Best Practices in Influencer Marketing – A Book Review

Influencer marketing has occupied the minds of many digital marketers over the past couple of years. It seems like many people are doing it and even more authors are writing about it. Into this crowded space comesa new ebook by Linda Pophal Best Practices In Influencer Marketing. Pophal is a marketing strategist, content marketer, and business journalist with extensive experience in the energy, education, and Healthcare industries.

Opinions of Influencer Marketing Experts

Granted, everyone has an opinion on the subject of influencer marketing, and this author is no exception. However it's refreshing to see her opinions backed up with the assertions of recognized industry mavens. New terminology always brings with it a period of confusion as the industry takes time to digest and come to terms with an accurate meaning. Pophal defers to the opinion of eight experts to set the stage with a well-rounded view on what defines influencer marketing. A couple of examples provide the reader with concrete models showing how brands use influencer marketing to drive awareness.

Despite all the positive press that the approach has garnered, there are issues of which influence marketers should be aware. It's encouraging to see the author address those issues up front and head-on using the marketing acumen provided by a number of pundits recognized within the influence marketing sphere. Again, the use of differing viewpoints provides a realistic assessment of potential pitfalls.

Finding Influencers

Finding the right influencers is no easy task, regardless of how much experience one has within the industry. Fortunately, a number of influence marketing specialists were tapped to give their insight into the best approaches to use when engaging in this activity. What they reveal is substantial and not limited to just a short phrase here or there.

Paying for Influence

Naturally, one can't talk about this type of marketing without a serious discussion on the practice of paying for influence. This section of the book starts out with a recent court case involving the FTC and summarizes the impact of the ruling. To reduce the chance of ending up on the wrong side of the law, a lawyer specialized in advertising and marketing law offers three vital steps that marketers should take when conducting these types of campaigns. Plus, some experienced influence marketing practitioners offer their take on the effectiveness of money as a form of compensation.

Ask a dozen experts for their influencer marketing best practices and you'll get at least that many responses, if not more. However, the author of this book managed to isolate the seven most important ones, once again relying on savvy influence marketers to provide their view on what consitutes best practices.

Case Studies

What kind of book on influencer marketing best practices would this be, if there were no case studies? Thankfully, the author includes three distinctly different studies to illustrate the benefits of conducting this type of campaign.

Best Practices In Influencer Marketing is a concise and well written overview of this in-demand aspect of digital marketing. Reading this book is a perfect way to quickly get up to speed on incorporating those practices into your influencer marketing activities.