Influencers in B2B Marketing: Building Your Brand
For anyone who was unable to attend MLT Creative’s “Revolutionary and Remarkable” event recently, “Ideas on Influence”, I wanted to write a quick blog post to let you know what you missed. The event mixed business with pleasure to educate B2B marketers in a relaxed environment filled with food (from Atlanta’s Good Food Truck!), spirits, and presentations by Mark Schaefer and Ted Wright. As the event title suggested, both presentations discussed the idea of influence and looked at it from both the virtual and the face-to-face perspective. And both presentations were phenomenal.
There was one idea in particular I wanted to write about though, and it was Wright’s description of influencers. I hear people talk about influencers all the time, but never have them really discuss the motivations behind influencers’ actions. Wright did just that, and compared them to sharks that have to keep swimming or else they will die; a comparison that was so powerful because it is so true.
There are certain influencers (such as the ones Malcolm Gladwell references in the Tipping Point) that simply must keep finding things they like and telling other people they think will like them as well. This is what they do; this is how they live; this is who they are.
Their desire to be the one who knows first should not be underestimated, because again, it is who they are. In fact, it aligns perfectly with gamification, a technique that allows influencers to tell others they have been somewhere first, how many times they have been there, what they liked and didn’t like, etc. In other words, it is a place where influencers can thrive. And they are.
So finding these influencers is key to brand building; and learning about how to find these influencers was a component of last night’s event. And if you were unable to attend, it is an annual event so stay tuned for next years day and time!
