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It’s generally considered good business practice to hang around people smarter than yourself. I had such an opportunity to talk with a very progressive marketer, Kurt Uhlir.  What makes his thinking and solution so exciting is that it is based on the age-old understanding that people buy from people — and then put it on steroids.

While his program has proven very valuable for larger companies, this is something each of us can apply to our everyday marketing.

His program about Influence Marketing is based on WOMA (aka “word of mouth”) advertising.  The reason why WOMA has been around as long as mankind was involved in trading is because one person shares useful information at the right time with the right person.

Whether you are engaged in an SEO program, paid search, social media or offline marketing, your challenge is more than getting your message to your prospective buyer. Your challenge is getting a trusted message to your prospect.  It’s part of why Google AdWords added the Quality Score for all ads.

We learned a generation ago that “I read it on the Internet” does not equate to the truth.  A huge obstacle is that the message and/or messenger can’t be trusted.  So how do you get your message to be believable and credible?

What WOMA offers is a unique level of trust for your message.  For the past century, celebrities provided a very successful, very powerful message.  Morgan Freeman, Michael J. Fox, Ron Howard, Betty White, Sandra Bullock, and former NFL coach Tony Dungy are among those that are most trusted in 2015.  How great would it be for them to endorse you and your company?   Or, on the other hand, a celebrity endorsement would hurt if it was Charlie Sheen, Tiger Woods, Paula Deen, and, of course, Lance Armstrong.

Your solution is your brand ambassadors, advocates, best customers, friendlies, and just a few of your heavy users or higher profile users.  Best of all, you’re not putting your eggs in one basket relying on one key person.

There are several ways to identify and nurture brand advocates.  Find them based on their product usage, public reviews and mentions on social platforms, or participation in your marketing programs and surveys.

And when you’ve found them…some simply want recognition, i.e. a title or membership in an exclusive group.  Some want a little appreciation, i.e. a new product sample or invitation to an event.  And yes, some want compensation.

Even Google agrees with the concept.  Their search algorithm is entirely driven to find the most trustworthy, useful content in response to a user’s search.  That’s what makes SEO programs and SEO tactics so challenging.

To learn more about nurturing and monetizing a team of influencers for a small-midsized company, contact NicheLabs for an initial consultation using our website contact form or calling 888.978.9254.

If you want an army, ask us to introduce you to Kurt.