Webinar Moderator: Frank StrongDirector of Public Relations

Vocus, Inc.

The Influencer Pollwith Brian Solis

Brian Solis

• Principal of Future Works, an award-winning New Media agency

• Globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media

• Author of Engage!, a new book that helps businesses build, cultivate, and measure success on the new web

• Influenced the effects of new media on the convergence of marketing, communications, and traditional media

• Blogs at BrianSolis.com, Harvard Business Review, Mashable, BusinessWeek, and AdAge

33%

32%

12% 7%

14%

2%

Is there a big difference between influence and popularity? (237)

Yes

• “Popularity is just that people like you. influence is when people listen to you.”

• “Loudmouths don't necessarily influence others' behavior.”

• “Popularity is fleeting. Influence lasts.”

• “Lady GaGa is popular, Bono is influential.”

No (or maybe)

• “Usually, the most influential things are the most popular.”

• “Maybe they aren't equal, but there is certainly a strong correlation.”

• “But ... one definitely bleeds into the other. More popularity = more visibility = more opportunity to influence.”

84%

16%

The difference between reach and ability (144)

Reach does not drive action

• “A person can have only a few contacts and greatly influence just those few.”

• “You're not an influencer unless you drive action. Enthusiasts can have great reach, but not as much impact, as an influencer.”

• “I would say there's a stronger correlation between an influencer's depth and their ability to drive action.”

Reach drives action

• “Yes, you have to reach an audience in order to motivate them to action”

• “The farther the reach, the greater the ability to drive action.”

• “It's certainly not a perfect correlation, but it definitely exists.”

Person A has handful of fans/friends/followers that are

tightly connected

Person B has thousands of fans/friends/followers loosely

connected

Person C has millions of fans/friends/followers with little to no

connection

57%

36%

8%

Is Lady Gaga Turning Popularity and Reach into Influence?

Capacity to cause measurable actions

Level of every day participation

Following vs. follower ratio

Number of sites with active profiles

Type of social media sites used

Online reputation

Quality of content written/shared

Ability to drive traffic or clicks

Propensity to have content re-shared (Retweets)

Frequency of content written/shared

Depth of relationship with network

Quality (vs. quantity ) of network

Size of network

#1 60%

#2 55%

85% ranked a 4 or 5

85% ranked a 4 or 5

90% ranked a 4 or 5

Attributes with influence

2. Relevant content3. Personal connection4. Thought leaders

Attributes with less influence

2. They are fun3. They follow back4. They are famous

Analysis: Why people follow…

Connect with famous or influential people

Contribute to as many conversations as possible

Other

Focus on fewer conversations with more depth

Be authentic

Create, post or share compelling content

Be famous online

Click-through rates via Bit.ly or Website analytics

Views of a particular piece of content

An action (purchase, registration, download, vote

Tweets, retweets, likes and posts

• Measures undecided: 1/3rd said “an action” is most important, but another 1/3rd said it’s the least important

• Rank by mean averages:– Action = 3.24– Views = 3.1– Click-through = 3.08– Tweets/Retweets = 3.06

• No one size fits all; social media experiences will vary and so too will measurement

Analysis of Metrics Ranking

51% ranked a 1 or 2

43% ranked a 1 or 2

62% ranked a 1 or 2

57%

43%

Who would pay – by role

Who would pay – by title

Who would pay – by organization

How do you define influence in 140 characters?

• A copy of the written analysis of this report is available on Vocus’ Web site at:http://www.vocus.com/social-media/influencer/what-makes-an-influencer.pdf

Contact Information

• Brian SolisBlog: http://www.briansolis.com/Twitter: @briansolis

• Frank Strong: fstrong@vocus.comTwitter: @VocusFacebook: www.facebook.com/VocusAmplify: http://vocus.amplify.com/

About Vocus

• A global software company specializing in on-demand software for public relations management

• Successful, proven applications currently used by thousands of PR professionals

• Recognized for excellence in products, growth, leadership