Author Archives for Kirsty Sharman

Influence vs Popularity – Which should you be investing in?

June 30, 2016 2:03 pm Published by Kirsty Sharman

As a marketer one of the first questions you have to ask yourself with every marketing campaign is: What does success look like to you? Think about your current or future marketing campaign, what does success for that look like to you? It might also be worth pondering whether you want to reach a targeted – but engaged – audience and achieve a high conversion rate? Or do you want to get your brand out there with a big bang viral strategy that scores impressions and ramps up your follower count? Your campaign goals will determine whether you need to collaborate with an influencer, what kind of influencer you should build a relationship with, and if you’re aiming for a wide reach (popularity) or depth of reach (influence). Webfluential’s New Business Relationship Manager, Samantha Wright, wrote this piece for Social Media Today. You can view the original article here or alternatively you can read it below - it gives you worthwhile insight into how best to determine the success of your influencer campaign based on the goals you set. Influence and popularity might look the same, but they’re not. Do you remember Sweet Valley High? Sweet Valley High was a 603-book-strong series of tween novels which followed the adventures of identical twin sisters Jessica and Elizabeth as they navigated the melodramas of high school life in California. Jessica was bold, brash and popular. Elizabeth was bookish and reserved, and had a small friendship circle that stung in authenticity compared to her sister’s dazzling clique. In the world of influencer marketing, there are the popular Jessicas with their hoards of followers, and the more authentic Elizabeths with their small but invested audiences.   The Jessica A celebrity influencer with a follower count in the millions doesn’t automatically make them the best option for your campaign. Sure, they’re dazzling, but they might not hold the same level of resonance and relevance that a niche expert with a much smaller following would command. And then there’s always the chance that your busy celebrity might pull a Scott Disick (although, if skinny-tea brand Bootea’s goal was to raise brand awareness, Disick’s faux pas certainly did the trick). The problem with gunning for popularity is that if you’re measuring your campaign’s success according to its width only – follower counts and content impressions – how do you know who is really listening? Follower counts only matter if your audience cares about and consumes your content. If 20k of your 50k Instagram followers download your eBook, that’s a valuable conversion, but if you’ve purchased 100k fans and you’re still not seeing engagement on your posts, it’s because nobody cares. Seriously. Nobody cares.   The Elizabeth According to McKinsey, we’re 50 times more likely to buy a product or order a service that has been recommended by a trusted friend than we are if the same recommendation comes from a celebrity, columnist, or Internet personality. The same report states that word of mouth advertising generates double the sales of paid advertising. Nielson’s 2015 Global Trust in Advertising report states that 80% of consumers will buy a product recommended by friends, with two thirds saying they trust other consumers’ opinions as well. Most influencers – of the non-celebrity variety – already come with an invested audience who care about quality over quantity. These influencers have been talking to their audience for years. They have a relationship with their readers. They’re the online friends whose recommendations matter. Sara Donaldson has around 700k followers across her channels, a small audience compared to someone like Disick. The difference is influence. Speaking to ABC News about her readers, she said: “They read my blog, they follow my Instagram and they actually buy what I tell them is trending, so I know that my audience. When I put something up, they actually do convert into sales [sic].”   The Sweet Spot But are influence and popularity mutually exclusive? Do you have to choose one without the other? If you look at influencer marketing according to Stephen Covey’s rocks and pebbles theory, would it be safe to say you can have your cake and eat it? Let’s assume you’re marketing Best Lipstick, and your goal is to 1) raise brand awareness and 2) convert leads to sales. If you employ Covey’s principle to influencer marketing, you’d need to find a popular influencer with a big following to run your core content. This influencer would be your rock, and would guarantee eyes on your content. You’d then seek out smaller influencers (niche beauty and make-up bloggers) to disseminate your core message to their engaged audiences. These are your pebbles, and more likely to drive click-through rates and sign-ups. It’s a possible viral campaign that feeds into smaller more authentic influencer channels, and has the potential to positively affect your ROI. Right? It all depends on the authenticity of the content. If there’s one thing you take from this piece, it’s that when it comes to investing in an influencer, choose one that knows what matters to their audience.

How smart brands are using Instagram influencers to launch new products.

