We partnered with the PR experts at Cision and asked 21 marketing and social media thought leaders for their opinions on "influencer marketing" to bring you Social Business Journal, Volume 2. This sneak peek features speakers, authors and business leaders such as: Likeable Local's Dave Kerpen, LinkedIn's Jason Miller, HubSpot's Laura Fitton and Joe Chernov, Top 20 CMO Influencer Chad Pollitt, Maximize Your Social's Neal Schaffer, BOOM! Social's Kim Garst, Forbes Top 100 Influencer Ted Coiné, Continuum's Jeanne Hopkins, Salesforce's Jeffrey Rohrs and eleven others. Get the complete (free) journal and Cision’s 3-step “how-to” guide to Influencer Relations at www.socialbusinessengine.com/cision.

2. We asked 21 authors, speakers and business leaders for their
thoughts on Influencer Marketing. The following slides are brief
excerpts of their responses.
Get your free journal and Cision’s 3-Step Guide to Influencer
Relations at www.socialbusinessengine.com/cision

3. “90% of consumers trust
recommendations from
their network. Combine that
with the fact that we only
trust advertising 20% of the
time, and you have a pretty
compelling case to invest in
influencer marketing.”
Nick Robinson,
Digital and Social Practice at SAP North America

4. “PR is the ultimate in
inbound marketing.
While leveraging PR, you
are leveraging your
audiences, the various
influencers in your
category, your market,
your vertical.”
Jeanne Hopkins,
Senior Vice President & CMO at Continuum
Managed IT Services

5. “In order to maximize share of
voice and brand awareness in
social networks, big brands need
to leverage what I call the Power
of Other: employees, partners,
fans, and influencers.”
Neal Schaffer,
Founder of Maximize Your Social

6. “The ideal brand influencer
exists in the space between
customers and
'credentialed' analysts.”
Joe Chernov, VP of Content for HubSpot

8. “In today's social world,
the individual consumer
has a voice, and they are
using it to impact brands
each and every day.”
Kim Garst,
CEO and Co-Founder of
Boom! Social Media Marketing

9. “Every niche has influencers
who have cultivated huge
audiences. The goal of the
marketer is to borrow that
audience and credibility in a
sensitive and considerate way.”
Andy Crestodina,
Co-Founder of Orbit Media

10. “Always be valuing the brand
of the influencer as highly as
you value your own. Win
them over by equipping them
to succeed. If you're skilled,
the endorsements will come
naturally and be much more
authentic.”
Bob Knorpp,
Host of The BeanCast Marketing Podcast

11. “When an employee becomes
influential, a whole new vista of
career opportunities opens up
to them. Leaders who are afraid
they'll lose star employees
should be afraid ... they'll lose
those stars to rival employers
who celebrate them.”
Ted Coiné,
CMO of meddle.it and co-author of "A World Gone Social"

12. “What's more important these
days: a mention in the New York
Times or the featured blog at
the Content Marketing Institute?
Depending on your goals, they
can be equally as important.”
Jason Miller,
Head of Global Content and
Social at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions

13. “Ask not what an
influencer can do for you,
ask what you can do for
an influencer.”
Laura Fitton,
Head of Influencer Relations at HubSpot

14. “The keys to penetrating the
"sphere" of an influencer are
understanding, authenticity,
and consistency.”
Jeffrey K. Rohrs,
Vice President of Marketing Insights for Salesforce

16. “The Internet has put the
power of the media into the
hands of normal everyday
people that have the
potential to become
influential in their fields.”
Chad Pollitt,
VP of Audience and Co-founder of Relevance

17. “The future of influencer
marketing shifts the focus
back to the influencer and
away from channels ...
marketers provide the
message, and influencers will
provide the audience.”
David Berkowitz, Chief Marketing Officer of MRY

18. “Influence is based on
context, so you want to
identify people who produce
and share content that can
impact your business or your
buyer's decision-making
process and develop
relationships with them.”
Valeria Maltoni,
Founder & CEO of Conversation Agent LLC

19. “With influencers you may
lose control of your message.
But what you lose in control,
you gain in trust.”
Tim Hughes, Social Selling Pioneer & Innovator

20. “'How can I help them' is all
you need to think of when
you approach the influencers
in your industry.”
Ian Cleary,
Founder of RazorSocial

22. “Instead of treating influencer
marketing as solely transactional
and campaign driven, brands
should view those relationships as
ongoing partners and collaborators
whose influence and thought
leadership can be leveraged across
the organization.”
Laura Ciocia,
Hybrid Digital Communications Strategist

23. “Brands should embrace the
communities they serve. This
should include relevant
influencers. These are the
individuals others look to for
guidance, and connecting with
them opens powerful lines of
communication for learning and
brand promotion.”
Glen Gilmore,
Attorney and Forbes "Top 50 Social Media Power Influencer"

24. “The people with the most
influence will be the ones that are
more in touch with real people.
They know what your customers
want and will be the first to
complain or the first to champion
you if you treat them right.”
Warren Whitlock,
Author of "Profitable Social Media: Business
Results Without Playing Games"

25. “The ideal influencer is
somebody who truly
wants to help his
audience and make
good connections. You
want authenticity, not a
hired gun.”
John Hall, CEO of Influence & Co.

26. “Cultivate relationships with
all of your customers and
fans now, and you will be
able to reap the benefits of
influencer marketing for
years to come.”
Dave Kerpen, Founder and CEO of Likeable Local