How to Create Your Influencer Personas

This is a part of a series that was created to help you define build the practice of influencer marketing into your company. This series will walk through the process, necessary roles, in addition to guides for each role to get started with influencer marketing quickly. For the next several weeks, I will share a how-to for the influencer marketing specialist. This week, let’s focus on shaping your influencer personas.

Just as you have personas within your target audience, personas exist within your influencer database. Influencer personas are based on the type of influencer and the goals and issues they face. It is important to have a basic understanding of the different types of influencers you engage with so you can segment them as much as possible, build relationships with them, and craft and deliver targeted, effective pitches based on their needs.

Here are examples of some of the goals and needs of various different types of influencers:

• Searches for and writes about cutting-edge news
• Needs unique new ideas
• Needs quotes to add to a story
• Needs an expert
• Wants to sell a research subscription
• Provides valuable product reviews
• Is working to become an expert in a specific space, etc.

For example, bloggers have different needs and goals than industry analysts, and therefore, you may need to approach them differently. Because bloggers typically are more interested in social media, it may make sense to engage over Twitter; however, you may need to use a more traditional communication vehicle when engaging with an analyst. Learning about each influencer’s needs, goals, and preferred methods of communication will be crucial.

Each company will have its own influencer personas that it will want to target – just as each company has its own set of buyer and user personas.

Here is an example of what an influencer persona might look like:

Technology Blogger

• 95% are male
• 25-40 years old
• Caucasian, Indian, Asian
• 95% are college educated
• Technical degree, possibly from a state school
• Married
• May have one or two children
• Lives near a major city (primarily in CA, East Coast, and Midwest)
• Pays attention to big news announcements, such as product launches
• Very active on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare)
• Very gadget savvy
• Wants to know the new unique ideas
• May blog on multiple platforms
• Reads TechCrunch, MacWorld, Gizmodo, Computerworld, Pehub, Lifehacker, The Onion, The Daily Beast, Wired
• Loves Pandora, Last.fm, and podcasts
• Goes to YouTube for a laugh
• Active LinkedIn profile

As you begin researching and speaking to your influencers, develop personas to typify each influencer segment.

Additional resources:

Influencer Marketing, Duncan Brown and Nick Hayes

Power of Persuasion, Meg de Jong

The 3 Tents of Influencer Marketing, Barbara French

Next week, I’ll discuss specific questions to ask of influencers during your research phase.