The Hierarchy of Influence in Brand Communities

Rich Wilson writes how social media keeps brands honest and lists a Hierarchy of Influence that determine how an individual perceives a brand’s value. Communities built around a brand can leverage the hierarchy of influence to promote a more positive perspective of their brand.

The most important determinate of a brand’s worth is the individual’s personal experience with it. While customers may be more quick to use your community commons area to complain about their experience, providing them with easy-to-use tools to share positive brand experiences can pay big dividends. And responding in a helpful, meaningful fashion to negative experiences can pay even bigger dividends as you can potentially turn those same customers into positive brand influencers.

The second most important influence factor is your brand’s reputation based on experiences shared by friends, family and strangers on the Internet. Providing your customers with the ability to discuss your brand will generate on ongoing reference of customer experience that can positively influence others.

The concept of Key Influencers is also important. As Wilson writes, “Whether you want to call it reputation marketing, advocacy marketing or plain ole word-of-mouth, appealing to the opinions of key influencers will continue to be a rapidly evolving segment of brand development.” Community Managers must recognize those Key Influencers in their community and do whatever they can to promote their sphere of influence.

Far below the other brand influence factors mentioned is the company’s own marketing messages. As one corporate marketer says on social media, “Our brand is not ours to control. It's our customers, our employees' and all the other people who think and talk about us behind or in front of our backs.”  Recognizing that your brand is controlled by others, building a community with the ability to share, promote and archive positive brand experience will keep your brand influentially sound.