Mapping and leveraging influencers in social media to shape corporate brand perceptions

Purpose - The emerging new influencer community is wielding significant power over the perceptions of brands and companies, largely driven by the rapid expansion of social media channels through which influencers communicate. The "nobodies" of the past are now the new "somebodies" demanding the attention of communication professionals who seek continuous engagement with targeted consumers throughout the various channels of the social web. The purpose of this paper is to present a means of identifying these new "somebodies". Design/methodology/approach - This paper reviews a customizable valuation algorithm created to identify the "new somebodies" who are the influencers creating a revitalized level of brand awareness for companies. The index valuation algorithm measures a cross-section of variables that numerically rate influencers in the social media conversation about a particular company, product or service. Findings - This information helps us understand how these "somebodies" influence traditional target audiences, and help communications professionals establish effective outreach strategies. Integrating the influencer index data into a holistic social media strategy provides a comprehensive social media approach for optimizing brand equity. Originality/value - The index identifies the "conversation points" that should guide engagement with each individual influencer, determining aspects such as subject and tone, and identifies these influencers.