Why Engaged Communities Trump High Follower Counts

Let’s Talk.

Conversation is where it’s at! And the more open you are with your consumers, the better the those interactions will be.
Brian Fanzo is a change evangelist, millennial speaker, podcast host, and founder of iSocialFanz LLC. He’s known for talking fast and tweeting faster. Brian believes in what he calls the three C’s: change, collaboration, and community. He encourages employee trust and empowerment and emphasizes engagement over follower count in influence marketing. He’s a champion for the new wave of video and live streaming.
iSocialFanz LLC is a social strategy consulting agency with the mission of connecting great people with great people to do great things. It’s also the hub through which Brian will keynote in nine countries at more than forty events in 2016.

In This Episode

• Why change, collaboration, and community are key to any business
• How building a community is far more effective than having a following
• Why incentives and rewards need to be individualized
• How to guide interactions into more valuable one on one conversations
• Why employee trust is the first step toward embracing influencer marketing

Quotes From This Episode

”No one event, no one gig, no one opportunity is worth losing the trust and authenticity I have with my community.”  —@iSocialFanz
”People want to be able to engage and have conversations with you.” —@iSocialFanz
“Any influencer today can get a one-night stand with a brand, very few can get them to call them back the next day.” —@iSocialFanz
“A mutual understanding of unfiltered trust and transparency so we can learn from each other. I think that is the future.” —@iSocialFanz

“I actually think of an influencer now as three different types. I think of an influencer as a social amplifier, or a celebrity type. The second type being subject matter expert or someone that is really the one that is boots on the ground practitioner. And then the third one being the thought leader, the one that has the read, has the stage, but also is the one that knows who the right expert is to connect with and often times who the right amplifier is.” —@iSocialFanz

“I look at empowering employees as the first step to proving that you can embrace influencer marketing.” —@iSocialFanz
“The strong influencers of today are not people that ever mention how many followers they have, they talk about how many people they engage with, how many conversations.” —@iSocialFanz

Resources

• In the News: Marketers in Western Europe Hope Native Advertisements Will Forestall the Growing Use of Ad Blockers
• Brian Fanzo twitter: @iSocialFanz
• iSocialFanz LLC
• Summit Live
• SMACTalk Live Podcast
• ThinkLikeAFan.live
• “Hug Your Haters” by Jay Baer

Would You Rather

Would you rather ride a lion or a whale?
Ooh… I would say I would rather ride a whale. I was a surfer growing up in Virginia Beach and I love the water.
Would you rather have free Apple or Android products forever of free Wi-Fi wherever you go?
Free Wi-Fi wherever I go. The product is only as great as the experience I’m able to create. I’ve had plenty of locations traveling around the world. I traveled for the Department of Defense to Iraq and Afghanistan and I can remember the need, for those guys especially. They have great technology in their hands and no access to Internet.  
Would you rather be a Kardashian or a tween Disney star?
I would say tween Disney star. I like the idea of I would say turning my celebrity on or turning it off whenever I go into certain places.