Expertise First, Influence Second: When Influence Is A By-Product Of Expertise

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
B&T Magazine
By B&T Magazine
SHARE
THIS



In this guest post, Taryn Williams, CEO and founder of influencer and creative talent marketplace theright.fit, explains why influence should be a by-product of success, not the foundation for it…

Like any form of advertising and promotion, influencer marketing is not without its controversies. Earlier this year Australia’s Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, ordered his department to stop paying social media influencers engaged as part of a campaign designed to encourage young women to exercise more. Concerns about the return on investment from the $600,000 of taxpayer dollars, along with worries about brand alignment, led to the minister putting the kybosh on any further spending.

Analysis by Lumio found that while many of the Instagrammers contracted by the government may have boasted impressively high numbers of followers and healthy engagement rates, they may not have been as influential as they claimed to be. In fact, Lumio’s origin story is one on the perils of influencer marketing – when they launched they engaged 87 influencers over three campaigns, but only five accounts led to any sales.

The story serves to highlight the importance of choosing the right influencers to partner with on social media, and the potential pitfalls in getting it wrong. There is plenty to be gained from influencer marketing, but as in all things due diligence is required. Artificially inflated follower counts, poor brand alignment and accounts that drive clicks without necessarily improving KPIs are all unfortunate realities of the practice.

Fortunately there are ways to evaluate social media influencers to make sure they are a good fit for your brand and business. One tactic is to seek out influencers who are famous for their expertise, rather than simply famous for being famous.

Unlike some social media stars out there, experts build their influence the old fashioned way – by knowing their stuff and creating consistent content to prove it. Experts may not always have the same reach as other influencers, but their followers are often much more loyal and seriously engaged. A good word about your brand from an industry expert might reach only a fraction of the numbers than if it came from an account with a larger, broader audience, but research shows that consumers are more likely to take action on recommendations from voices they trust.

A study by Nielsen comparing the effectiveness different sources of content found that expert content lifted purchase intent 38 per cent more than branded content and 83 per cent more than user-generated reviews. In fact, the research found that branded and user-generated content become more effective once a stable foundation of trust has been established through the channel of third-party experts.

Consumers play a huge role in keeping brands accountable and demanding authenticity and honesty in marketing campaigns. This means that brands must become more socially aware and truly understand what consumers want in order to effectively connect with them.

We’ve seen the power of this strategy play out time and again at theright.fit. For example, last year we helped source talent for AAMI Insurance’s International Women’s Day TV commercial, ‘Her to Hero’. AAMI were looking for strong, sporty and active models and actors to play AFL women’s stars in the shoot. Imagine how thrilled they were to learn that we already had three AFLW players from the Western Bulldogs on the books! Using real AFLW stars lent the TVC a far greater level of impact than could have been achieved by having actors play the part.

Our recent partnership with Pinstripe Media is another great example. In the two years since launching, theright.fit the platform has grown to a database of over 6,700 talent, but we recognised a need to provide credible business experts in specific categories like finance and tech. Our new B2B database contains more than 50 leading business experts like Airtasker chairman James Spenceley and ShowPo founder and CEO Jane Lu.

It’s easy to game the social media system, but trust and authenticity must be earned. Building credibility with your audience takes time, but businesses willing to go the extra mile to find voices and create content that really resonates will reap the rewards.

Please login with linkedin to comment

expertise influence taryn williams

Latest News

New York, New York. - May 27, 2017: Google sign outside the Google office in New York City. It is a multinational technology company specializing in internet services and products.
  • Media

Google Considers An Appeal After Federal Court Rules It Misled Australians

Google has said it is considering an appeal, after the Federal Court ruled the tech giant had misled consumers in regards to how it collected location data from Android devices. The decision comes as a major win for the ACCC, which initiated the court proceedings in October 2019. The competition watchdog argued that Google misled […]

Recommended

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Nine Announces Judging Panel For State Of Originality
  • Marketing

Nine Announces Judging Panel For State Of Originality

Nine has named the judging panel for its much-anticipated State of Originality, Australia’s richest advertising award, aimed at making State of Origin the equivalent of Australia’s Super Bowl in advertising terms. Announced at Nine’s Upfront last September, the winning campaign will take home much more than a trophy – there’s $1 million in advertising inventory […]

