It's doubtful there will ever be consensus on whether the mythical online "influencer" is real. Like many others, I've stated my skepticism about claims made in the Tipping Point book and elsewhere. But I'm becoming convinced there's one important type of influencer, based on a new research report by Rubicon Consulting, which found "Online comments and reviews posted by the enthusiasts are second only to word of mouth as a purchase driver for all web users. Those personal reviews are far more influential than official reviews posted by a website or magazine, or information posted online by a manufacturer."
Does Contributor = Influencer? Evidence in the report supports the common belief that 10% of the people contribute most web content (however, instead of the 90:10 rule I often hear repeated, this research shows 80% of content is produced by 9% of the community). So the question is, are the MFCs (most frequent contributors) also the most important influencers? And how would you go about demonstrating that?
Read/Write Web covered Rubicon's findings here. The report claims that "Small groups of enthusiasts dominate most online conversations, but that doesn’t mean online communities matter only to a narrow segment of people." This data seems to support that.
From the report: "The Rubicon survey documented how the influencer process actually works: The MFCs write most of the online reviews and comments, and other web users rely heavily on those comments when making purchasing decisions. Online comments are the new word of mouth, and MFCs do the most commenting."
Am I under the influence? I don't always look for recommendations -- but at our house, we rarely buy electronics or household appliances without first searching products and checking reviews at amazon. Small, but telling, example: This year we needed a sturdy cover for our new stainless-steel grill. An amazon seller offered one that seemed right -- until I read a negative review, with accompanying photos, showing mesh vents that let the weather in. I found one reviewers liked better, and now we're ready for the snow to fly. (Kudos to amazon for allowing reviewers to include photos and videos.) Shoe reviews at Zappos can also be useful (especially because they *structure* reviews around info like whether a shoe fits true-to-size) -- but amazon has more critical mass to make magic happen. (Zappos is a fantastic company, by the way.)
Apparently I'm somewhat typical: Rubicon's findings show that people are most heavily influenced by online information when buying electronics or cars; planning vacations; looking for jobs; and choosing movies and restaurants. And Rubicon's evidence draws a picture of who is doing the influencing: MFCs are younger, more ethnically diverse, and more technically skilled than "typical" web users.
Recapping Rubicon's claims about its findings: "This means the old idea of 'influencers' is confirmed and explained. The most frequent contributors are the influencers, and they have a strong influence on purchase decisions because they write most of the online recommendations and reviews."
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