Who are the most effective Influencers for your company in the social media sphere: The CEO or celebrity endorser who brings vision and attention to the cause or company?
Or the hard-working internal employees who are closest to the work, and who speak from experience in the ranks?
Based on our work creating Influencer videos that both build brand and achieve other business or organizational objectives – we say both.
Leaders and celebrity endorsers bring their star-power to create instant visibility for the cause. Their recognition makes viewers stop and pay attention. This instant recognition gives the message credibility. It convinces your viewers that leadership endorses the message to follow in a believable way.
See the impact that Milwaukee Bucks, Senior Vice-President Alex Lasry’s endorsement of The Guest House, a local resource for the homeless in our city gives this brief but hard-hitting video message:
CEO messaging can also be effective changing the image of a business leader. For internal audiences, The Medical College of Wisconsin sought to paint an informal portrait of their CEO, depicting him at home with his wife, walking their dogs – instead of the ‘all-business’ view that employees saw at the office:
Community leaders also give impact to a donorship ‘ask’:
But to convey authenticity and connection – no one provides an inside look better than the ‘storytellers’ on the front lines – the workers within the organization:
Their knowledge and passion for what they do is instantly recognized as the ‘real deal’. It’s genuine – and that’s what sells in today’s social media climate.
What’s the takeaway? The social media landscape is constantly evolving. What we’re certain about is that Influencer work is about real people telling their real stories about Brands and Organizations. That’s what resonates on social media today. It’s powerful content that is ‘Branding from the Inside Out’, from the bottom up (internal employees) or top down (CEOs and celebrities)
What we’ve learned is that we are successfully connecting audiences through heartfelt storytelling. That’s what is successful in this new arena.
We’d love to visit with you and your team about how a ‘Smart Influencer’ campaign can drive your business. To learn more, contact Will Ruch of Versant (wruch@versantsolutions.com), Lisa Haynes of Inside Media Partners (lisa@insidemediapartners.com), or Elizabeth Brenner of Brenner Consulting (efbrenner@gmail.com).