Todd Crawford has worked in online marketing for some 20 years (contributing to the success of such companies as Commission Junction, oneNetworkDirect, and currently Impact Radius).
He has spoken at most of my AM Days conferences (keynoting one too), and I am pleased to say that he will be delivering the opening speech at our inaugural Influencer Marketing Days show in New York this November. The topic of his presentation will be “How to Win Influencers and Influence Customers.”
Leading up to the show, I’ve had a great pleasure of interviewing Todd, and am happy to publish our conversation today at IMD’s blog.
Question: While the concept is centuries old, influencer marketing became the “buzzword” only a couple of years ago, and advertisers’ interest in it is only getting stronger. What do you think about influencer marketing?
Todd: I agree that it has been around for a long time and like many other things is once again viewed as “new.” The growth of social media and video have helped expand the influencer universe and made it easier to engage with them. The ability to more accurately measure their impact has helped advertisers realize the value they can drive.
If done right, they can become an integral part of the marketing mix and increase conversions across all channels. I think influencer marketing is important and needs to be managed accordingly versus letting it happen organically.
Question: What’s the biggest misconception you’ve seen brands have about influencer marketing?
Todd: That it will happen organically and doesn’t need to be intentionally managed.
Question: With 2017 just around the corner, what would you recommend for advertisers to consider implementing as soon as Q4 is over (a New Year’s influencer marketing resolution of sorts)?
Todd: Like all marketing channels, you need good data to justify your spend and resources. It is important that you have an attribution solution in place to measure all marketing channels, including influencer marketing. By leveraging attribution insights marketers can actually understand how influencers are driving value beyond social media buzz. Many influencers show up as introducers and influencers and if you measure them solely as closers (last click conversions) you may undervalue their contributions.
Question: What do you believe to be the biggest challenge that advertisers face in terms of influencer marketing, and what steps can they take to overcome it?
Todd: For most advertisers, the biggest challenge is understanding the true value of each influencer. In most cases, influencers are higher up the funnel and it can be difficult to recognize all of their contributions if they are only measuring based on last click or social activity. Incorporating other advertiser KPIs is also key to determining the value of influencers beyond just revenue contribution. By looking at KPIs like new vs. returning customers, AOV, ROAS, etc. advertisers can better identify and focus on influencers that contribute the highest value to their business.
Question: Give us one main reason why marketers should attend your Influencer Marketing Days session.
Todd: My session will provide attendees with an in-depth understanding of influencer marketing as well as actionable takeaways on how to be more successful in their influencer strategy. However, given the impressive speaker roster, I suggest everyone attend every session.
Question: If you were to leave brands with one piece of influencer marketing advice, what would it be?
Todd: That they need a comprehensive plan to engage and work with influencers that includes measurements that will show whether they drove sales or provided a brand lift. There are no shortcuts.
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