Author Archives for Kirsty Sharman

Hack Brand Growth With Influencer Marketing – The Time is Now

May 27, 2016 10:00 am Published by

As a brand, growing your presence online is becoming more and more important. With social media and technology flooding the internet with over 200 million pieces of content a minute, it’s essential that brands find a way to stand out from the crowd. What’s interesting to watch as the marketing industry progresses is how brands find ways to hack their growth. The term ‘growth hacking’ was coined by Sean Ellis in 2010 and in my opinion is more than just a term, it’s a new way to exist – especially in an industry as fast-paced as marketing.   Growth-Hacking-Webfluential   Top marketers have discovered more than one way to hack brand growth. They often discover them by hitting a roadblock in the digital world – and having to find a solution, or a hack. Two of the biggest roadblocks to hit marketers in the last five years are ones you’ll know well – the rise of Ad Blocking, and the change in algorithms across multiple social networks. This is where influencers started coming into play. Firstly to combat ad blockers by allowing brands to post content in formats consumers actually want to receive it in, and not the age old display banners. Secondly to combat algorithmic changes across platforms like Facebook, Twitter and soon to be Instagram – let’s remember that social networks want popular posts to come up at the top, and the popular posts often come from the popular people – otherwise known as Social Influencers. The important point to remember here is that ad blocking and algorithm changes are introduced to make the internet a better place. The reason they make being a marketer harder is because we have to be more creative, use smarter technology, and trial new things to get to the top. If you’re a competitive person like I am, you should really see these roadblocks as an opportunity to get ahead of your competitors. The hack is simple. Find the quickest and most effective way to go from the bottom of the triangle to the top. Influencer-Marketing-Webfluential Why? Because other people talking about your brand in a positive way has more power to influence consumers than you do – even when your brand has well crafted Facebook posts or beautifully designed banner ads. But there is something quite important to remember here – if we’re going to use Influencer Marketing to hack brand growth we need to be clear on the rules of growth hacking. If we go back to the definition you’ll see that it needs three things to exist: creativity, analytical thinking and social metrics. When it comes to influencer marketing the last two can be covered by working with smart technology platforms. The creative part still needs to come from you, or the influencer, or ideally a collaboration of both. For that reason I’ve put together a quick checklist to guide you on through the basics:

  1. Use accredited influencers to ensure your content reaches the right audience (reliable social metrics)
  2. Encourage collaboration not dissemination – make sure you’re using a technology platform that allows you to communicate with the influencer about content, briefs and ideas (to encourage creativity)
  3. Use the three-check-system below to ensure that you’re running a campaign where everybody wins (analytical thinking)
  Influencer-Triangle-Webfluential   A campaign where everybody wins is what you should aim for, the perfect triangle. The brand wins because the campaign meets business objectives (check 1), the influencer wins because they are proud to post the content (check 2), and the audience wins because they enjoy the experience (check 3). Now that you’re one step closer to hacking your brand growth, there is only one more point to mention. Social influencers did not come into existence because they wanted to be part of the Influencer Marketing trade. They came into existence because they are incredible at doing what brands try to do every day – finding a way, through all the roadblocks, to create content that consumers actually want to engage with. The time is now to learn more about these influencers and explore how you can collaborate with them to hack your way to the top.   This post originally appeared on Business 2 Community  click here to read it.  


Five things marketers can learn from UFC fighter Conor McGregor

May 26, 2016 8:53 am Published by

This blog post was originally written by Ruan Fourie. What makes marketing amazing is that there is often a chance to learn a trick or two from situations that aren’t really related to marketing. UFC Fighter Conor McGregor recently created one of these situations marketers can learn from when he used his social media profiles to prove why he does not need to do as many press conferences to market his fights. McGregor wants to spend more time training and less time doing press, so he cooked up a social media storm. With just nine social media posts Conor McGregor reached far beyond MMA media. Some of his tweets were retweeted close to 90 000 times and he reached major news publications like The Guardian and The Daily Mail. Reaching 20 million plus people in one week is no small feat, and by taking a closer look we can learn few things about marketing in the digital age from Conor McGregor.

1. You are not going to sell without marketing

No matter how good your product is, even if it is a fight between two of the best fighters the UFC have ever had in their roster, you will not sell anything without marketing. Even though the rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz is one of the most highly anticipated fights in the history of MMA, McGregor knows that the UFC needs marketing to sell tickets and Pay Per View buys. McGregor also understands that if he is not going to do traditional marketing like press conferences he would have to prove that he can generate the same marketing effects via his social media channels. Something he not only set out to do, but did. As this Snapshot Report by Webfluential shows with just nine social media posts McGregor reached over 20 million people worldwide. Hundreds of news articles were written about every new tweet or statement McGregor would release digitally. To such an extent that his social media posts completely overshadowed the UFC’s own 197 event that was happening in the same week. Even if you have the best product, you will only sell it if you are smart about your marketing efforts.   Conor McGregor vs UFC 197 A graph showing the trending searches in the week of UFC 197, Searches for Conor McGregor outweighed the UFC 197 event event with it’s massive press conference.

