ID
Who are the Influentials?

Studies estimate that Influentials make up between 10% to 25% of consumers.¹ Online, Influentials are more likely than the average consumer to express opinions about brands and products with postings, rankings, reviews and blogs.

Online or off, Influentials tend to fall into one of three categories:
Evangelists – Emotionally connected to a brand, they interact with it often and espouse its values.
Experts – Recognized for their knowledge in a particular field, they are the people we turn to before we buy a computer, a car, a major appliance.
Agents – Trendsetters who are considered authorities in their field; influential bloggers.

Each category can bring your brand a different set of benefits: more buzz, deeper involvement, a higher profile … And in turn, each seeks a different relationship from your brand: exclusive privileges, insider access, or an immersive experience.

When you target Influentials, it is vital to stimulate them effectively and reward them appropriately.

STIMULATE with targeted information, content, entertainment
Privileges : Previews of new products, concepts – Tools, such as videos or demos
Insider Access: Exclusive content – Chats with experts
Immersive Experience: Backstage, Ringside, Behind the Scenes, Up Close and Personal

REWARD with tools that enable them to show off their status and spread the word
Freebies: Personalized products or services – VIP passes for events – Event toolkits
Commissions: Pay-per-contact – eCoupons
VIP status: Exclusive beta versions – Widgets – Loyalty programs

B2I
Engaging the Influentials
Digital channels – and the Web in particular – enable marketers to listen in on conversations being held online about their own or competitors' brands, and to gauge the “temperature” of what is said, by brand evangelists, by pleased or disgruntled customers, by people who talk for the sake of talking.

But why just listen? With a strategic, proactive approach you can put your brand at the center of an influential conversation.

Listen and Learn
On www.technorati.com and Google Blog Search , seek out bloggers who reference your brand. Visit  YouTube and Flickr to learn who has uploaded videos or photos featuring your product. Do some sleuthing on social networks ( Facebook and MySpace are obvious places to start) to locate groups or applications related to your brand. Focus on “fresh” activity, conducted within the last 30 days.

Code of Conduct
Then turn up in the places where Influentials are talking about your brand online, and join the conversation. Be clear about who you are: never pretend to be someone else. State your relationship to the brand and your position in the company. Don't try to introduce your own agenda; instead, post information that is relevant to the topics at hand. Thank other posters for their comments and invite them to reply. Listen respectfully. If you sense interest, you can let a blogger know that you are available for an interview or phone call.

Stay Involved
Once you have made contact, don't disappear – maintain an active presence. Sign up for RSS feeds from relevant blogs, and request alerts for posts to your comments. If your own company produces a blog, don't neglect to add links to communities frequented by your brand loyalists. And always reply promptly to messages addressed directly to you on blogs or in forums.

KPI
How do you measure the impact of influence?

You can gauge the impact of your actions with these indicators:
Measure activity. How many people are talking about your brand? Track the number of inquiries received each day. Note the number of blog posts.
Measure the quality and relevance of what the Influentials say. Do their comments accurately reflect the brand's image? Do their posts make your brand seem more innovative, attractive…? Do they boost its credibility?
Measure the community. Analyze the type of community that talks about your brand: member profiles, levels of expertise. Calculate the number of conversations, their length and quality. Do these conversations actually influence your targets?