Nobody sets out to read ‘content’ online

It seems that everyone is panning for virtual gold in the Content Marketing sector like it's San Francisco in the 1850's. Taking a look at Google Trends for Search, the term "Content Marketing" is currently reaching a feverish peak... somewhat helped perhaps by Google recently clamping down on paid-for advertorial links

It seems that content is having a bit of a Renaissance right now (deservedly so) and the pendulum has swung back away from "design first, content later" to "content first, design later".

But here's my revelation... Most normal people when they use the web don't start by thinking "My, I must consume some content", instead they want to:

• Read opinions
• Gain insight
• Chuckle at rants
• Understand products
• Learn from ‘how to’ guides
• Take a peek at useful information
• Compare reviews
• Watch news
• Hear another person tell stories
• plus many other combinations of the above and more.

So prior to setting out to "do some content marketing" and before considering: search engines, your 'tone of voice guidelines', the design of the page and even your boss or client's feedback... Think about the most important person. Your reader.

Opinion leadership - 1950's style

Influencers have been described for years as 'Opinion Leaders'. These are people who are sources of information on a particular subject and have followers who listen & embrace what they say (or do).

Katz and Lazarsfeld way back in 1954 within their book "Personal Influence" claimed Opinion Leaders should be

"spelled with a little 'l'. As everyday influentials, they are ubiquitous"

I take this to mean they could be anyone or everyone; with each person applying their own influence to their own sphere of contacts (at the time, this was generally by word-of-mouth or by simple one-to-one communication methods).

However Katz and Lazarsfeld also refered to some Opinion Leaders as "Great Disseminators" (a wonderful term that). This categorises people who have an important forum— national or international— and who are respected and listened to by a number of people.

Perhaps these early thoughts on an individual's social graph and the different scales of influence aren't too dissimilar to what we're now trying to do on a global scale and in the digital domain.... I for one whould like to know who our Great Disseminators are these days.

Who influences the influencers?

There is quite possibly a bunch of people out there in the digital space who have an opinion about your product/service company/brand. They either love or loath you, but either way they feel they can say what they want. You cannot stop this, unless you take stong action (e.g. legal) and this should only be a final recourse as it can send a very strong message .


So what are your choices?


1. Do nothing
The recourse of the apathetic or bewildered and usually what people do hoping "the whole thing will blow over soon enough". However, in digital land, bad news hangs around for ages and even exacerbates over time . Infamy is never a becoming feature of any company (Infamy, infamy..... etc.)


2. Manage the situation
The only thing potentially worse than doing nothing, is doing the wrong thing and inflaming a situation or chasing after a lost cause can cause further issues. However, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as a resolved complaint provides the ideal opportunity to create an advocate.



So to answer the question "Who influences the influencers?"... the answer should be "you" (dear corporate reader). You have the chance to:

a. Identify your influencers (both positive & negative)
b. Understand the level and types of influence they have
c. Assess those that are right for you to have an interaction with
d. Start to engage with a dialogue with some of them

Just tread carefully as you go....