. (We are in complete agreement there.) But they are people who talk about products they love just because they love them – and that can make or break good brands. That has nothing to do with the amount of money they donate before or after death.
In short, I see what you are saying, but the semantics are off to me. Highly recommend The Influentials though. 🙂 Thanks for the interesting discussion – it’s always fun to see other’s views of the world.
.-= Monica O’Brien´s last blog ..3 things you can learn from Adam Baker today =-.
Let’s try this tack.
Influencers are real, yes. You clearly understand the true definition of what makes that so.
But the majority of the social media, marketing, PR and communications community does NOT treat them that way. Influence = awareness = eyeballs = loudness and attention and a million other things. I’m not disputing that influence is real, I’m disputing that our *notions* of influence are being used well.
And in the case of Emily, she’s an example of what happens when you ascribe influence incorrectly, or treat influence as a blanket concept based on popularity or visibility. That’s my point.
I’d still argue that Emily influenced things and other people’s behavior, because I saw it. But you’ll just have to take my word for that, I guess.
Great conversation.
I think we’re all in strong agreement here.
The challenge is execution.
I can bet that Amber and I together must receive at least 20 “influencer outreach” emails from PR firms a week. And that’s a low ball assumption.
The idea of reaching out to the people already talking about your product is dead on in my book.
Sadly, many people see influencers as people with high reach or “influence” within certain audiences and they don’t care if we’re already talking about the brand or not.
.-= Sean´s last blog ..iPad – Stemming the Flow of Complaints =-.
I’ve been processing the idea of “loyalty and rockstars” lately and love this post. The idea is to make OTHERS feel like rockstars not to simply achieve that “status.” My loyalty and passions are my own. I will invest consistently when I “believe.” Clearly Emily believed in the cause…quietly, consistently, in her personal way. Great reminder to invest in and care about people for the simple fact that they exist, and not for the hopes of what they can do for you…
Great post Amber… #PositiveConvictionSettingIn
Summer
@summerjoy
There are many people who deserve to be treated like rockstars even if they never have the visibility or the fame. If we all did a little more of that, we might not get stuck treating jackasses on the internet like deities, or chasing after dingbats with a zillion twitter followers but little substance or integrity themselves.
Amber –
Thanks for making me laugh out loud at the end of my day.
“…we might not get stuck treating jackasses on the internet like deities, or chasing after dingbats with a zillion twitter followers but little substance or integrity themselves.”
Summer –
Time to get yourself a gravatar!
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Nerds, Dorks, Geeks, and Cool Dudes =-.
I’ve been processing the idea of “loyalty and rockstars” lately and love this post. The idea is to make OTHERS feel like rockstars not to simply achieve that “status.” My loyalty and passions are my own. I will invest consistently when I “believe.” Clearly Emily believed in the cause…quietly, consistently, in her personal way. Great reminder to invest in and care about people for the simple fact that they exist, and not for the hopes of what they can do for you…
Great post Amber… #PositiveConvictionSettingIn
Summer
@summerjoy
There are many people who deserve to be treated like rockstars even if they never have the visibility or the fame. If we all did a little more of that, we might not get stuck treating jackasses on the internet like deities, or chasing after dingbats with a zillion twitter followers but little substance or integrity themselves.
Amber –
Thanks for making me laugh out loud at the end of my day.
“…we might not get stuck treating jackasses on the internet like deities, or chasing after dingbats with a zillion twitter followers but little substance or integrity themselves.”
Summer –
Time to get yourself a gravatar!
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Nerds, Dorks, Geeks, and Cool Dudes =-.
What an amazing and inspirational post, Amber. I have to admit, I read this out loud to a couple of people in my office, and we all got goosebumps. This is a great reminder that relationships are invaluable — be it big or small. I consider this article a must-read for all levels of an organization!
Thanks for the great insight! Keep up the good work. 🙂
.-= Alexis Dias-Nascimento´s last blog ..AlexisDias: Very cool: Google adds bike lane with latest mapping feature (find routes that avoid busy areas) http://ow.ly/1gCoO /via @HiTecUSA =-.
