TYPE'S OF INFLUENCER:

Here at IT Bloke we really understand the modern power of Influencers and the hightened effect they now have on brand awareness and marketeering, mostly due to the speedy roll out and consequent enormous popularity of such easily available social networking platforms like, Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, not to mention the titanic and ever upwards rise of personal Blogging.

However the truth is that academics and marketers have been talking about influencers for more than five decades, going back at least to 1955 when Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz wrote about a “two-step” communication process in their landmark work, Personal Influence (Free Press). Their concept, which has stood the test of time, is that some people have a disproportionate degree of influence on others and can be effective communications channels.

Like word of mouth marketing itself, influencer targeting can come in many forms -- differences in who they are, how they are reached, and what they are called. While it would probably be impossible to inventory every conceivable type or name, what follows is a framework that demonstrates the diversity of targeting options for influencer marketing. Whether aiming at the highest ranking, formal, or institutional leaders, prominent talking heads in the media, grassroots influencers on the internet, or influencers in your neighborhood, all types of influencers can provide the basis for an influencer marketing strategy.

In the table below, we identify five broad categories of influencers based on varying degrees of formal/institutional roles to less formal influencers whose value stems from more personal characteristics -- social networking, personality, and inclination to share opinions. Numerous researchers and marketers have developed names -- some trademarked -- for the various influencer types.

Category

Who they are

Channels of Influence

What they are called (Partial list)

Category	Who they are	Channels of Influence	What they are called (Partial list)
Formal position of authority	Political/government leaders/staff Business leaders	Laws & regulations  Decision & spending authority  Top-down directives	Opinion Leaders  Decision makers  C-suite
Institutional/ recognized  subject matter  experts & advocates	Academics/scientists  Industry analysts  NGO leaders  Consumer activists	Academic journals  Traditional media  New media  Social media	Experts  Mavens  Analysts  Critics
Media elite	Journalists  Commentators  Talk show hosts	Traditional media  New media  Social media	Talking heads  Columnists  Politicos
Cultural elite	Celebrities  Designers  Artists  Musicians	Traditional media  New media  New styles/products  Social media	Trendsetters  Fashionistas  Taste makers  Creators  Starters
Socially connected	Neighborhood leaders  Members of community groups Online networkers Business networkers	Personal relationships Email lists  Social gatherings  Social networking websites Social media	Mavens  Starters  Connectors  Soccer moms  Spreaders  Hubs  Alphas

I hope this article has gone a little way to explaining what an Influencer actually is, next week I will be actually dealing with how we can use them to enhance to image of our company or brand and in turn use them to facilitate greater orders, Regards….. Ashe, IT Bloke – London.