Tapping Influencer Relations for Corporate Reputation: A Road-Map

Leading up to our free May 7, 2019 Tapping Influencers for Corporate Reputation webinar and Q & A (a few spots left) with our resident Influencer Relations expert Walter Jennings, we are sharing a sneak peek of some of the key steps and assets that make up an Influencer Engagement Road Map.

Recently Warren Buffet himself has said that newspapers are dying. With traditional channels loosing sway, influencers (aka key opinion leaders) are an increasingly important way to get your corporate story out to your stakeholders.

“If you look, there are 1,300 daily newspapers left. There were 1,700 or 1,800 not too long ago. Aside from the ones I mentioned, [most of them] haven’t figured out a way to make the digital model complement the print model.” Warren Buffet

Influencer relations goes beyond influencer marketing to build personal alliances that help you to better understand the industries and communities you operate in while giving you a channel to inform the key stakeholders in those same industries and communities. We hope to see you at the webinar or registered to receive the replay video. Until then, on to the road map.

Influencer Engagement

Aligned Strategy and Influencer Identification

• Your influencer engagement strategy should align with media & social media strategies, as well as analyst & investor relations
• Develop a clear selection criteria. It is not all about reach, but also insight and influence. The best influencers are a sounding board as well as a megaphone.
• Use your criteria to evaluate and refine a top-level influencer list. Always have more potential partners than you think you’ll need. Aim for top 20 to get 10-12.
• Plan your moments. Key influencer engagement events need to be scheduled well in advance. Consider pre-conference roundtables to leverage events you are already participating in.
• Focus on relevant markets for your industry, such as NYC/Houston, London/Geneva, Singapore/HK. Many influencers impact is focused in a certain region due to language and the nature of tight personal networks.

Engagement: Online and Off

• In-market roundtables with multiple influencers and industry stakeholders have value for all parties involved.
• In-person coffee introductions are not uncommon given the level of cooperation and trust that will be required.
• Online dialogue can lead to real world impact. LinkedIn and Twitter chat sessions can help both parties better understand each other.

Community Management

• Successful influencer relations program have a strong community manager with good sense of ethics, style and the community. They are adept and established on social media and boarder on being influencers themselves..
• Strengthen bonds between your member influencers and key stake holders. Collaborative events and social cross posting can result in critical mass that increases the audience and attention for everyone. Get new recommendation from existing members about who else could be engaged.

These are just a few tips for developing and executing your influencer relations program. For more in-depth insights from Walter Jennings, join us for the free 45 minute webinar and Q & A on May 7 or register to be emailed the replay video presentation.

Get your spot

From program strategy to influencer identification, you’ll acquire a foundation in influencer relations to build corporate reputation. This presentation is a sneak preview of Walter’s key presentation at the 2019 Digital Enterprise Show in Madrid, Spain. Walter Jennings is a Senior Consultant with The Tantalus Group, and the firm’s leading expert on International Key Opinion Leaders and Influencer Relations for corporate reputation. He developed and led the program globally as Vice President, Global Corporate Communications at Huawei Technologies in Shenzhen, China.

Free 45 minute webinar
May 7th, 2019 – 8:30 AM GMT / 4:30 PM HKT

Tapping Influencer Relations For Corporate Reputation with Walter Jennings

Register Now to Attend Live or Receive the Recording