I’m so glad you shared it, Alexis. Thanks for doing that. I’ve always, always believed in treating people well. Maybe that’s the basic I always come back to, and maybe that’s why it works no matter what the context. Thanks for being here.
What an amazing and inspirational post, Amber. I have to admit, I read this out loud to a couple of people in my office, and we all got goosebumps. This is a great reminder that relationships are invaluable — be it big or small. I consider this article a must-read for all levels of an organization!
Thanks for the great insight! Keep up the good work. 🙂
.-= Alexis Dias-Nascimento´s last blog ..AlexisDias: Very cool: Google adds bike lane with latest mapping feature (find routes that avoid busy areas) http://ow.ly/1gCoO /via @HiTecUSA =-.
I’m so glad you shared it, Alexis. Thanks for doing that. I’ve always, always believed in treating people well. Maybe that’s the basic I always come back to, and maybe that’s why it works no matter what the context. Thanks for being here.
This touched me – a really welcome reminder. This is an incredibly difficult POV for my clients to absorb sometimes. It’s still very difficult for most businesses to focus on finding the “one” vs. finding the “many.”
That’s because we’re trained in probability. If I find more and I need a few, I’m much more likely to find the few if I reach a zillion. But that becomes like looking for a needle in a haystack, versus looking for a few perfect fits inside a smaller handful. I know folks will always cling to the “more more more” approach, but that’s just not the way I do things. And I’m actually just about done trying to convince the folks that see otherwise, and instead focus on helping the ones that share my philosophies take their work to a new level.
This touched me – a really welcome reminder. This is an incredibly difficult POV for my clients to absorb sometimes. It’s still very difficult for most businesses to focus on finding the “one” vs. finding the “many.”
That’s because we’re trained in probability. If I find more and I need a few, I’m much more likely to find the few if I reach a zillion. But that becomes like looking for a needle in a haystack, versus looking for a few perfect fits inside a smaller handful. I know folks will always cling to the “more more more” approach, but that’s just not the way I do things. And I’m actually just about done trying to convince the folks that see otherwise, and instead focus on helping the ones that share my philosophies take their work to a new level.
When I read Influence, Perspective, and Emily, I really think that Emily was involved just enough so she could ensure the values of the organization met with her own, so she could see if this non-profit organization was worthy and that her final donation was going to the right cause. It seems it was.
Jeff, that may be so. But that’s missing the larger point here about how there’s value to be found in less obvious places. She’s just an example. The bigger idea is that influence, impact, and all the things that go along side sometimes have little to do with the obvious things like visibility and numbers, and much more to do with the intent and actions of the people themselves.
Got it!
When I read Influence, Perspective, and Emily, I really think that Emily was involved just enough so she could ensure the values of the organization met with her own, so she could see if this non-profit organization was worthy and that her final donation was going to the right cause. It seems it was.
Jeff, that may be so. But that’s missing the larger point here about how there’s value to be found in less obvious places. She’s just an example. The bigger idea is that influence, impact, and all the things that go along side sometimes have little to do with the obvious things like visibility and numbers, and much more to do with the intent and actions of the people themselves.
Got it!
In our world of ‘reaching out to influencers’ and identifying sites with the greatest ROI, we often contradict what we know to be true, which is that “twitterati” such as the folks you mention above are not going to be your most valuable cheerleaders in the long run, since they are constantly bombarded with requests to use their own influence for someone else’s gain (which breeds resentment and lack of effectiveness).
We should all take a step back and really look at examples like the Obama campaign for the truth: That change, be it political, personal or commercial, comes from a group of devoted followers, not the flavor of the moment.
It’s in our human nature to say “the more people we can reach all at once, the more quickly we can make more change”, but that is an oversimplification that has turned out to do more damage than good over the years. Sure it may gain a quick spike, but in all but the short term, you are not truly gaining any influence, credibility or relevance, and certainly not as much as you would with highly targeted efforts.
.-= Jeremy Meyers´s last blog ..The best strategy: Don’t strategize. =-.
What you said. Exactly so. You cannot manufacture investment and intent. When we try, things break, and we wonder what went wrong. Humans are not mechanical creatures, and people are either going to realize that and treat them accordingly, or constantly struggle to find purchase for the relationships and affinities they so desperately crave.
