There are a handful of books in the market now about influencer marketing, beyond my humble entry into the space. We’ve talked to Neil Schaffer and Amanda Russel who both have books out on the topic. A few episodes back, we even spoke to the Professors — Joyce Costello and Sevil Yesiloglu, who edited the first known college text on the topic.

Gordon Glenister has thrown his offering into the mix, now too. His book is called Influencer Marketing Strategy and in it, he sources perspectives on the topic from myself as well as other interviewees in a useful and refreshing take on the topic. The book is a very practical, how-to guide for influencer marketing strategy and execution and is well worth the read.

I invited Gordon to come on the podcast to talk about the book, but also to really dig in to talk philosophically about the industry. Gordon comes from the background of association management in the United Kingdom. He was actually the head of the British Promotional Merchandise Association when he started connecting the dots to influencer marketing.

You’ll hear some familiar themes here. He and I think alike on influencer marketing’s connection to word of mouth marketing, that it goes beyond online influencers and there’s a different in influencers and people with actual influence. 

The diagnosis he gives of the mistakes brands often make with influence marketing is spot-on. And the topic of influencer fraud surfaces as well. I ask him how much of the industry is actually committing fraudulent behavior. Good discussion around that topic, too.

Perhaps the best part of what Gordon brings to the table is his research and exploration of influencer marketing around the world. He connects those dots for us.

This episode of Winfluence – The Influencer Marketing Podcast, is sponsored by Julius. If you’ve read my book, you know I’ve depended on Julius for influencer discovery and campaign management for some time now. When I’m looking for the right influencer for my clients, Julius allows me to search across Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs and more. When I click into an influencer’s profile, I can see their audience demographics, what other networks they have reach through and quickly scan their recent posts to decide if they’re a right influencer for my brand. All the pieces of campaign management are there, too. Julius allows you to reach out, document contracts, share and approve influencer content and, of course, measure the ROI of each campaign, influencer or post. You owe it to your brand or agency to do a demo of Julius today. Go to jason.online/julius and request one. That’s jason.online/julius.

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