subject: Why Do You Need Uberinfluencers? [print this page] Thanks to the rise of social media, the 10-20 million individuals who were the influencers of most purchases have increased to 70 million. Within the influencer group, there is a sub group deemed "uberinfluencers." Uberinfluences are individuals who have the most influence over the influencer group and over the general population. How do marketers reach the uberinfluencer audience and why are they so important?
Notes from a conversation with Skip Brand, CEO, Martini Media Network:
Uberinfluencers are a special and highly important group. They are increasingly spending more and more time online, are twice as likely to make a purchase, and spend three times as much per acquisition when they do purchase. Also, they always share new product experiences with friends and family via different social media (Facebook, Twitter, Blog's, etc). For the first time, consumers control a brand's reputation and are able to set the tone and image for a brand. This is why more marketers need to devote more dollars to digital marketing - to get in front of the audience that is controlling their brand's reputation.
Uberinfluencers spend more time online than the general US population. They are brand savvy, digital savvy and socially networked. They have diverse and specific interests and leverage the Internet extensively to connect with their passion areas. Niche sites appeal to this audience because of the specificity and existence of community. If you better understand where these people spend their time at work or play - their hobbies - you are better positioned to leverage their influence. Niche sites are the most direct route to target this audience. .
The company that wants to reach and leverage the influence of these ubernfluencers needs to be scalable, exciting and relevant. For this audience small is beautiful and also scalable. Let's use the example of golf, a passion for many uberinfluencers. Your site should feature the highest quality courses and equipment if you want to reach 50% or more of this target audience. It must be easy to navigate and provide enough information to make them feel comfortable about product selection. The site must have a social component to help them connect with and broadcast your message. Marketing messages should be tailored to these specific environments.
Uberinfluencers spend time on sites that are exciting, engaging and which have a single share of voice. This means one focused ad per page instead of multiple ads. You don't want ads to become distracting but to contribute to the flow and relevance of the site. Particularly in a recessionary or down market the site must work diligently to maintain relevance. This means continually refreshing and enhancing site content to provide a fresh experience with every visit. Marketers should be putting these uberinfluencers at the center of their media buy. These audiences should be a priority when planning digital media.
To attract and leverage this audience you must maintain a maniacal focus. Reach out to them using social networking tools which find them where they work and play on the web and be sure to provide a rich media experience. Let's illustrate this with two examples. Let's say that your uberinfluencer is a business decision-maker. Use social networking sites to figure out where this person is digitally active - Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and so forth. Let's say further that the individual is a digital media executive. You will find this person because they are living what they are doing. Find this person and put the right message in front of them. If they buy they will spend more, but it's even better if they tell 10 friends about you.
Also find your uberifluencer through their passions - where they are enthusiasts. This could be golf, wine, food, sailing or another passion and is likely to combine their enthusiasm with social activity. Find these patterns and include relevant links on your site - "if you're traveling to Napa Valley to sample wines, be sure to stay at the Wine Inn."
Once you start figuring out the keys that attract uberinfluencers, they will start telling each other about you and news of your product will spread across the web, in turn maximizing your revenue!