In our world of ‘reaching out to influencers’ and identifying sites with the greatest ROI, we often contradict what we know to be true, which is that “twitterati” such as the folks you mention above are not going to be your most valuable cheerleaders in the long run, since they are constantly bombarded with requests to use their own influence for someone else’s gain (which breeds resentment and lack of effectiveness).
We should all take a step back and really look at examples like the Obama campaign for the truth: That change, be it political, personal or commercial, comes from a group of devoted followers, not the flavor of the moment.
It’s in our human nature to say “the more people we can reach all at once, the more quickly we can make more change”, but that is an oversimplification that has turned out to do more damage than good over the years. Sure it may gain a quick spike, but in all but the short term, you are not truly gaining any influence, credibility or relevance, and certainly not as much as you would with highly targeted efforts.
.-= Jeremy Meyers´s last blog ..The best strategy: Don’t strategize. =-.
What you said. Exactly so. You cannot manufacture investment and intent. When we try, things break, and we wonder what went wrong. Humans are not mechanical creatures, and people are either going to realize that and treat them accordingly, or constantly struggle to find purchase for the relationships and affinities they so desperately crave.
A great anecdote, and as I tweeted I’m contemplating ways I might use some of this thought in our conversations with new partners to 20 Something Bloggers. They’re constantly asking me for numbers and demographics, while I’m constantly asking them for their goals. Often they get a lot more traction if we know what they want to say, and we go find young adults who are INTERESTED in helping them say it, regardless of their audience size.
On this I do agree with Monica O’Brien, in that Influencers have a role to play. I see it in real-time with young adults, anyway; there are people driving action and buying decisions. Sentiment. Attitude. It often has very little to do with money or audience size and more to do with attitude or confidence.
What I’ve found interesting within our blogger community is how the marriage of these two ‘ideas’ about influence actually come together; I constantly see a specific message/brand/campaign turn an otherwise un-engaged blogger/young adult into an influencer. It’s that sweet spot that Monica touched on; the current advocates and customers you have that may have ignored all the other noise coming at them but turn around a rally their community around your particular message. That always happens when the companies I work with pull together a campaign or idea that really shows their current customers that they care about them.
.-= DShan´s last blog ..A Calendar Of Question Marks =-.
A great anecdote, and as I tweeted I’m contemplating ways I might use some of this thought in our conversations with new partners to 20 Something Bloggers. They’re constantly asking me for numbers and demographics, while I’m constantly asking them for their goals. Often they get a lot more traction if we know what they want to say, and we go find young adults who are INTERESTED in helping them say it, regardless of their audience size.
On this I do agree with Monica O’Brien, in that Influencers have a role to play. I see it in real-time with young adults, anyway; there are people driving action and buying decisions. Sentiment. Attitude. It often has very little to do with money or audience size and more to do with attitude or confidence.
What I’ve found interesting within our blogger community is how the marriage of these two ‘ideas’ about influence actually come together; I constantly see a specific message/brand/campaign turn an otherwise un-engaged blogger/young adult into an influencer. It’s that sweet spot that Monica touched on; the current advocates and customers you have that may have ignored all the other noise coming at them but turn around a rally their community around your particular message. That always happens when the companies I work with pull together a campaign or idea that really shows their current customers that they care about them.
.-= DShan´s last blog ..A Calendar Of Question Marks =-.
Thank you for this little story. You write so well!
BR
.-= Bobby Rettew´s last blog ..Time to explore the universe beyond Flash! =-.
Thank you for this little story. You write so well!
BR
.-= Bobby Rettew´s last blog ..Time to explore the universe beyond Flash! =-.
The little people follow the big guys @AmberCadabra – @tferriss sez a review by 1 Big Influencer made him #1 – http://is.gd/aktby
The little people follow the big guys @AmberCadabra – @tferriss sez a review by 1 Big Influencer made him #1 – http://is.gd/aktby
Thanks Amber. This is fantastic…
I love your POV. It would be wonderful if everyone thought that way, but how would you get them to take their focus on the stars and A-listers and make every person in their network count?