The Digital Marketing Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Theme: Influencer Marketing
Hosts: Daniel Rowles & Ciaran Rogers
Date: May 19, 2018

Overview

In this episode, Daniel and Ciaran delve deep into the world of influencer marketing, dissecting its myths, realities, and best practices. With a candid blend of enthusiasm and skepticism, they draw on their vast experience to discuss what makes influencer marketing effective, the pitfalls brands must avoid, and how to identify the right advocates for your brand. The conversation is peppered with practical advice, personal anecdotes, and thoughtful reflection on the changing landscape of digital influence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Thoughts & Skepticism Toward Influencer Marketing

• Ciaran’s experience: Having worked with influencers, Ciaran is candid about his frustrations, particularly with “large-scale” influencers who often provide minimal effort for high compensation.

  • "When you start dealing with large scale influencers, anybody in PR will tell you they can be really hard work and really kind of give the minimum amount of effort for quite a lot of cost." – Ciaran (01:22)

• Daniel’s perspective: He frames influencer marketing as amplification—reaching a desired audience by working with those who already have their attention. However, he quickly differentiates between influencers and advocates, placing more long-term value on advocates.

2. Defining Influencers vs. Advocates

• Influencers: Those with access to the audience you want.
• Advocates: Those who naturally say positive things about your brand, regardless of their “reach.”
• Strategic distinction: Both need separate outreach plans—one focused on audience leverage, the other on nurturing loyalty and reciprocity.
  • "Influencers are those people that have access to the audience you want. Advocates are the people that say nice stuff about you. ... In both cases you need a plan…" – Daniel (03:10)

3. The Pitfalls of Paid Influencer Marketing

• Paying influencers often blurs the line between authentic endorsement and pure advertising.

  • "If you're having to pay someone to talk about your stuff, you're basically doing advertising and it kind of isn't in line with what social media really is." – Daniel (03:38)

• Legal implications: It's essential to be transparent about paid endorsements per advertising laws (e.g., #ad, gifting disclosures).

  • "You have to be really careful, because there are laws that guard against this. If you're paying somebody, you need to state that." – Ciaran (03:46)

4. The Power of Micro-influencers and Authentic Advocacy

• Advocacy over reach: For better ROI, brands should seek collaborators who are genuinely enthusiastic—even if their followings are smaller.

  • Real examples: Hosting intimate events, providing value to up-and-coming bloggers, and crafting genuine invite messages.

• Building relationships matters: Success comes from ongoing engagement and understanding the influencer’s audience and values.

  • "You can't buy friends." – Daniel (08:16)
  • "There's a type of influencer that I think is fabulous, and that's an advocate influencer—someone that has a genuine passion for what you're doing or your brand." – Ciaran (05:28)

5. Social Scoring Platforms: The Demise of Klout

• Klout, a once-prominent social influence scoring platform, is shutting down—coincidentally on the day GDPR takes effect. Both hosts reminisce about its usefulness and limitations.

  • Memorable Anecdote: Ciaran was once recognized by Klout as a world expert in SpongeBob SquarePants for reasons even he doesn’t understand. (09:06)

• Data privacy and compliance complexities are likely contributors to Klout’s closure.

6. Exploring Alternatives to Klout

• Klear.com is recommended as a powerful, insight-rich influencer analysis tool. Unlike Klout, it goes beyond simple scores, providing data on audience demographics, content performance, and engagement levels.

  • "It will give you a social score... but also what their audience demographic looks like, what their audience is interested in..." – Daniel (10:24)

• Brief mentions of other tools: Kred, PeerIndex (now part of Brandwatch), and CRED (relaunched in 2018).

• Reminder: Use social scores only as indicators—dig deeper for true influence.

7. Best Practices for Influencer Outreach & Content

• Integrate influencer and advocate engagement into content planning.

  • "For every piece of content you create, [add] a column for which are the influencers we should get this in front of, and which are the advocates..." – Daniel (13:08)

• Employ targeted, personalized outreach rather than blanket messaging.

• Reciprocity is key: Help promote their content too.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You can't buy friends." (08:16, Daniel)
• "There's a type of influencer that I think is fabulous, and that's an advocate influencer—someone that has a genuine passion for what you're doing or your brand." (05:28, Ciaran)
• "If you're having to pay someone to talk about your stuff, you're basically doing advertising and it kind of isn't in line with what social media really is." (03:38, Daniel)
• Ciaran’s SpongeBob SquarePants anecdote about Klout:
  • "I was a leading world expert for a short last summer in SpongeBob SquarePants and we don't quite know why." (08:55, Ciaran)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:18 – Ciaran’s influencer marketing frustrations
• 03:10 – Influencers vs. advocates explained
• 03:38 – Pitfalls of paying influencers
• 05:28 – The value of advocate influencers
• 08:16 – Building authentic relationships
• 08:39 – Klout shutting down
• 10:24 – Introduction to Klear.com and alternative tools
• 13:08 – Integrating influencer outreach in content planning

Tone & Style

The conversation is frank, knowledgeable, and practical, mixing the hosts’ humor (“You can’t buy friends… they tend to be a bit unfaithful”) with clearly actionable advice. The overall message: Build genuine, two-way relationships with people passionate about your brand, and beware the pitfalls of superficial or purely transactional influencer marketing.

Key Takeaways

• Prioritize authentic advocacy over pure reach or celebrity endorsements.
• Use social scoring tools as a starting point, not a definitive guide.
• Integrate influencer and advocate outreach into your marketing content planning.
• Nurture relationships and offer real value—for the influencer and their audience.
• Stay transparent about paid relationships to comply with regulations.

For more resources, the hosts reference a free content calendar template (with influencer and advocate columns) available at TargetInternet.com.