Opinion Leaders Influence the Dissemination of Ideas

Today brings about the final question in my interview with Matt Goddard (R2i). If you have been following this past week, you already know my thoughts on everything from an Opinion Leader’s characteristics to the role they play in your purchase decision. My question to you is simple, do you agree?

Can you give us an example of how Opinion Leaders have influenced the dissemination of ideas for one of your clients?

Absolutely – let’s consider one of our clients in the financial services sector.  This company wanted to identify and develop relationships with a larger number of investment advisers in a certain part of the country.  After Community Analytics revealed the Influence Networks at work among this audience, the company was able to take both strategic and tactical measures to improve its reach and drive performance.  Strategically, the Influence Networks demonstrated that this community relied heavily on academics for advice and guidance.  This company had never developed relationships with the academic community, and has since started to build these relationships to positive effect.  Tactically, the participation in community dialogue and solicitation of Opinion Leader input, has allowed for a powerful adviser recruiting strategy  and increased retention.