June 15, 2016 9:57 am Published by Kirsty Sharman

Webfluential recently ran an Influencer Marketing campaign for Avon - Meet your Matte, to raise awareness of Avon’s trendy new matte lipstick colours. While most of us learnt about the launch of a new lipstick colour in a magazine, smart brands are now turning to influencers to make the launch of their new products more exciting. We tend to trust the opinions of our peers over that of a brand, because  people relate more to their peers or their favourite blogger. Through influencers brands are able to reach the correct target market and have them engage with their products, in a way that does not make people feel as though they are being bombarded with advertising - but rather content that they care about. Have a look at the amazing work these influencers were able to produce for Avon.   Aisha Baker   With over 62K Instagram followers and having been featured in Elle, Glamour and Marie Claire, Aisha Baker has quickly become a true fashion inspiration to many young South Africans. Aaisha shares her fashion choices, make-up trends and everyday snippets of her lifestyle on her blog, which many of us can’t get enough of. Learn more about Aisha Baker and be inspired by her work.   2. Tshepang Mollison   Tshepang Mollison, aka Twiggy Moli, is the creator of lifestyle blog Sleepless in Soweto where she shares her beauty photography tips as well as her interest in food. With two undergraduate degrees in Film & Radio Production and Brand Strategy & Communications it’s safe to say Twiggy is one talented lady.   3. Thandolwethu Tsekiso   Thandolwethu truly brought this picture to life in such a creative yet seemingly effortless way. Thandolwethu shares her beauty, fashion and health tips and tricks on her blog iamthandolewthu and not only does she have a successful blog but she is also the co owner of Wild Rose Boutique ZA. With an Instagram following of over 26.3k it’s safe to say this social influencer knows what she’s doing. Learn more about Thandolwethu here   4. Thithi Nteta   Thithi Ntete- creator of TeeTeeIsWithMe,currently works as a freelance stylist, consultant, publicist as well as a graphic designer. Her Fashion/lifestyle blog is filled with the most beautiful images like the one above which capture her love for everything from food, fashion and beauty.   5. Kefilwe Mabote   Kefilwe Mabote- is the author of fashion blog KefiStyles which  is renowned for giving readers a sneak peak into her very expensive and stylish wardrobe. Kefilwe currently works as a personal stylist, image consultant and wellness coach. Have a look at her images on Instagram for some fashion inspiration.   6. Thuli Mola   Fashion blogger, business woman and mother, Thuli Mola used her creative talents to produce beautiful images for Avon’s Meet your Matte collection. Thuli shares her love for fashion on her blog- Style Alert SA,  where you can find reviews of her favourite products/brands which always align with her audience’s interests.   7. Aqeelah Harron   In 2010, Aqeelah started her fashion blog- Fashion breed where she documents her creative interests and activities. She has been features in some of the most famous fashion editorials namely Marie Claire, Elle, Glamour, Grazia and Cosmopolitan. Learn more about Aqeelah Harron here. This campaign reached a total of 220K+ people and generated a total of 827 website clicks. Influencers are an undeniable asset to brands often providing them with the means to engage with a large yet very specific audience.  

Showcasing influencers from around the world

June 10, 2016 10:30 am Published by Kirsty Sharman

A few weeks ago we asked all our influencers to tweet us links to their Media Kits, to stand a chance to be featured in this month’s showcase. While it took time to go through all the influencers who tweeted us, as well as those we have come across over time, it  was great to see such a variety in our influencer community. It’s always interesting to see what inspires people to share their thoughts and passions through their blogs or social channels. This month we aren’t narrowing it down to a single category, but rather showcasing influencers from various categories and countries.     Business and lifestyle (Nigeria) Adesoji is a Nigerian businessman and lifestyle influencer, who has a great passion for the environment and business. Using his online influence, Adesoji raises awareness to environmental issues, ultimately turning his passion into various business ventures. With an impressive Twitter following of 58.4k, Adesoji continues to share his knowledge on both entrepreneurship and environmental development and preservation.     Parenting and lifestyle: (South Africa) Maz, a South African-based parenting blogger is the author of Caffeine and Fairydust. Her blog aims to inspire mothers and encourage their individualism. This mother of two shares her parenting tips, recipes and product reviews with her readers and focuses on making her readers feel creatively inspired and confident in themselves. Learn more about Maz here.     Food and drink: (UK) Kate is the author of the award winning food blog - Veggie Desserts. Apart from running a successful blog, Kate is a freelance food writer and magazine columnist. Being obsessed with vegetables, Kate’s blog naturally focuses on creating desserts using vegetables and as bizarre as it sounds her desserts look super tasty! I think moms have just found a new way to hide veggies.     Fashion (Italy) Danilo Carnevale is an Italian fashion enthusiast who focuses on promoting top fashion brands/trends on his very popular Instagram page.Through his online influence, Danilo aims to raise awareness of fashion brands and ultimately generate sales and a public interest in the fashion brand. Next month we will showcase some of our YouTubers. If you have a vlog, link it to your Webfluential profile, tweet us your Media Kit and stand a chance to be featured.