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This week, the BlueChip team is attending Content Marketing World Sydney. The conference kicked off this morning with Mark Schaefer, marketing consultant, author and social media specialist; who spoke in detail about the concept of online influencers and the role they play in the world of content marketing.
According to Schaefer, the notion of celebrity and influence in the online world is vastly different to that in the real world – and is likely to be much more relevant to those of us in financial services! For instance, online influencers come from all walks of life, they don’t necessarily have Ivy League qualifications and they aren’t Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie.
But, how do we measure who has an influence online? There are three key things to consider when it comes to deciding who could be an influencer in your target market, or who to consider when embarking on your content marketing program:
1. Relevant audience
An influencer actively, consistently and mindfully builds their audience. They engage with them frequently.
2. Meaningful content
Any posted content needs to ignite the audience. It needs to resonate with them and align with their interests. Influencers also need a source of rich content. They cannot rely solely on platforms like Facebook and Twitter to carry content for them. This source could be a blog, podcasts or videos. This rich content helps an influencer build a voice of authority and connect with the audience in a deeper way. The internet has paved the way for syndicated content and if an influencer has a source of rich content, it provides the opportunity and the vehicle for this content to move quickly, easily to a wide audience – potentially being syndicated all over the globe.
3. Consistent engagement
Social media is just that – social. Influencers need to be consistently engaging with their audiences and building relationships and connecting with people. They can’t expect an audience to engage with them autonomously, it is a two-way process that must be driven by the influencer.
Once you have identified influencer/s in your target audience, you should consider how you can use content to engage with them and leverage their reach into your target client segment.
Content marketing has arguably democratised the internet. Content that moves through online networks is often viewed as a legitimate source of influence and power that is unique to the internet. When promoted by influencers, the legitimacy of the content can increase exponentially. For businesses world-wide, including in financial services, this means that identifying quality content and engaging with relevant online influencers can allow you to more successfully reach and influence your target audience.
BlueChip will be continuing to post updates from the conference. You can also follow our updates on Twitter
