1 © Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2011. All Rights Reserved. 1

GETTING STARTED WITH…. INFLUENCER RELATIONS CARLI MCKINNEY SVESMC MEETING

MARCH 16, 2012

@carlimck #SVESMC

2 © Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2011. All Rights Reserved. 2

…AND AFTER

BEFORE INFLUENCER RELATIONS….

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THE BENEFITS

A LITTLE LOVE GOES A LONG WAY….

§  3rd party ambassadors who understand your offerings

§  Influencers offer an unbiased view

§  They can become “unpaid” consultants

§  Influencers will start to find you

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FINDING INFLUENCERS

WHO ARE THEY? WHERE ARE THEY?

§  Social Channels ‒  The obvious channels

‒  The not so obvious

‒  They’re there… but are you?

§  Rank them ‒  Figure out your formula

for ranking them. What makes sense for you and your business? #1 BRAND FAN

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HOW WE RANK INFLUENCERS

COMBINATION OF….

§  Consistency of activity

§  Consistency in effort

§  Industry-related conversations & engagement with users

§  Number of followers

§  Influence measurement tools

= Relative influence based on program objectives

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KEYS FOR ENGAGING

INFLUENCER RELATIONS 101

§  Familiarity

§  Accessibility

§  Honesty

§  Credibility

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GET FAMILIAR

KEYS TO SUCCESS

§  Know your audience: What makes them tick?

§  Know their audience: How can you help them?

§  Engage!

§  Talk & talk often

§  Give them that personal touch

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BE ACCESSIBLE

KEYS TO SUCCESS

§  Exclusives

§  Events

§  Demos? Hands-on?

§  Access to the RIGHT content & people

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BE HONEST, BE CREDIBLE

§  Don’t pump the products

§  Be realistic with the timeline

§  No smoke & mirrors

§  Cut the marketing, make it personal

@fabiorapposelli: The HDS people: Bloggers ratio is something like 2 to 1, this makes us feel special.

@nigelpoulton: I have to say it again... I'm liking the look of HCP. The more I see, the more I like!

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GENERAL DO’S & DON’TS

DO

§  Make it personal

§  Provide a fresh perspective

§  Listen

DON’T

§  Flyer-style invitations

§  Lack of access to VPs & above

§  Only marketing spokespeople

§  Avoid tough conversations

INFLUENCER INSIGHT: CHRIS EVANS, THE STORAGE ARCHITECT

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ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

§  Give them a place to go for information

§  Take photos, share photos

§  Talk & talk often

§  Consider NDAs

§  Pre-event surveys / post-event surveys

§  Consider purpose of engagements

§  Quality over quantity

§  Take it to the community

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING….

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THANK YOU CARLI MCKINNEY @carlimck

linkedin.com/in/carlimckinney