EXPERT MARKETING

know about5 things to

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power of experts.We believe that harnessing an expert’s recommendation is a scalable way for brands to sell more product. We like to call this expert marketing.

But what is expert marketing, exactly?

It connects brands with knowledgeable and passionate experts who then make trusted, authentic brand recommendations.

Some folks like to simply describe this as influencer marketing or advocacy marketing, but we think it’s so much more than that. And here’s why.

we’re all about the At ExpertVoice,

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What is expert marketing?

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Expert marketing teams up brands with experts — the people whose passion, experience and knowledge makes them a trusted source of inspiration and recommendations.

The key word here is trusted.

Expert marketing seeks to solve the problem facing traditional advertising: a lack of trust.

A 2017 survey by McCann revealed that 42% of Americans believe brands and companies are less truthful than they were 20 years ago.

But on the other end of the spectrum, 92% of consumers trust recommendations that

come from people they know — that’s more than any other form of advertising.

So it makes sense that brands would want to reach out to these trusted people, and hope that they spread the word about their products.But expert marketing takes this a step further.

You can’t just get experts talking about your brand if they know nothing about it.

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That’s where two core elements behind expert marketing — empowerment and reciprocation — come into play.

Empowerment

Empowerment focuses on educating experts about products, brand histories, and more — after all, they live, eat, and breath for activities using these products, so they’re hungry to know more.

Reciprocation

Reciprocation comes from Robert Cialdini’s rule of reciprocation, which says

that humans feel an urge to reciprocate when given a gift. In the world of expert marketing, gifts come in various forms: a positive experience with a brand or product, the opportunity to learn exclusive knowledge, or even a discount that allows an expert to try a product.

What works so wonderfully here is that empowerment and reciprocation reward both the expert and the brand. The expert gains valuable knowledge and first-hand experience with a product, while the brand gains authentic online and offline recommendations.

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What makes experts different from influencers?

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campaigns, but brands should exercise caution, because that awareness comes at a cost: lack of authenticity. An expert’s recommendation can bridge that gap.

It just makes sense that people who ski every weekend give great recommendations for ski apparel. Or runners who are focused on shaving milliseconds off their 200-meter time give great recommendations for running shoes. Or a trained vet tech who also owns dogs gives great recommendations for treats that will help get rid of a pup’s bad breath.

They may purchase the products they sell in retail stores to then use at home. They may love something so much that they take every chance to spend time doing it — and have all the gear they need.

Because experts have actually tried out specific brands and products, their recommendations are more authentic and therefore carry more weight. Some influencers promote products or brands that they haven’t used or may not personally believe in. This strategy works in awareness

Influencers are typically selected based on the size of their audience, whereas experts are chosen because of their depth of knowledge in a given category.

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consumer each week.

Experts have years of experience and knowledge under their belts, and when something new comes along, their passion motivates them to try new things, discover new products, and research new brands. But they don’t keep their discoveries to themselves. They’re sharing them in dozens of personalized recommendations each week.

Experts have 15 times more

than the average buying conversations

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Anne GrofvertBike Expert

• International Mountain Bicycling Association member

• Owns a 2017 Haanjo Trail Carbon

• Engaged with Diamondback’s ExpertVoice content 47 times in 6 months

Rena ChesserRun Expert

• Competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials

• Trains her friends for marathons

• Shares running tips and gear recommendations

Steve TaylorHousewares & Culinary Expert

• Former employee for Bridget Foy’s & Striped Bass in Philadelphia

• His original recipes were featured on Global Cycling Network

• Shares tips & recommendations for kitchen tools

Resource:

Watch our “What Is An Expert?” video to learn more about experts

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How does expert marketing work?

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A Google search or social media sleuthing might not always turn up experts, but it can be easy to identify the right ones to talk about your brand with the help of a curated network.

Once you’ve identified your experts, you can begin empowering their voices and watch their recommendations start tallying up.

Getting started with expert marketing is a lot simpler than you might think.

Step 1. Identify and connect with experts

Step 2. Empower experts through education and incentivization

Step 3. Measure the impact of experts’ authentic recommendations

ExpertVoice is home to more than one million experts across dozens of categories, all of whom are accepted to the community based on their knowledge and experience, whether it comes from a job or a membership to an organization.

Resource:

Dig into how ExpertVoice tailors expert marketing campaigns with our quick “How It Works” overview.

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How does expert

meet my goals?marketing help me

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Goal 1. Increased brand awareness and sentiment:

Thanks to expert-created UGC, online reviews, and word-of-mouth recommendations, brand awareness and sentiment are boosted for consumers no matter where they choose to shop.

Similar to influencer marketing, you’ll find expert user-generated content (UGC), reviews, and viewpoints that make up online recommendations.

These powerful recommendations are also working for you in the field as part of everyday conversations experts are having with friends and families, and in the case of retail experts, with customers.

Here are three main ways expert marketing delivers value 24/7:

A huge bonus point for expert marketing is that it works both online and offline.

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businesses more.make them trust say positive reviews & 72% of consumers recommendations,

88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal

— Brighton SEO via Search Engine Watch

School of Business found that retail experts who engage with brand education sell 87% more than their peers who don’t.

That’s because an expert recommendation is trusted, informed, and personalized.

Goal 2. Drive sales:

Along with an increase in brand sentiment and awareness, you can expect to see an increase in sales. A study by the Keller Fay Group showed that 82 percent of consumers are highly likely to follow a recommendation given by an expert, and a joint study by ExpertVoice and the Wharton

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Goal 3. Inform future marketing strategies:

An expert’s knowledge also lends itself to valuable two-way conversations. Expert feedback can assist multiple departments in your company, such as R&D, marketing, and sales.

You can survey experts to gauge Net Promoter Score (NPS) and current category perception. Surveys and reviews also reveal helpful insights, such as product usage trends, price point sensitivity, and even new ideas for features.

You’d be missing out on a whole half of the conversation if you didn’t lend an ear to expert insights.

Resource:

See how expert insights helped Reynolds strategically reposition their brand in our case study.

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with these 3 tipscampaign a success

Make your expert marketing

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your brand message.”values and amplifies

empower experts

that matches brand to share a message

Tip 1. Empower, don’t control.

This can be extremely difficult, especially if you have a strong brand that you’re rightfully protective of. But controlling the message experts share reduces authenticity and negatively impacts trust. It can also leave experts frustrated and not as eager to work with your brand in the future.

Give them the education and experience they’re seeking and you’ll empower experts to share a message that matches your brand values and amplifies your brand message.

Need a few tips to get the most out of your next expert marketing campaign? We’ve been around the block a few times, and these three tips ring true time and again:

“It’s possible to

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Tip 2. Get personal.

Don’t be shy. Get personal by answering the questions and providing the information that matters most to experts. Use other experts’ feedback to tailor future education and campaigns. Recognize your experts with special incentives and opportunities.

Tip 3. Listen in. Your experts come with a lot of knowledge and experience, and they’re eager to reciprocate by sharing their thoughts with the brands they love. By genuinely listening in, you not only recognize your experts and show them you value them, you also gain powerful feedback that can inform future product innovations or spark ideas for new marketing campaigns.

Resource:

See how you can get personal and listen in with an Expert Live show, like the one Reebok hosted to demonstrate their new Floatride shoe.

Events like ExpertVoice’s Expert Live are a great way to get personal, listen in, and foster a sense of community. They allow your brand to interact directly with experts by fielding their questions, demonstrating a new product, and introducing them to the real people behind your brand.