Influencers, Love them or Leave them?

GGRA Industry Conference Panel

The Panelists

Caren Alpert

Caren Alpert Photography

Jacob Cross

Back of the House Inc

Arnaud Goethals

Vive La Tarte

Allie Tong

Allie Eats + af&co.

Nish Nadaraja

Rich Kid Cool

Key Learnings

● Definition: An Influencer is someone who has genuine credibility in a specific industry, not simply being popular (although these can overlap).

● You need to do your homework - to get the right influencers and then maintain relationships - and that should be a happy thing process - your brand reaches the right audience and the influencer increases their influence - validation all around.

● Influencer marketing for restaurants is very different than for brands. Mentions and links are great, but how do you know people are coming in the door?

● Your influencers should be unique to you i.e. that couple who comes in once a week with friends might be more valuable than a the latest foodie blogger in the long run. Authentic relations are important for both. Be a part of the conversation (and this should not necessarily be a function of your pr or social media person in a vacuum)

Caren Alpert

● What is an influencer? it’s word of mouth advertising + technology● your brand/messaging should trump everything else● the current attention on ‘influencers’ makes people feel like they need to ‘do

something’ but that’s not necessarily strategic/purposeful/thoughtful● Remember that a click is not a transaction

Jacob Cross

● I want to explain to people how we got here, how the media landscape has changed. Share the PESO model - Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned

● I am ‘influencer agnostic’, anyone has the potential to do it!● Sears/JC Penny Kardashians example ● It’s not about the platform, but about the goal and strategy

Arnaud Goethals

● Know your audience● Online or offline? Digital is not always the answer ● Think about who is going to buy your product● Word of mouth is still the most effective form of

advertising, digital just makes it one to many ● We received global media coverage as a result of our

efforts with local influencers (and the help of our PR team)

Nish Nadaraja

● Identify key influencers (influence > size) and advocates (VIPS)● Build relationships (not just asks) and do them in real life and online. Support, share

and like their content as it relates to your restaurant (be authentic).● When doing outreach, ask and be specific on what you expect, what you’ll provide.● Follow up and continue maintaining relationships (it’s a small city).● When working with influencers, don’t hamper them too much, let them do their own

“show,” but the ones you do like, consider doing more with them to continue the story.

● Arm your influencers (working with bloggers, give them good lighting and a ladder!)● Remember not everything works and converts to new sales, but it’s more about the

long term results.● Above all else, be Human (personal, nice, relevent and welcoming).

Allie Tong

● Be strategic, do your research. Not all social media influencers are equal

○ Who has real influence? Who is fake? Who truly has a following?

■ Check websites such as IG Audit and Social Blade

○ Does the influencer’s audience match your target audience?

○ Will the person create content you can reuse?

● Be specific about what you are promoting● Reach a mutually beneficial agreement with the

influencer before hosting them○ Make sure it is clear what each side will receive in exchange