The 3 Ws of Emerging Influencers: What, Who & Why

So, what exactly is an influencer?

influencer | in·​floo·​uhn·​sr: an individual with the ability to inspire, guide or contribute to a
change in the opinions or behaviors of others: a person who is able to generate interest in something.

Often referred to as a stakeholder, anyone with established credibility within a community can influence the narrative or contribute to a conversation to sway the opinions or actions of others. Influencers do not need to have top-tier credentials to blend a compelling voice with expertise to create drive resonance.

Investors, analysts, employees, customers, academics, activists, reporters, politicians, etc., are all different types of influencers that can affect a company’s reputation and/or bottom line, positively or negatively. For example, a trusted doctor may be the perfect partner for a health care company looking to amplify a new product, or a prominent think-tank can be tapped to advocate for a specific issue. There are many stakeholders who, with the right information and materials, can authentically amplify corporate or issue messaging campaigns. It is often easy to pinpoint mainstream drivers in a given conversation or around a certain topic, but, when possible, identifying emerging voices offers an opportunity to harness untapped influence.

How do we know who is (or isn’t) an influencer?

Understanding the reach and power of existing and emerging influencers gives communicators a significant advantage in the early detection of future opportunities, as well as potential vulnerabilities. When it comes to developing influencers, they can range from active participants in a conversation to latent observers or consumers of information who are frequently cited by more established voices. Emerging influencers help amplify key pieces of information, essentially acting as “channels” and building their own credibility in the process. Over time, these individuals and organizations can evolve into major players in a conversation or on a specific topic.  

One of the primary metrics in determining “influence” is the number of times an individual or entity is quoted by others in a conversation, also referred to as network importance. In other words, by assessing the relevance of an individual or organization, a determination can be made about its significance. While network importance is powerful on its own, it is even more valuable when paired with other key metrics such as flow of information. Flow of information calculates the contribution of an individual or organization in helping facilitate the conversation, serving as a bridge from one to another. These primary data points, combined with common metrics such as reach, impact, number of followers, etc., allows communicators to capture a full spectrum of existing and potential influencers, and create tailored and integrated engagement plans.

The graph below plots various key metrics to help us visualize and further analyze
the different types of influencers identified in a conversation.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” – Lewis Carroll

To inform a more focused view of a highly technical issue or diffuse a conversational landscape, identifying influencers is a good place to start. While existing stakeholders or spheres of influence often are easier to pinpoint, emerging influencers pose an exciting opportunity to reach niche audiences or drive nuanced message points. Additionally, it can be a chance to “get in on the ground floor” of an individual or organization with the power to evolve into a heavy hitter over time. By mapping key metrics of influence such as network importance, flow of information and more, communicators can begin to understand priority individuals and organizations and look to customize their engagement strategy accordingly.