identifying, approaching and cultivating digital influencers

IDENTIFYING, APPROACHING & CULTIVATING INFLUENCERSINFLUENCER MARKETING IN HIGHER ED

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JON MCBRIDE | BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY@JMCBEE84

USING POKÉMON GO TO CATCH YOUR DIGITAL GOALS1990 CARTOON CHARACTERS IN HIGHER ED MARKETING

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION#EDUWEB16

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TODAY WE’LL LOOK AT…• The latest in influencer marketing • Best practices of how you can fully utilize influencer

marketing at your institution • Along with …

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INFLUENCER MARKETING TODAY

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INFLUENCER MARKETING TODAY• Influencers are typically defined as digital leaders in a

specific field or niche market with a highly-engaged following

• Utilizing influencers to share your content increases your reach exponentially

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INFLUENCER MARKETING TODAY• Big celebrities can wield big influence, but it could cost you

in $$$ and disclosure• There’s a better way to do influencer marketing, without

having to spend any $$$

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Look at the audience you’re trying to reach, and identify who

is influential to them• Influence does not always mean popularity, and popularity

does not always mean influence• True influence drives high levels of engagement

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Leverage the relationships you already have

• Current students• Professors• Alumni

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Current students

• Monitor social conversations happening on campus (hashtags, location searches, etc.)

• See who is getting engagement

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Current students

• Form a street team

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• How our street team has helped us at BYU

• 90 percent of our Insta content is user generated• Our Insta following grew from 24K to 72K in a year• We’re now consistently in the top 10 universities for

engagement

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Professors

• You have some of the most influential human beings, leading experts in multiple fields, teaching on your campus

• Know who they are, and know what they’re studying• Are they on social?

• Yes – work with them! Collaborate on posts. Ask for posts.• No – work with them! You can still capitalize on their influence

on your own social channels by simply featuring their research, words, images, etc.

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Alumni

• Keep tabs on influential alums• Know when they’ll be visiting campus and collaborate

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LOOK AT THE GUEST SPEAKERS YOU HAVE COMING TO CAMPUS IN THE COMING YEAR, CONTACT THEM (OR THEIR SOCIAL TEAM) FOR SOCIAL POSTS.

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Dig into some robust online tools

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Influencer attributes to weigh

• Reach – How many people can this influencer potentially reach? On what channels? What’s their engagement rate like?

• Relevance – does this influencer and their audience align with your objectives AND your image?

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IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS• Make sure you’re comfortable with the image and reputation

your potential influencer has

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APPROACHING INFLUENCERS

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APPROACHING INFLUENCERS• Be strategic• Be professional• Be straightforward• Look for the win-win

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KNOW WHO YOUR OLYMPIANS IN RIO ARE!

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND MEDIA RELATIONS CAN LEARN A LOT FROM EACH OTHER.

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APPROACHING INFLUENCERS• Be strategic• Be professional• Be straightforward• Look for the win-win• Work with your media relations team on pitching

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“BUT WHAT IF WE DON’T HAVE BEYONCÉ?”

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CULTIVATING INFLUENCERS• Don’t be satisfied with a one-and-done• Look to build a relationship

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FINAL TAKEAWAYS• Using influencers to share your content increases your

reach exponentially

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reach exponentially• True influence drives engagement

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reach exponentially• True influence drives engagement• Leverage the relationships you already have with students,

professors and alumni

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professors and alumni• Look for the win-win with influencers

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professors and alumni• Look for the win-win with influencers• Work with your media relations team on pitching

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professors and alumni• Look for the win-win with influencers• Work with your media relations team on pitching• Build relationships with your influencers

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QUESTIONS?

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PLEASE RATE THIS SESSIONUSE THE EDUWEB APP

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THANKS!

[email protected]@jMcBee84

INSTAGRAM:@brighamyounguniversity

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identifying, approaching and cultivating digital influencers

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