Twitter was built on the concept of following people and keeping track of what they are doing in their life. People follow only those who are either going to provide them entertainment, will keep them informed about certain topics they wish to know more about or people they look up to.
These people who have a higher following or are considered more knowledgeable compared to laymen are those who can benefit your business. In fact, according to a May 2015 study, by Schlesinger Associates, 84% of marketers were expected to launch at least one influencer marketing campaign within the next 12 months. In fact, of all those who have already implemented this marketing initiative, 81% of them mentioned it being effective.
How’s the right way to do influencer marketing then? According to a worldwide poll conducted by GroupHigh, brands were not reaching out to influencers how they wanted them to. Bloggers wish to be directly contacted by brands, in fact a staggering 79% thinks so, while only 26% wanted to be reached through agencies.
The fight towards influencer marketing is the same, whether it is a product you are trying to promote or a brand. The social CRM industry also swears by what a few influencers endorse. This is a group of people who have started their own Social CRM firms, are well read about the newest dynamics of the industry or come with many years of experience and are willing to share their knowledge with the world. Here’s a list of 10 such influential people to follow if you are interested in learning newer aspects of the industry or trying to prospect using influencer marketing.
1. Paul Greenberg Handle: @pgreenbe Followers: 22.6K Paul Greenberg is all about customer satisfaction and customer experience. He is currently the President of The 56 Group, LLC, a customer strategy consulting firm. He is also the autor of one of the CRM bestseller books, “CRM at the Speed of Light”. He’s also an active contributor of ZD Net Blog. If you are a CRM enthusiast, follow him!
2. Matthew Guay Handle: @maguay Followers: 2,111 Matthew Guay is more than just a CRM professional and customer experience expert. He is currently the senior editor and writer at Zapier, but he also likes to describe himself as an amateur photographer and information architect. If you are someone who enjoys reading about technology, follow his blog @techinch. (https://twitter.com/techinch)
3. Prem Kumar Aparanji Handle: @prem_k Followers: 4,508 Prem is what people like to call him, a social CRM evangelist, looking back at the work he has done in this field. He is currently working with Cognizant Technology Solutions and has also co-founded Vismaya Montessori. He is also a part of the managing committee at KANS, which works towards wildlife conservation.
4. Steli Efti Handle: @Steli Followers: 9,934 Often described as an entrepreneur by birth, Steli is known to have started his own business endeavours since the age of 17. He is the CEO and co-founder at Close.io, which is a sales CRM software. Apart from this Steli is also known to be a part of multiple eye-opening discussions related to his domain of work.
5. Rich Bohn Handle: @RichBohn Followers: 8,745 Rich Bohn is the oldest living independent CRM analyst! He reviews the newest CRM software, to help brands choose the best according to their requirements and get the best put of their spends. He is a CRM expert who also provides uses and implications of CRM initiatives. You can find his reviews on SellMoreNow. (https://sellmorenow.com/)
6. William Band Handle: @waband Followers: 4,447 William band is an independent consultant for business and CRM strategy. He retired from Forrester research, where he was the Vice President and Principal Analyst. Band’s twitter page is filled with enriching content around Social CRM and other technology innovations. If you are interested in CRM, he is a must follow.
7. Denis Pombriant Handle: @DenisPombriant Followers: 6,302 Denis Pombriant is often described as an analyst and a thought leader in the social CRM space. In fact, he is well known for his writings for CRM Magazine, DestinationCRM, Search CRM, CRM Buyer as well his own blog. However, going by his twitter bio, we completely swear by the fact that he is a juggler and a great one!
So, Why Influencer Marketing The followers of your influencers, in this case Social CRM, are already interested in the industry function. These are people, who are constantly looking out for newer innovation, new tools and new features in the area of interest. These are also the group of people you would like to reach out to if you are trying to generate leads/awareness around your brand, since you are a CRM firm. Influencer marketing is basically, the opposite of television/radio/print advertising, where the spill over effect is much higher. Influencer marketing is also a form of targeted social marketing.
1. Paul Greenberg Handle: @pgreenbe Followers: 22.6K Paul Greenberg is all about customer satisfaction and customer experience. He is currently the President of The 56 Group, LLC, a customer strategy consulting firm. He is also the autor of one of the CRM bestseller books, “CRM at the Speed of Light”. He’s also an active contributor of ZD Net Blog. If you are a CRM enthusiast, follow him!
2. Matthew Guay Handle: @maguay Followers: 2,111 Matthew Guay is more than just a CRM professional and customer experience expert. He is currently the senior editor and writer at Zapier, but he also likes to describe himself as an amateur photographer and information architect. If you are someone who enjoys reading about technology, follow his blog @techinch. (https://twitter.com/techinch)
3. Prem Kumar Aparanji Handle: @prem_k Followers: 4,508 Prem is what people like to call him, a social CRM evangelist, looking back at the work he has done in this field. He is currently working with Cognizant Technology Solutions and has also co-founded Vismaya Montessori. He is also a part of the managing committee at KANS, which works towards wildlife conservation.
4. Steli Efti Handle: @Steli Followers: 9,934 Often described as an entrepreneur by birth, Steli is known to have started his own business endeavours since the age of 17. He is the CEO and co-founder at Close.io, which is a sales CRM software. Apart from this Steli is also known to be a part of multiple eye-opening discussions related to his domain of work.
5. Rich Bohn Handle: @RichBohn Followers: 8,745 Rich Bohn is the oldest living independent CRM analyst! He reviews the newest CRM software, to help brands choose the best according to their requirements and get the best put of their spends. He is a CRM expert who also provides uses and implications of CRM initiatives. You can find his reviews on SellMoreNow. (https://sellmorenow.com/)
6. William Band Handle: @waband Followers: 4,447 William band is an independent consultant for business and CRM strategy. He retired from Forrester research, where he was the Vice President and Principal Analyst. Band’s twitter page is filled with enriching content around Social CRM and other technology innovations. If you are interested in CRM, he is a must follow.
7. Denis Pombriant Handle: @DenisPombriant Followers: 6,302 Denis Pombriant is often described as an analyst and a thought leader in the social CRM space. In fact, he is well known for his writings for CRM Magazine, DestinationCRM, Search CRM, CRM Buyer as well his own blog. However, going by his twitter bio, we completely swear by the fact that he is a juggler and a great one!
So, Why Influencer Marketing The followers of your influencers, in this case Social CRM, are already interested in the industry function. These are people, who are constantly looking out for newer innovation, new tools and new features in the area of interest. These are also the group of people you would like to reach out to if you are trying to generate leads/awareness around your brand, since you are a CRM firm. Influencer marketing is basically, the opposite of television/radio/print advertising, where the spill over effect is much higher. Influencer marketing is also a form of targeted social marketing.