Social Media Portal

Head of content Tatiana Beale at Traackr on its new ebook Influencer Marketing in Real Life and how to work with influencers

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and what do you do there for Traackr?

Tatiana Beale (TB): My name is Tatiana Beale and I?m the head of content at Traackr.

As head of content, my role is all encompassing, so I wear many hats to manage our storytelling. I?m in charge of content strategy and manage development and execution of content across all channels. I?m also the editor in chief of the Traackr blog, Matters of Influence. I absolutely love my job!

SMP: Traackr has realised a new ebook entitled ?Influencer Marketing in Real Life?, why this ebook and what do you hope to achieve?

TB: Marketers have tried influencer marketing, but fall short due to the complexities standing in the way. This eBook simplifies influencer marketing by revealing a more human approach. With insights from 24 top brands, including Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP, and others, the eBook stresses one simple rule to create online influence: what works in real life, works online.

SMP: Who are your target audience for the ebook Influencer ?Marketing in Real Life? and why?

TB: ?Influencer Marketing in Real Life? is for change agents in the marketing organization. This role spans from communications to content to social analytics, within the manager to VP level. Our target audience either manages influencer relations or feels the pain of lacking a cross-functional influencer strategy integrated within marketing?s operational processes.



SMP: What does the ebook cover and what makes it different to what is out there regarding educating audiences to influencers?

TB: The ebook, a first-of-its-kind, couldn?t be any more ?meta?. It reveals unprecedented insights to help brands and influencers to find the right fit, inspire participation, and build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. It?s these exact tactics that enabled us to create the eBook content, by inspiring participation from 24 top brands and influencers with whom we have created a relationship.
 
SMP: How long did it take to research and write?

TB: As an organization, we have set high internal standards of excellence with our content, and our audience expects quality in addition to originality. As a result, the process took several weeks to create the content and creative, meet with and interview the featured influencers, and pull all of that into a cohesive and impactful piece.

SMP: What are the main takeaways from the book for audiences and what are you most proud about?

Influencer outreach can be tricky. Would you ask a neighbour you?ve never met to mow your lawn? Never. If you did, you?d probably get a strange look. The main takeaways offer real insights from inspirational people to help uncover the obvious: if it works in real life, it works online. I?m the most proud of the impressive roster that agreed to participate. 

SMP: What are the challenges that you?ve encountered creating the book and how did you overcome them?

TB: We wanted to practice what we preach by involving influencers in our content. And as the eBook reveals, you need to accommodate influencers when asking for their help. So, as an organization, we had to be committed to planning for their individual needs. Despite many moving pieces, we overcame hurdles by staying aligned and focusing on the bigger picture.   

SMP: What were the high moments in creating the ebook and why?

TB: We partnered with TopRank Marketing to deliver this eBook. The high moments were the time spent together, especially in person at Content Marketing World in Cleveland, where we shot original photography for the eBook. The high moments also included getting to know the eBook participants. After all, influencer marketing is people first. That?s what it?s all about.



SMP: What do you think is going to be the most interesting aspect of influencer marketing for the next 12 to 18-months and why?

TB: It will be interesting to watch influencer marketing integrate cross-functionally across the enterprise. Influencer relations will become core to strategic business functions, even outside the marketing department. For example, product teams may lean on influencer expertise to guide strategic road maps. Imagine the power of having an influential army of advocates as an extension of your business.

SMP: What are your top five tips for working with influencers?

TB replies with:

• Do your homework. Get to know your influencers by reading their content, across all channels. Make sure there is a fit, both for your brand and the influencer.
  
  
• Let them know you?re interested. Begin to establish a rapport by engaging on social media (e.g. like, re-tweet, leave an insightful comment, curate their content). Don?t ask for anything yet.
  
  
• Walk before you run. Start with a small and simple ask. Make sure you?re providing value to the influencer.
  
  
• Manage influencer relations like a pro. When you work with an influencer across multiple teams, messy communication is a turn off.
  
  
• Consider using a tool that helps you manage, measure, and scale your influencer relationships.
  
  
• Think big and be patient. Be strategic and think long term. As you build the right influencer relationships, think about how both parties can achieve success--together.

SMP: Is there anything else we should know, or is there anything that you?d like to share?

TB: There is no silver bullet to influencer marketing. Ultimate success will come from the effort you put into building your influencer relationships. Don?t take the easy way out, although it?s tempting. 

SMP: Best way to contact you and Traackr?

TB replies with
@tatianabeale
@Traackr


SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

TB: I made a whole-grain waffle with almond butter, sliced banana, and sea salt.

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

TB: I always strive to be kind to others. I love to offer my support, whether to a friend in need or to help a colleague with a challenging project.

SMP: If you weren?t working at Traackr what would you be doing?

TB: I?d love to go to culinary school in Paris. My passion is cooking, especially for people I care about. I?d love to get classically trained by French chefs, which would be a dream.

SMP: When / where did you go on your last holiday and why?

TB: I went to Malibu, California for a friend?s wedding and drove along the California coast for miles. The cliffs in Big Sur felt like a different world. 

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

TB: I say hello to my colleagues?and then I fill up my water bottle. I like to stay hydrated throughout the day!

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

TB: As a nerdy Harry Potter fan, I?m going to say, without a doubt, I would choose the power to ?apparate?, which means the ability to go from one place to another. I?d love to blink and then instantly reappear on the beach in the Bahamas.


Read the interview with Delphine Reynaud from Traackr and how to avoid the confusion in the world of influencer marketing.

Download the Traackr new ebook, Influencer Marketing IRL: Unlocking Online Influence.

Got an interesting story to tell? Get in contact.