Overview of influencer marketing and outreach. What it means and practical tips.

1. Influencer Marketing & Outreach
@BuzzSumo
@steverayson

2. Steve Rayson
Director, BuzzSumo
steve@buzzsumo.com
@steverayson

3. What is an Influencer?
In the context of
content marketing an
influencer is “someone
who has the ability to
amplify your content.”

4. An influencer was defined as someone with a retweet rate of 2 or more
Influencer Amplification

5. Content is amplified by sharing and linking

6. Which Influencers can
help amplify your
content?

7. An Influencer Is Not:
Someone with lots
of followers.

9. An influencer has an engaged audience in
an area that matters to you and your
product or service.

10. An influencer has spent years building an
audience which is based on trust and
reputation.
Thus there has to be a fit and authenticity.

11. I use BuzzSumo
all the time.
I really recommend it.

12. Which Influencers Amplify Content
In Your Area?

13. Example Influencer Types
Celebrities or names in your industry
(typically these have large followings)
Journalists
(amplification and reach through distribution)
Academics or industry analysts
(authority/influence with a targeted audience)
Peers
(respected by the wider community)

14. Map the landscape
Who influences your target market?
PeersAnalysts
Journalists &
bloggers
Which ones
do they follow
and respect?
What sites, blogs
and publications
do your audience
read?
Which peers
contribute to
the debate and
have influence?

15. 1. Find heavily shared content and see who
shared and amplified it

16. 2. Find authors of heavily shared content

17. 3. Use BuzzSumo/Other Tools To Search

18. Filter by Type

19. Research:
• Specific interests and
audience
• Examine RTs & reply
ratios
• View links they share:
– Focused on your
topics?
– Share content from
other sites?

20. –Who shared your content this month?
–Who linked to you?
–Customers & advocates
–Partners, people you do webinars with
–People you talk to regularly
You have more friends than you think

21. Build an outreach or nurturing list

22. The Starting Point
How can you help your influencers?
• Link to the influencer’s personal site, valuable if
you have a high authority or highly ranked site
• Recommend their services
• Free or discounted use of your services
• Research/share insights before they are public
• Share and promote their content with your
users

23. What’s in for them?
PeersAnalysts
Journalists &
bloggers
Getting inside
data and
insights?
Getting good
stories that fit
with what they
are doing?
Building
reputation
and exposure

24. Nurture Relationships

25. Review & share their recent content

26. Build Relationships Over Time
• Tweet and share their content
• Comment on their blogs
• Actively help them – data, case studies, etc
• Meet them at events
• Seek introduction through a connection
• Ask to interview them for your website
• Ask them to contribute to content
• Collaborate on content

27. Summary
• Map your landscape, who does your audience
respect?
– Identify authors of heavily shared content
– Identify the people that share and amplify popular
content
• Find influencers that best fit your audience
– filter by location, reach, authority and engagement
• Create an outreach list of influencers you can help
• Build relationships over time

28. Thank You
Steve Rayson
Director, BuzzSumo
steve@buzzsumo.com
@steverayson