The Age of Influence takes brands behind the hashtag. Think of it as the definitive guide for how to find and hire social media influencers to execute successful campaigns and collaborate with on a long-term basis for maximum ROI for any business.
Now available for pre-order on Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Age-Influence-Power-Influencers-Elevate/dp/1400216362
“Most brands think engaging a celebrity influencer like Brad Pitt would be a game-changer, but it could backfire. Not every celebrity or social media influencer suits every brand or product from a target audience, cultural alignment or budget perspective.” – Neal Schaffer
The buyer’s journey has changed. Consumer purchases are reviews driven at websites like Amazon and Yelp. More than two-thirds of millennial consumers value peer endorsements over those by celebrities (source: Collective Bias). If your brand isn’t using social media influencers to jump-start word-of-mouth recommendations, you are missing opportunities.
The good news is that celebrities are not the only people wielding online influence that brands can leverage. Small to mid-sized businesses can afford influencer marketing—they just need to find the right influencer for the right price–and many times the “price” might not require a monetary exchange. That’s just one of the actionable takeaways from social media consultant Neal Schaffer’s new book THE AGE OF INFLUENCE: THE POWER OF INFLUENCERS TO ELEVATE YOUR BRAND (HarperCollins Leadership; March 17, 2020 – http://ageofinfluencebook.com/).
As a trusted international social media marketing speaker, educator, consultant and agency founder, Schaffer draws on his more than a decade of experience advising companies large and small on social media strategy, running campaigns, and being hired by brands as a social media influencer. His unique experience representing both sides of influencer marketing provides the reader a deep perspective. He gives readers the history behind the hashtag, putting the development of social media influencer marketing into context. Readers learn how it’s changed marketing, and how brands and businesses can—and should—leverage it.
THE AGE OF INFLUENCE: THE POWER OF INFLUENCERS TO ELEVATE YOUR BRAND is filled with data-driven case studies, relevant statistics for stakeholders to consider, directions for structuring objectives, and tools to help brands and businesses that:
1) have never strategically worked with influencers or
2) have worked with influencers but did not achieve the ROI they wanted or
3) understand the ROI of influencer marketing but want to learn what else they could be doing
Readers will learn:
- The why and how to leverage social media influencers for a brand or business
- What having a “visual voice” means in today’s social media—and why brands struggle
- How to find and approach social media influencers
- The varying categories of social media influencers and which you should choose
- The 16 different ways to work with social media influencers
- How much to pay social media influencers, and how that’s calculated
- How to measure influencer marketing success
- The benefits of taking a longer-term view of influencer relationships
- How a company or the reader themselves can become an influencer
- How artificial intelligence will impact the influence marketing industry
Social influencer marketing has grown from $1 billion in 2015 to $16 billion in 2020 (source: IZEA/TAPInfluence). Schaffer provides the reader with enough knowledge to engage with these “everyday experts” themselves to execute a campaign. And, he specifies the questions to ask and the data to measure when hiring an agency to do it.
THE AGE OF INFLUENCE: THE POWER OF INFLUENCERS TO ELEVATE YOUR BRAND takes a broad and long-term view of influencer relationships by demonstrating how they encourage new partnerships and the innovation of new products. Schaffer provides guidance and examples of companies that found creative ways to incentivize employees to be brand advocates.

THE AGE OF INFLUENCE: THE POWER OF INFLUENCERS TO ELEVATE YOUR BRAND
By Neal Schaffer
On sale: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1400216369
Format: Paperback; $12.88
Pages: 288
Website: http://ageofinfluencebook.com/
Visit http://netgal.ly/O6zaMr to request a review copy.