Micro Influencer Marketing Georgetown University XCPD-732 Social, Mobile and Search Marketing November 3, 2018, 10:30 AM

1. Micro Influencer Marketing Georgetown University XCPD-732 Social, Mobile and Search Marketing November 3, 2018, 10:30 AM Professor Shashi Bellamkonda Micro-Influencer Marketing is 1% Inspiration, 99% Perspiration XCPD-732 Social, Mobile and Search Marketing Georgetown University School of Continuing Professor Shashi Bellamkonda November 3, 2018, 10:30AM Studies Hashtag: #gtmim Twitter: @chrisabraham Google+: google.com/+ChrisAbraham Facebook: facebook.com/chrisabraham LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chrisabraham Slideshare: slideshare.net/chrisabraham

2. Your Speaker: Chris Abraham ▪ Principal Consultant ▪ Avid Blogger/Contributor: @chrisabraham #gtmim Your Speaker: Chris Abraham ▪ Principal Consultant ▪ Avid Blogger/Contributor: @chrisabraham #gtmim

3. My Personal Digital PR Philosophy ▪ Find people where they live (and meet them there even if it’s a forum or message board) ▪ Explore the long tail micro-influencers (there are millions of people blogging, sharing, and posting online – and PR tends to pile on the same 100 “influentials”) ▪ “We want you to take 50 million of us as seriously as you take one reporter from The Wall Street Journal” ➢ (#83 of the 95 Theses from The Cluetrain Manifesto) ▪ Spoil everyone (like you would Guy Kawasaki) ▪ Be grateful (nobody is required to help you) @chrisabraham #gtmim My Personal Digital PR Philosophy ▪ Find people where they live (and meet them there even if it’s a forum or message board) ▪ Explore the long tail micro-influencers (there are millions of people blogging, sharing, and posting online – and PR tends to pile on the same 100 “influentials”) ▪ “We want you to take 50 million of us as seriously as you take one reporter from The Wall Street Journal” ➢ (#83 of the 95 Theses from The Cluetrain Manifesto) ▪ Spoil everyone (like you would Guy Kawasaki) ▪ Be grateful (nobody is required to help you) @chrisabraham #gtmim

4. Why ▪ You Should Reach Past the Influencer marketing tends to focus on only identifying and engaging top-25 influential bloggers A-List ▪ Out of those 25, maybe 3 will cover your story over the course of a campaign ▪ We collect every influencer who has ever had a thematic interest in our customers ▪ We collect them all – all of them – into a "universe" – a list ▪ We reach out to each and every one of them – no fewer than 2,000 but often 5,000 – via email ▪ But then that’s where the work starts @chrisabraham #gtmim Why ▪ You Should Reach Past the Influencer marketing tends to focus on only identifying and engaging top-25 influential bloggers A-List ▪ Out of those 25, maybe 3 will cover your story over the course of a campaign ▪ We collect every influencer who has ever had a thematic interest in our customers ▪ We collect them all – all of them – into a "universe" – a list ▪ We reach out to each and every one of them – no fewer than 2,000 but often 5,000 – via email ▪ But then that’s where the work starts @chrisabraham #gtmim

5. Why ▪ You Should Reach Past the The initial blast is akin to speed-dating A-List ▪ Most good pitches don’t require a personal relationship ▪ Success depends on five things: ▪ Freshness & quality of the list collected ▪ Generosity of the “gift” being offered in the pitch ▪ The ability of the email to reach the inbox ▪ The charm & responsiveness of the responders ▪ Following up twice after the initial email outreach @chrisabraham #gtmim Why ▪ You Should Reach Past the The initial blast is akin to speed-dating A-List ▪ Most good pitches don’t require a personal relationship ▪ Success depends on five things: ▪ Freshness & quality of the list collected ▪ Generosity of the “gift” being offered in the pitch ▪ The ability of the email to reach the inbox ▪ The charm & responsiveness of the responders ▪ Following up twice after the initial email outreach @chrisabraham #gtmim

6. On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog @chrisabraham #gtmim On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog @chrisabraham #gtmim

7. Campaign Questions ▪ Goal: what is it you need to do? ▪ Monitor: what are you looking to find? ▪ Discover: where are people talking? ▪ Learn: who are these talking people? ▪ Collect: what groups do you need? ▪ Engage: how best to connect? ▪ Outreach: how best to pitch? ▪ Analyze: how did you do? @chrisabraham #gtmim Campaign Questions ▪ Goal: what is it you need to do? ▪ Monitor: what are you looking to find? ▪ Discover: where are people talking? ▪ Learn: who are these talking people? ▪ Collect: what groups do you need? ▪ Engage: how best to connect? ▪ Outreach: how best to pitch? ▪ Analyze: how did you do? @chrisabraham #gtmim

