I firmly believe that influencer marketing can be extremely productive for brands, but I see so few of them doing it well. – C.C. Chapman
C.C. Chapman has been called a thought leader in the online marketing space, a grounded futurist and one the nicest guy on the Internet. His resume includes clients like Nike, HBO, and American Eagle Outfitters, as well as co-authoring the International bestseller Content Rules, as well as Amazing Things Will Happen. We love C.C. for his passion for building communities and sharing his views on the strategic values of content-based marketing, and were so excited when he agreed to contribute to this piece. Here’s what he had to say:
What role do you see Influencer Marketing playing in brand marketing strategies in 2016?
I have very mixed thoughts on this because I firmly believe that influencer marketing can be extremely productive for brands, but I see so few of them doing it well.
Too often they look for quantity over quality, do it without a well thought out strategy and hope for quick and immediate results which rarely are reality.
If a brand wants to work with influencers they have to be genuinely interested in the product and over time build up a reputation with their communities. Brands will never know the influencer’s communities as well as they do, so they must work WITH the influencers to find success.
What word do you hope is officially banned from marketing vernacular in 2016?
“Content Marketing”
Yes, I know that is a funny choice from me since I’m the Co-Author of a book ALL about content marketing, but I’ve been saying it for years and I will say it every day. All marketing is content marketing and smart brands are finally starting to realize that.
This doesn’t mean I want to see anyone stop creating blog posts, tweets or videos. In fact I want to see plenty more creation across all social platforms, but I want to see everyone realize that just because the tools and platforms are easier to use than ever before, without a strategy and planning your marketing is not going to work.
What marketing events are you most looking forward to in 2016?
SXSW, Inbound and MarketingProfs B2B Forum are the three marketing events I try to always make it to each year because I leave learning new things.
Besides those, any of the CreativeMornings events that happen every month around the globe (and right here in Boston) are always worth attending. I just wish I could get to them more often!
Want more from C.C.? Head to CC-Chapman.com or find him on Twitter.