Could it be him?

The attention of influencers is coveted because of their mythological ability to drive others to a given brand, whether by force of personality or strong subject knowledge.

But "influencers" are not a single silver-bullet demographic. Depending on the product or service a company hopes to sell, the appropriate circle of influencers can vary.

Tips on Locating Your Influencers:

• Write down the top 50 people or groups that impact buying decisions for a specific product or service of yours.
• Describe the people or groups.
• For example, if you sell tear-free shampoo, don't just write down "Housewives"; write "Housewives with male children between ages 3-8."
• If you can, try to avoid big-ticket names that provide ivory tower commentary (such as Warren Buffett), or company CEOs, which are easy selections. Consider the influence of groundfloor consultants or your own customer support team.
• Assess the importance of blogs in your industry. Only one or two may be of benefit.
• Get a colleague to repeat the exercise, preferably a person at a different level or department. Compare lists. Are they the same or different? Which people or groups made it on both lists?
• Conduct market research composed of these prospective influencers. To best establish who influences a community of decision-makers, those decision-makers must be approached.
• Once you identify them, consider what media they frequent and in what context. Where can your product or service fit without seeming forced?
• Measure results of targeting them. If possible, keep in contact with them, and examine their quality in your profits month by month.

Not all influencers drive positivity and sales to a brand. People that suffered from bad customer service, or were unhappy with your product, may air those views to existing and potential buyers.

On dealing with detractors:

• Listen to them. Is the complaint valid? If so, how can it be remedied? You may be able to convert them.
• Surround them with positive influencers, thereby neutralizing them.
• Ignore them. Some people are just angry. Resist the temptation to react negatively and continue to focus on generating positive word of mouth.

This how-to was produced by MarketingVOX, with topic and some tips gleaned from Influencer Marketing by Duncan Brown and Nick Hayes.