8. Goals: What Do You Want to Accomplish? ▪ Build brand awareness? ▪ Increase community engagement? ▪ Prospect new brand ambassadors? ▪ Drive sales, traffic, membership? ▪ Drive conversation volume? ▪ Improve organic search? ▪ Get a feel for your neighborhood? ▪ Launch a new product, service, investment? @chrisabraham #gtmim Goals: What Do You Want to Accomplish? ▪ Build brand awareness? ▪ Increase community engagement? ▪ Prospect new brand ambassadors? ▪ Drive sales, traffic, membership? ▪ Drive conversation volume? ▪ Improve organic search? ▪ Get a feel for your neighborhood? ▪ Launch a new product, service, investment? @chrisabraham #gtmim

9. Monitor: Listen/Look Before You Leap ▪ Google Search is the best tool to get a feel ▪ When it comes down to it, Google does an amazing job of giving you a 30,000-foot view of the blogosphere ▪ Spend some time understanding the space ▪ It’s not always obvious how people engage with you, your brand, your space, or your industry. Allow your community to lead your exploration; do not be willful: people don’t always use your language ▪ Include message boards, forums, etc., in your recon ▪ Try out all the tools: it’s a buyer’s market ▪ SDL SM2, Radian6, Sysomos, Sprout Social, Lithium @chrisabraham #gtmim Monitor: Listen/Look Before You Leap ▪ Google Search is the best tool to get a feel ▪ When it comes down to it, Google does an amazing job of giving you a 30,000-foot view of the blogosphere ▪ Spend some time understanding the space ▪ It’s not always obvious how people engage with you, your brand, your space, or your industry. Allow your community to lead your exploration; do not be willful: people don’t always use your language ▪ Include message boards, forums, etc., in your recon ▪ Try out all the tools: it’s a buyer’s market ▪ SDL SM2, Radian6, Sysomos, Sprout Social, Lithium @chrisabraham #gtmim

10. . Internet Rule #34: If It Exists There Is Porn of It @chrisabraham #gtmim

11. . Discover: Finding People Where They Live ▪ Social media is much bigger than Facebook ▪ There are a multitude of social networks, self-run message boards, threads deep in reddit, and ad-hoc discussions everywhere online (Dailymile.com, etc.) ▪ If it exists, there is blog of it (Rule 34 variant) ▪ There are more than a billion active blogs worldwide ▪ Always start with Google ▪ Influencer discovery ▪ Traackr – traackr.com ▪ GroupHigh – grouphigh.com ▪ Little Bird – getlittlebird.com ▪ InkyBee – inkybee.com @chrisabraham #gtmim

12. . Discover: Finding People Where They Live @chrisabraham #gtmim

13. . Learn: Do They Want to Be Engaged? And How? ▪ Blogs (including online journalists, curators, aggregators, group blogs, and bloggers) ▪ Can you find their name and email address? ➢ If contacting them is hard, maybe they don’t want to be ▪ Look for a “how to engage/pitch” message ➢ Follow their directions to a T (or don’t engage them at all) ▪ Forums (including bookmark & link aggregators) ▪ Engage forum owners directly, don’t jump in there! ▪ Social Networks (including FB, Twitter, etc.) ▪ Engage before befriending before pitching @chrisabraham #gtmim

14. . Collect: Demo-, Geo-, Psycho-Graphic Lists ▪ The A-list/Tier-1 (the crème de la crème of influence) ▪ Generally professional bloggers and journalists, including the blogs and profiles of mainstream media platforms, celebrities, high Klout scores, high-traffic blogs, authors, actors, scientists, pundits, newsmakers, and people with mad followers ▪ Will blog for free, but only if they’re compelled to (exclusive content, big news, financial releases, new investment, etc.) ▪ Never, ever, include A-list bloggers in a bulk email pitch – hand-written only ▪ Prepare your kid-gloves and your checkbook – find ways to woo them personally (over lavish meals, inviting them to HQ, or meeting them down at one of the many conferences they attend) ▪ Become a persistent “bestie” – either as someone who is a communicator pitching them good, consistent, and valuable content or, even better, a personal friend who doesn’t just collect them as a method of access or a sign of prestige @chrisabraham #gtmim

15. . Collect: Demo-, Geo-, Psycho-Graphic Lists ▪ B-D-List/Tier-2 (the mid-section of the long tail often asks for money) ▪ While not all B-D-list bloggers lead with an advertising rate sheet, many do ➢ Most PR campaigns aren’t budgeted for advertising spend so I don’t pay for posts ➢ Ideally, earned-media is the goal of PR campaigns, so it’s up to you ➢ Many of the B-D-list bloggers can get you what you need for less than a strong ad buy ➢ While disclosures are essential everywhere, they’re doubly so for “advertorial” content ▪ I tend to put any blogger who asks for money into a DNC* list ▪ Midrange bloggers are easier to access, harder to garner earn media mentions from, but a worthy investment of time and attention toward a long-term relationship ➢ People help out their friends, so becoming close may curry favor for earned media pitches ▪ I generally include B-D-list bloggers in general long-tail bulk email outreach *Do not contact list @chrisabraham #gtmim

