Internet Marketing Digital_marketing_for_dummies | Page 220

Influencing and Building Brand Authority
Social influencing is the act of establishing authority on the social web, often by
distributing and sharing valuable content. Although social influencing may not have a
direct effect on revenue or cost in your business, it does have a tremendous indirect
effect on your business’s value.
How does establishing authority on the social web indirectly affect the bottom line? The
answer lies in the discipline of content marketing. Sharing descriptions and links to
authoritative content created by your brand leads to more traffic to your website from
social channels. Most important, social influencing increases “mind share.” In other words,
the more powerful your social influencing campaign is, the more your audience will
understand what your organization does, the products you sell, and the solutions you offer.
When you influence others, you start to occupy a space in their minds. Social influencing
is all about using the social web to brand yourself with the people you’re connected to.
For an example of social influencing, see Figure 9-6, which shows the home improvement
company Lowe’s linking to content on its website via Twitter. Consistently sharing
authoritative content like this increases awareness for what Lowe’s offers, establishes
Lowe’s as an authority in the home improvement space, and teaches the company’s
customers and prospects how to be successful with the products Lowe’s sells.