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Key influencers in the media are people who speak with an influential voice. With their credibility and popular platform they tend to wield a great level of influence over others on a specific topic of interest. When they speak others listen and when they have an opinion it resonates and influences others in a meaningful way. Think of a technology blogger with a loyal following or a well known critic who reviews restaurants or movies in the newspaper.

Why Key Influencers matter

In a nutshell, key influencers matter because they can have a dramatic effect on the success of your brand or the sales of a product.  If just one person says something bad about your brand it may have only a minor impact on your results. On the other hand, if a key influencer says something  bad about your brand; their opinion will also effect how their audience thinks about your brand. This type of influence can be a defining moment for the consumer and have a real impact on the purchasing decisions they make.

Different Niche = Different Influencers

Every industry, niche product and service has it’s own unique influencers. Popular food bloggers, business journalists, sports personalities and fashion writers (online or offline) are all examples. Each of these influencers has power in a specific target market and (most importantly to those who wish to build a relationship), each of them can be contacted directly.

Identifying your Key Influencers

So do you know who the Key Influencers are in your industry? If you don’t then you should find out. Google the same search-terms that your target market might use when searching for your products or industry news. The top results will be written by those people who your customers are most likely to find first. These are the people you want to talk about your brand and do it in a positive way. Perform the same search process on twitter and other social media sources and soon you will build a list of your online key influencers.

Monitor your Industry & Media

Using a Media Monitoring firm such as Irelands Newsaccess to capture and evaluate your media coverage is one of the most effective ways to identify and track key influencers. Your media monitoring agency will not only provide you with copies of the media coverage they capture, but also a list of your key influencers. In addition they will also be able to evaluate your media coverage. Media evalution can provide you with a clear breakdown of what influencers are saying about your brand, how many people the influencer is reaching and whether their view is positive, negative or neutral. This information can prove invaluable when creating an communications plan or making informed decisions.

Targeting Key Influencers

There is a lot that can be said about targeting key influencers but here’s just a brief overview to get you started. Building long-term relationships with your key influencers can be one of the most important investments you can make. Influencers have the power to make or break a brand or campaign and that kind of power should be respected. Engaging with your commentators on a ‘one to one’ basis and being honest in your conversation can help to build a positive image of your brand in their minds. In turn, that positive image will translate into a positive perception of your brand amongst their audience and your target market.

After all.. who wouldn’t like to influence the influencers?

Brian McCarthy is the Sales & Marketing Director with Newsaccess Media Intelligence, based in Dublin 2. For more information on Media Monitoring& Evaluation contact Brian at: mccarthyb@newsaccess.ie or 01-6799403