16. . sCollect: Demo-, Geo-, Psycho-Graphic List ▪ E-Z-List/Tier-3 (the long-tail, including ~1 Billion online micro-influencers) ▪ While a billion active blogs are well out-of-scope, please remember: ➢ No matter how obscure your product or service, there’s probably a blog about it ➢ The original Rule #34 is: “If it exists, there is porn of it;” same for the blogosphere ▪ Collect email addresses, influencer name, and maybe location only for E-Z-list ➢ While I might be willing to chase down the contact info of A-D-list bloggers via forms or hunting them down via LinkedIn or Facebook Messenger, Dailymile mail, or Twitter DMs, I only engage long-tail micro-influencers if they share their email address gladly ➢ If bloggers don’t make it easy to contact them, they may not want to be contacted; and, if you contact someone who doesn’t want to be, there will be serious blowback ▪ Send everyone in your list a bulk email pitch but be ready to engage in person ➢ Don’t worry, most people aren’t fanboys – a cold-pitch is fine if your “gift” is generous @chrisabraham #gtmim

17. . Collect: Demo-, Geo-, Psycho-Graphic Lists @chrisabraham #gtmim

18. . Engage: Pitch It Slow and Right Over the Plate ▪ Tell, don’t sell ▪ Lead with the news, not the used car ▪ Pitching is speed dating ▪ You don’t need to overwrite ▪ Allow people to be intrigued ▪ Less is more ▪ Attention span is limited ▪ Pre-masticate message into easy-to-understand pabulum ▪ Don’t include attachments or inline content ▪ Don’t BS, brow n nose, lie, or flatter ▪ "Please don’t say you read and love my blog, then pitch me on something that I never cover here" -- Mack Collier @chrisabraham #gtmim ▪ Don’t be afraid to play the fool Self-deprication and mea culpas ▪ Hugs not horns (always be kind) It’s never you, it’s always them…

19. . Outreach: The Catch Is the More Important Part ▪ The informational microsite ▪ Internally, I call it an SMNR ➢ Social Media News Release ▪ The kitchen sink theory ▪ Don’t limit the SMNR to just the pitch ▪ Influencers are often libertarian contrarians ▪ Give a lot to look through – give them options ▪ Steal me, steal me! ▪ Optimize content to be copied-and-pasted ▪ Pre-embed embed codes ▪ Pre-link and optimize for SEO, etc. @chrisabraham #gtmim

20. . Outreach: The Magic Happens in the Inbox @chrisabraham #gtmim

21. . Outreach: Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM) @chrisabraham #gtmim

22. . Analyze: It All Comes Down to the Bottom Line ▪ Track using site analytics tools ▪ Google Analytics tracking code in the SMNR ▪ Server-side analytics tools: AWstats, Webalizer ▪ Track both SMNR & target site ▪ Track using media mention tools ▪ I presently use SDL SM2 (Alterian SM2) ➢ Primary, secondary, tertiary, etc., mentions ▪ Lots of free and fee-based tools ➢ Google Analytics is becoming more SM-savvy ▪ Track using specialized landing pages ▪ Using affiliate tricks-of-the-trade @chrisabraham #gtmim

23. . Analyze: The Proof Is in the Pudding 133 earned media blog posts, 1,350 Tweets, 40 other @chrisabraham #gtmim

24. . Analyze: The Proof Is in the Pudding @chrisabraham #gtmim

25. . Analyze: The Proof Is in the Pudding @chrisabraham #gtmim

26. . Analyze: The Proof Is in the Pudding @chrisabraham #gtmim

27. . Analyze: The Proof Is in the Pudding @chrisabraham #gtmim

28. . Current Client: Skinny & Co. Coconut Oil ▪ Currently, Gerris Corp is working on an earned media campaign for Skinny & Co. coconut oil. ▪ Client is the perfect client for earned media: ▪ Product is timely and sexy ▪ Client is generous with all influencers ▪ No influencer floor ▪ Beautiful packaging and top-quality product ▪ Month 1 - 185 product requests, 323 responses, 158 posts ▪ Month 2 - 122 product requests, 203 responses, 121 posts ▪ Month 3 - 128 product requests, 183 responses, 156 posts @chrisabraham #gtmim

29. . Current Client: Skinny & Co. Coconut Oil ▪ As a thank you to all the bloggers and influencers, we always try to give them all some link love via Gerris and my personal blog. ▪ We encourage Skinny & Co. to thank, engage, comment, Like, share, reshare and retweet any and all earned media content they discover and we share. ▪ While I am far from perfect, I try to do anything I can outside of the product to show personal appreciation. @chrisabraham #gtmim

30. . Final Words “Hugs not horns” – Chris Abraham “Be meet kind, for everyone you is fighting a hard battle” – (or Plato or Philo of Alexandria Ian MacLaren or John Watson) @chrisabraham #gtmim “People are people so why should it be You and I should get along so awfully” – Martin Gore

31. . Any Questions? @chrisabraham #gtmim

32. . Contact Me Any Time This presentation is already up on SlideShare: slideshare.net/chrisabraham Website: www.gerriscorp.com Email: chris@gerr.is Mobile: +1 202-352-5051 Twitter: @chrisabraham Google+: google.com/+ChrisAbraham Facebook: facebook.com/chrisabraham LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chrisabraham Blog: chrisabraham.com/blog @chrisabraham #gtmim