Did you think that you could just use social media to launch contests, promotions and branding campaigns on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest and people would flock to your site? Oh, Small Business Owner? You tried that? How did it work out for you? I have a hint for you about why it didn't work: There is a difference between Social Media and Social Sharing. But don't feel alone, plenty of local inbound marketing brands are in the same leaky boat because they don't know the secret I am about to share with you in order to activate viral sharing.
Here it is: You need to identify your key influencers and encourage them to share with their friends. Look at that again. We are not talking about keywords here. We are talking about local marketing key influencers. What are local marketing key influencers and who are yours? Let's take this one step at a time.
Need some stats to back this up?
Here’s the first statistic for you. People who visit a local marketing social media platform after someone shares it with them are 4X more likely to be converted to the product than someone who just happens on it, according to some industry research. So when you encourage sharing, you are not just increasing campaign reach, you are dramatically boosting conversion.
So how do you get that fanfare of local Facebook followers, nest of Twitter tweeters and band of “Your Blog” hobnobbers to start sharing your content? How can you turn them from followers into sharers? Good question. I have another for you. Who are your 1% super-influencers?
What are super-influencers?
Have you heard of the 1% rule? It goes like this: Only 1% of your brand’s followers are the ones responsible for the majority of the sharing. You might say they are super influencers. They usually have large social networks and they share links with their friends about whatever you have going on.
These local influencers are more than just your fans, they are your "brand ambassadors." Some companies, like Starbucks, using software to keep track and quantify the impact of word-of-mouth, have found these super-influencers or unofficial brand bloggers, can drive up to 70% of all visits to their campaign pages, which beats display and search advertising as the best driver of traffic to their sites.
And think of it. You don’t have to pay these influencers to advertise for you while they are driving a huge share of conversion, as much as 30% or more of all conversions on your site, just by recommending your brand’s products, content, and promotions to their friends, followers and communities, all people in your local marketing area.
Hey, you can do that!
All you have to do is find these folks and activate them so they are willing to share more by rewarding then for their efforts. If you learn who your 1% super-influencers are, you can reach out to them directly and offer them discounts, give them a pat on the back or reward them with special items for their loyalty. Guess what will happen. Yes, they will become even more motivated than before to share, possibly driving as much as 70% of all your local marketing campaign traffic.
How do you find them? Easy. There are many social media analytics tools to help you find the people who are doing the most sharing about their favorite brand. You can use these tools to see what they are writing, to whom and on which social media platforms. Since I am a Certified Hubspot Partner, of course, I think we have the best software. You are welcome to check it out. I'd be delighted to share.
So what are you waiting for? Who are your 1% super-influencers?
Jaco Grobbelaar is the owner of BroadVision Marketing. BroadVision Marketing works with business owners to put in place inbound and outbound marketing strategies that consistently secure new clients. The BroadVision Marketing Training Center is located in Petaluma, CA and primarily serves companies in the San Francisco Bay area.
Jaco can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.766.9778 or connect with Jaco on Facebook - www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing - and LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar. He can also be found at Jaco+.