Shonali Burke
Have you done an Internet search for “online influence” recently? You can’t get away from the subject, and scoring tools usually come into the picture. To see what I mean, just check out these two recent Forbes’ articles.
Influence isn’t going anywhere, and in our increasingly digitally-connected world, the scramble to find, and engage with, online influencers will just become more urgent.
When preparing to play in the online influence sandbox, it’s important to remember a few things:
Influence is contextual.
Throw a stone and you’re bound to hit an online scoring service. They’re all the rage. But here’s the thing: what your score is doesn’t matter unless it’s in the context of an area you have expertise in. So regardless of the fact that Justin Bieber’s Klout score is higher than that of President Obama, you’re going to have some trouble convincing me that the former is more influential than the latter… unless you’re trying to reach teenage girls.
So look beyond scores, and try to find, and build relationships with, the people who are actually talking about your product, service, or area. Then, when they get early adopter status, or perks, no one’s going to complain about fairness or unfairness.
Large numbers of followers don’t equate to influence.
You might remember “Digital Death,” a high profile celebrity-driven campaign at the end of 2010, at the core of which was the stated intention of several celebrities – with huge followings online – to stop tweeting and Facebooking until $1M was raised for a charity working in the HIV prevention arena.
Like many others with a foot each in the nonprofit and online worlds, I was curious, and then snarky, about the celebrities’ (and campaign organizers’) perception of their own influence. Because the campaign generated mostly amused, if not downright critical coverage, and they didn’t seem to make much progress towards their goal until an extremely wealthy individual stepped in and made up the difference.
Certainly take follower numbers, blog subscribers, etc., into account as you are researching and developing your influencer list. But also look at how engaged they are with their communities. Do they primarily undertake a one-way flow of information, or do they actually listen, respond and engage?
The latter are the people you want to really build relationships with, because if they like what you show them, they are the ones who will become the most ardent evangelists for your brand, and help you build your community.
The real measure of influence is in outcomes, not outputs.
This post was triggered by a conversation I had recently with a friend about using relationships to influence decisions at the highest echelons of power—the decisions that affect each of us as residents and citizens of this country. And it’s when we hear of those decisions, that’s when we say to ourselves, “So and So has a ton of influence.”
Decisions. Outcomes. Things that happen as a result of people – real people – taking action, and often that action is offline, or we want to get them, by engaging online, to taking action online and offline.
So when you’re putting your programs together, focus on the outcomes you’re trying to achieve. Don’t get lost in the excitement of the “buzz” that’s being generated, though certainly enjoy it while it lasts. But beyond the buzz, and beyond the hype, what are the real world outcomes you’re trying to achieve?
That’s what you should be looking at when you decide whether or not your outreach has been successful.
Shonali Burke is Vice President, Digital, at MSL Washington DC. In 2007, she was named to PRWeek’s inaugural top “40 Under 40” list of US-based PR professionals, and is considered one of 25 women that rock social media. Described as a “measurement maven” by KD Paine & Partners, Shonali created and continues to moderate the popular #measurePR Twitter chat (bi-weekly on Tuesdays, 12-1 pm ET). She is also Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins M.A. in Communication program, teaching a course on “not-for-profits in the digital age.”