2. Know who you are marketing to

Yes, you might not even be a MMA fan, but you know of the UFC and you have likely heard about Conor McGregor. But those that follow him on Twitter and Instagram, those who like his Facebook Fan Page are the people who will buy the tickets to see him fight. Conor McGregor is perfect to promote his fights, because he speaks directly to the people who would want to see him fight. Some might even buy the ticket because they want to see McGregor loose. McGregor is vocal, but so are the people that don’t like his “big mouth”. Regardless, all of these people fit directly into the UFC’s target market. For the rest of us that don’t really want to see anyone fight, at least we see the buzz going on around Conor McGregor and the UFC. Are you marketing to people who want or need your product?

3. Your marketing message means nothing if it’s coming from the wrong person

UFC fans don’t want big corporate marketers telling them how awesome a UFC fight is going to be. The fans want to hear it from the fighters themselves. Conor McGregor knows that he is the perfect marketing tool for not only the UFC but also his fans. Conor McGregor made a perfect example of how powerful Influencer Marketing can be, by simply being the ultimate influencer for his fans. McGregor has been very vocal all the way to the top and he is good at gauging what his audience reacts to best. Influencers know how to speak to their audience, the key is to let them do it. If the UFC were to get involved in how Conor McGregor tweets, his influence would immediately drop. Nobody knows his audience like Conor McGregor does. Using influencers is a great way to share your marketing message, without having it sound like a marketing message.   Conor McGregor Quote  

4. Controversy is not always a bad thing

Conor McGregor hypes up his fights with his smart mouth and witty responses. Interlaced is a bunch of foul language and in your face behaviour that would scare most brands into hiding, he get every one talking, love him or hate him. McGregor is fully aware that this is what his fans want, and what keeps his haters talking. Insert Conor McGregor Press conference video, ad language warning in heading above video He has become the king of pre-fight controversy and he has also become the UFC’s biggest draw, making them millions. He can be salty and yes, it is not for everyone but it’s been a great marketing tool for Conor McGregor. Walking the controversy line can be scary, but if done correctly it can pay off in huge ways.

5. Out with the old and in with the new

Gone are the days of traditional press and media channels being where you should spend your marketing budget. Flying UFC fighters in from all around the world and hosting a massive press conference must cost the UFC millions, to reach millions. With a couple of tweets, Instagram posts and a Facebook post Conor McGregor single handedly generated more hype and conversation for the UFC than any of their previous press conferences that cost millions. It cost Conor McGregor nothing other than a bit of creative language and sharing of some images and videos to set the whole world alight. Maybe it’s time for the UFC to invest in more content creation like UFC Embedded, while using their roster of fighter’s social media followings to market their events to the masses. Influencer Marketing is not new, but it’s paying off in big ways for brands that find the right influencers to work with. Don’t get stuck in a rut with your marketing efforts. What worked in the past might not work as well now, try new marketing tactics like Influencer Marketing as soon as possible.   Please note the views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not those of Webfluential.  


How much could some of the most influential people in the world earn for a tweet?

May 20, 2016 9:38 am Published by

Time magazine recently published a list of some of the most influential people, ranging from icons to leaders all over the world. There is no doubt that all of these influencers are extremely successful but just how relevant are they on social media? I mean, since we’re living in a digital world wouldn’t it be interesting to see how much these icons could earn per tweet? A new Twitter calculator created by Webfluential - an Influencer Marketing platform, allows you to see how much anyone on Twitter earns, that’s right ANYONE. I decided to check up on three of the most influential icons in the world and see how much they could earn per a tweet.   Leonardo Di Caprio With a net worth of $217 million there is no doubt that this American actor is extremely successful. He was said to have earned $20 million for The Revenant - the movie that eventually got him his first Oscar. He also earned a staggering $55 million for Titanic. So we know he is definitely worth a lot, but how much could his tweets be worth?     leao   2. Ronda Rousey Ronda Rousey is quickly becoming one of the most recognised and highest paid female fighters. In 2015 it was said that she had an estimated net worth of $7 million.   With a string of MMA and Judo achievements as well as possessing a knack for acting, it’s safe to say that Ronda has achieved a great deal, and is certainly one successful lady you wouldn’t want to mess with. Have a look at how much this icon could be earning per tweet.   Ronda   3. Adele We all benefited from Adele’s break up and heartbreak when she released her album, 21. Her music moved people so much that they wanted to break up with a boyfriend they didn’t even have. Even though after four years you’d think she  would be over her break up, she released her album 25 four years later.  It’s been estimated that her current net worth is at $75 million so let’s see how much a single tweet from Adele could be worth.   adele   Well it’s safe to say Adele is no longer rolling in the deep but rather rolling in the dough. See how much you could earn for a tweet here.  


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