Why You Might Be Thinking About Influencer Marketing All Wrong

Hosted By

Anna Hrach

Convince & Convert

Daniel Lemin

Convince & Convert

Erika Lovegreen

ICUC Social

About Social Pros Podcast:

Social Pros is one of the longest-running marketing podcasts in existence (10 YEARS and counting), and was recently recognized as the #1 Audio/Podcast Series by the Content Marketing Awards.

Our purpose? Making sure that we speak to real people doing real work in social media.

Listeners get inside stories and behind-the-scenes secrets about how teams at companies like Google, Reddit, Glossier, Zillow, Lyft, Oracle, and dozens more, staff, operate, and measure their social media programs. With 500+ episodes, the Social Pros Podcast brings the humanity of social media to the forefront, while providing incredibly useful marketing strategies that listeners can immediately implement.

Thank you to our sponsor ICUC Social.

Follow Social Pros on LinkedIn.

To inquire about becoming a guest, please email Leanna Pham at leanna@convinceandconvert.com.

Apple Podcast Reviews:

The Social Pros podcast has quickly become a favorite in my feed! I'm consistently impressed by the engaging conversations, insightful content, and actionable ideas. I truly learn something every time I listen!

@Arlie K

This is absolutely an awesome listen for anyone in communications or social media!!

@Will31C

This podcast has become one of my staple weekly podcasts for learning about marketing! Love the conversations that they have and it's always enjoyable and educational!

@Simonstone95

Love the podcast - informative, in depth and spot on for any business size.

@MissTriathlon

Jason Falls, Director of Digital Strategy at Cornett, joins the Social Pros Podcast to debunk common myths and misconceptions around influencer marketing. We also talk about his new book, “Winfluence.”

Influence vs. Influencer

Is the letter “r” the only difference between influence and influencer, or is there more to it than that?
Jason Falls, Director of Digital Strategy at Cornett, states that when you talk about influence, it’s not about the channel, the influencer, or even the person. It’s not a noun, it’s a verb. So, when you’re talking about influence, you’re talking about your strategic purpose. As Jason said in this episode of the podcast, “you want to influence an audience to take action.”
Understanding the difference between influence and influencer is so important. In this episode, Jason reveals whether it’s more beneficial to have a popular influencer promote your brand vs. someone who talks passionately about your brand to a smaller audience. We also dig into why he prefers the term “influence marketing” over “influencer marketing” and some common misconceptions around influencer marketing.

In This Episode:

08:59 – How influence shifts the perspective to the action rather than the channel
12:02 – Why we often make the mistake of relying on influencers rather than influence
15:18 – Why people tend to be skeptical of influencers and their authenticity
18:52 – What makes influencer marketing work
21:01 – How to find the sweet spot when searching for the right influencer for your brand
23:05 – Why it’s better to have fewer influencers who you have a relationship with vs. many influencers
29:53 – Who should be responsible for influencer marketing within an organization
31:38 – The pros and cons of asking an influencer to be category exclusive
38:01 – How social pros can use the three most important words in influence marketing to their benefit

Quotes From This Episode:

If the influencer says, ‘Here's a product that someone paid me to show you,’ they're going to shrug their shoulders and ignore it. Click To Tweet
“You risk hurting your own reputation with your audience if you lock in too many product exclusives.”
“If the influencer says, ‘I’m partnering with this brand and this product, and here’s why, because I think this is going to be meaningful to you,’ the customer will listen.”