The new Star Wars movie is out, spoilers abound and light sabers are 
being sighted from Beijing to Boston. At VizSense, we’ve been tracking
Star Wars trailers, collecting who is sharing and identifying which fans
“use the force” to reach millions. As our servers crunched the 100 million
plus social media interactions, it began to feel as though we were taking
direct fire from the Death Star. However, we made it through and found a
new legion of Star Wars fans that George Lucas should hire.

In my last post, I wrote about superfans -- avid, engaged, passionate
and supportive fans who can drive brand equity. As you may remember, these passionate advocates are one of a brand’s best opportunities for creating new audiences, awareness and sometimes, new revenue streams.

In this post, I’m sharing the five things they want you to know about them and their equally important counterpart: social media users with the most credible voices. 

1) “Don’t take my loyalty for granted.”

I previously wrote about how the superfan’s loyalty is sometimes beyond reason, and they can drive incremental amounts of revenue for a product or experience because they’re willing to share with their network and pay a premium for an “extra” like an inside-the-ropes experience. But like any good thing in life, some people will take advantage of others’ generosity.  

Take for instance, Chris, a popular blogger and social media user who is a fan of credit cards that earn airline miles and hotel stays. He knows the ins-and-outs of each credit card’s loyalty program and he’s not afraid to express his opinion. Thousands people read and share his social media posts because they are so well-researched and useful. While he has many rewards credit cards, he’s been vocal over the years in sharing his preference for the Starwood Card from AMEX, sharing details and reasons why with his readers and followers. It’s fair to say that Chris a superfan of this credit card.

Without a doubt, Starwood and AMEX should be reaching out to him about the latest features and benefits of their credit card and rewards program and, ideally, sending him valuable info that he can share with his followers who know him as an expert in this area. However, these brands should always keep in-mind the attributes that put him on their radar in the first place: he’s well-informed, credible, vocal and influential. If AMEX considers changing a significant part of their rewards program, they should be proactive in making Chris part of the process and showing him that his opinion is important and he’s a valuable part of the brand.

2) “I can smell BS from a mile away. Be genuine, be real.”

If AMEX reaches out to Chris and asks for his opinion, it’s important that the outreach be genuine. If the ship has sailed with the decision to change the credit card’s rewards program, it’s too late, and he’ll see the effort as disingenuous. However, if executed well, Chris may do more than just feel bought-in on the program changes and continue to be a happy customer; he may provide valuable input to make the program more user friendly and popular. What’s more, he may be happy to help educate his social network and share his inside scoop about the 

changes. Being an insider helps boost his status as a credible voice and expert, which can win him more followers and notoriety.

3) “It’s not all about the money. In fact, influence is my ‘currency’."

Chris has worked hard to grow his personal brand and base of readers and fans. His followers are smart consumers themselves so he takes great care to share information that can boost his own credibility as an opinion leader and expert in specific subject areas. What’s more, any misstep Chris makes can put his reputation at-stake. For him, money is great but it’s not always the answer. After all, his unbiased opinion can’t be bought. He appreciates organizations and brands that help him continue to be the smartest and most trustworthy person on the subject because that can have a multitude of long-term financial benefits.

4) “Don’t forget that my readers and followers need love, too.”

Chris likes it when he can reward his followers and appreciates brands that think about this important aspect of having a readership. While everything else I’ve talked about is important, there are “cherry on top” opportunities that don’t cost a lot. After all, it’s not likely that Chris has a marketing budget or PR agency, but he sure does have a legion of dedicated, engaged readers and fans.

Let’s say that your client, AMEX, is a tour sponsor for a popular musician who is doing a concert at the United Center next month. And let’s say you have some extra VIP tickets. Let’s also say that Chris happens to be a Chicago resident and with every Tweet he sends, he reaches around 500k people in the Chicago area or who travel through Chicago regularly. Oh, do I have your attention now?

5) "I emerge faster than ever…and I can be hard to find.”

As I shared previously, thanks to social media, these folks emerge faster than ever and they are not always as obvious as Chris. Here are a few examples:

• Who shared a recent article from the U.K.’s @Guardian about poverty in Kentucky, resulting in an over 164,468 network reach and making it one of the most shared articles for The Guardian in 2015? @PoliticoRyan, a writer from Brussels.
• Who was the most credible voice achieving the largest network reach for @Shakira’s “Empire” video on Vevo.com, a site with an audience based largely in North America and Europe? Russian TV broadcaster, @muz_tv, whose follower base spans well beyond Russia and into the U.S.
• Who ignited a sequence of sharing about the Italian-based Rockin’ 1000 tribute to @FooFighters? Argentinan tennis pro, @picomonaco.
Even if these folks are not superfans of the Foo Fighters, Shakira and The Guardian, they are credible voices around a particular category/genre/topic among their followers. These are the underground operatives who can create a groundswell of shares of your content through just one Tweet. Your task is to be tuned-in and ready to engage and activate them when the time is right.

It was obvious that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was going to blow tons of records in the box office, especially with dedicated fans lined-up at movie theaters across the country so they could be the first to see it. If you were there, it’s possible that you were sitting next to an influencer who has played a role in redefining the marketing industry’s metrics, amassing an individual reach of tens of millions through what they share online. But like most marketers, you don’t have the time to stand in line to meet every one of your brand’s 150 or 15 million fans. Thankfully, there are tools available to make it easier (and more efficient) than ever to identify and connect with credible voices and superfans everywhere.

To learn more about how VizSense helps marketers and content creators find and harness the power of fans and credible voices to help improve revenue and profit, visit us here.