No, … and yes

Seth writes a neat couple of posts on the observation that some people just say no. it doesn’t seems to matter what the issue is, they just resist it. There is a natural inclination of many, particularly in a business setting, to preserve the status quo, even when it’s mad to do so.

So what to do about the Nos? One method is to target the Yeses, those people that do want to change.

What’s this got to do with Influencer Marketing? Simply, that Nos equate to detractors and Yeses are promoters or advocates. You can use promoters of your products or services (assuming you know who they are) to outweigh the detractors. This approach is at the heart of the Net Promoter Score concept.

In fact, most influencers are neither promoters not detractors. They just call it as they see it. One day they’ll be arguing for you and the next for someone else. Why is this? Because influencers don’t care about you. They have their own agendas, and they are different from yours.

There is a difference between influence and advocacy. Advocacy tends to erode influence, because the more one advocates the less independent they appear. The best form of advocacy (best = most benign) is where an influencer advocates a strategy or position, which is subsequently adopted by a vendor. Influencers like this, because it demonstrates their influence, and they can use it as an example when they are influencing others.