British Supermarket Begins Court Case Over Copycat Caterpillar Cake
  • Marketing
  • Media

British Supermarket Begins Court Case Over Copycat Caterpillar Cake

British supermarket Marks & Spencer has taken an intellectual property claim against fellow supermarket ALDI over the latter’s Cuthbert The Caterpillar Cake, which they allege is too similar to their own iconic Colin The Caterpillar Cake. Colin the Caterpillar (pictured above) has been a staple of birthday parties across the UK since 1990, when the […]

Recommended

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
DDB Sydney Unveils Australian Red Cross’ First Brand Campaign In Almost A Decade
  • Campaigns

DDB Sydney Unveils Australian Red Cross’ First Brand Campaign In Almost A Decade

We all felt helpless in the face of 2020’s constant barrage of disasters and catastrophes. And 2021 hasn’t let up either. Last year, Australian Red Cross experienced its biggest demand since World War II, so it has responded with a new brand campaign bringing attention to this overwhelming feeling and highlighting its 106-year track record […]

“Food Is A Way Of Answering Emotional Questions In Ourselves”: The Masterchef Judges On Season 13
  • Media

“Food Is A Way Of Answering Emotional Questions In Ourselves”: The Masterchef Judges On Season 13

As Master Chef prepares to launch back onto screens on Monday 19th April, B&T had the opportunity to speak to the show’s hosts, food critic Melissa Leong and chefs Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allan, who won the show’s fourth season. The three judges first appeared on last year’s Masterchef: Back To Win, which saw returning contestants […]

Recommended

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Which 50? Has The Datafication Of Advertising Finally Killed Off Adland’s Favourite Slogan?
  • Partner Content
  • Technology

Which 50? Has The Datafication Of Advertising Finally Killed Off Adland’s Favourite Slogan?

Undoubtedly one of the most overused slogans in marketing’s and advertising’s history is John Wanamaker’s iconic “half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half”. And it’s a credit to the quip’s longevity that last year the line celebrated a real milestone – its 100th birthday. But […]

Partner Content

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Leadership, Humanity, Technology – The Sweet Spot
  • Media
  • Technology

Leadership, Humanity, Technology – The Sweet Spot

The SingularityU Australia Executive Program will take place this may, celebrating leadership at the intersection of the values of humanity and the value of technology. The Elon Musks, Apples and Xeros of the world are taking risks for humanity and creating new  technologies that streamline and beautify business operations. They simplify life by providing basic […]

Recommended

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
OMD Alumnus Launches Specialist Media Agency For The Franchise Sector; TFM Digital
  • Marketing

OMD Alumnus Launches Specialist Media Agency For The Franchise Sector; TFM Digital

Brisbane media professional and former OMD Australia Account Director Taylor Fielding (pictured) has officially launched TFM Digital. TFM Digital is a specialist media agency based in Newstead which primarily provides media buying services, and strategy development, to businesses chiefly, but not exclusively, within the franchise sector. Prior to the launch of TFM Digital, Fielding spent […]

FutureFeed Appoints Five By Five For Global Launch
  • Media

FutureFeed Appoints Five By Five For Global Launch

Launch marketing specialists Five by Five Global have been appointed by FutureFeed to develop their brand, international certification trademark and go to market strategy. The innovative livestock feed ingredient developed by CSIRO, Meat and Livestock Australian and James Cook University uses a specific genus of seaweed, Asparagopsis, which significantly reduces methane emissions in ruminant livestock. […]

SKMG’s Andrew Knowles Snares B&T’s 30 Under 30 For PR
  • Marketing

SKMG’s Andrew Knowles Snares B&T’s 30 Under 30 For PR

Andrew Knowles, partner and co-founder of the corporate communications consultancy Shoebridge Knowles Media Group (SKMG), has won the PR category in the 2021 B&T 30 Under 30 Awards. Knowles received the award at a ceremony in Sydney last night, claiming victory in a highly competitive field that included leading executives from some of Australia’s biggest […]