Luxury Spotlight: Scott Eddy, Entrepreneur, Public Speaker & Consultant
A serial entrepreneur, Scott Eddy is the digital guru you can depend on to help you form lasting meaningful relationships for your business. With an enviable base of followers, he sure knows how to create and nurture relationships. Offering corporate training and consulting services for individuals and businesses, he is also a noted public speaker specializing on topics such as Entrepreneurship, Startups, Social Media, Sales, and Motivation.
According to him, “I love starting companies, so when I get an idea, and have the situation (and time) to do it, then I do it.” Presently, he owns a digital agency in Bangkok, where he has a great team, along with whom he manages what he loves to do most – connect with people.
Let’s take a look at how he began on his career as a digital nomad.
As someone who is both an entrepreneur and on a PanAmerican road trip, your blog post "What it’s like to be an entrepreneur and a serious traveler at the same time" resonated with me. You talk about using social media to connect with people in real-life throughout your travels. Any tips on how to find the right people to connect with?
Whenever I am going to a new country, before I go I always go through Twitter to see who is the most active and engaging (brands and people) I try to connect with them, and usually a good group of people reach out to me. I use Twitter for this because out of all the social media platforms, Twitter is the quickest way to connect with someone.
There has been a lot of controversies surrounding Facebook in the last year and many brands have considered shutting down their account for good. In this new Facebook era, what do you recommend to brands who are trying to build a loyal following on Facebook.
Facebook is definitely making it harder everyday. Basically I would say you 'have to' set aside a budget to do paid campaigns through Facebook, if that is against what you believe it, then I feel it will be impossible to build a huge following on there. And if you do achieve it, the way they have things set up, even if you do have a huge following, if you are not paying for 'boosts' or 'sponsored' posts, then your following will not see most of what you post anyway.
Twitter is a great way to build connections with industry peers. As someone who now has hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter, can you give us a tip on how to build a loyal fan base?
This is exactly what I talk about when I do consulting for this industry. The first thing I recommend is to find your competitors, and see who is engaging with them, see who follows them, and follow those people. From my experience, if I follow 100 of those people, usually about 25-50% of them will follow back. And if you are doing this everyday, think about the possibilities. I say this to everyone, and I will say to you as well, Twitter is the best platform out there!!!!!
Instagram is a great way to both capture your travel and connect with others who share the same passion. What type of pictures do you find works best to inspire likes and comments from the community?
I think it depends on your following. I usually post quotes, travel pics and, of course, food pics. You have to remember, most of social media is people living vicariously through other people, so try to post unique images, things with the 'wow effect.'
Although a lot of brands tend to dismiss Google + for other social networks, Google seems keen on making it a leader. In your opinion, should brands give this network the chance it deserves?
I feel that unless you are deep into the technology, this platform is useless. I know some people have success there, but I just don't see it. I have tried a few times with zero success. If its working for you, I applaud you, but I am done with it.
Of all the social media channels you engage on, which one do you prefer and why?
I think my answer is a little obvious. I don't think anything can touch Twitter. You can connect with someone immediately, with less than 12% of all accounts are private you can see what they are talking about and who they are engaging with, and this is the place that most news agencies are getting their first reports from....so it's definitely the place to be for me!
Do you monitor your Klout score on a daily/weekly basis? Do you think this social ranking is of any real value to determine influence?
Klout is an interesting topic. While I think it is a remarkable tool, I doubt the credibility behind it. Let me give you an example, about a year ago I had a ranking of 76, at that time I had about 250-275K followers on Twitter, and less than 5K on Facebook and Instagram. Now I am much more engaging, have over 500K followers on Twitter and 20K on Facebook and 30K on Instagram (and did I mention MUCH more engaging) and now my Klout score is 72. For me, Klout is EXTREMELY frustrating and I just don't get how they get their scores.
In your opinion, which social media will lead the way in the next 5-10 years?
I think Twitter will get much more relevant, and I think while Facebook will still be relevant, I think they will push more and more people away.
If you had to mentor a new social media newbie, what is your go-to advice to become successful?
Build relationships!!! To be honest, that is all I do on Twitter. I am not looking to sell anything, I have no other motive. I want to make as many friends as I can around the world, because some of those relationships will turn into long-lasting business relationships.
Want to connect with him? Find him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or YouTube. Or, you can reach out to us for an introduction.
When The Relationship Between Brand And Influencer Suffers
Creating an initial buzz around your brand might simply require you to pay a few key influencers to spread your message. But apart from a short term influx of traffic, and maybe a few sales, will this tactic really bring tangible value to your brand's overall digital presence? If a blogger or social media star is paid a lump sum to either publish a blog, tweet and/or post a link on their Facebook wall, one has to wonder if they will ever work with that brand again for free? Will they provide the relationship between brand and influencer? Will the influencer provide more value then what is stated in the agreement? Will they create a long-lasting social synergy to stay true to their original recommendation? Maybe, maybe not.
We once consulted with this digital brand that used this technique to drive new members to join their newsletter. The brand paid a notable blogger over $4,000 to tweet to her 100 000+ fans about this great new website. The results was a sudden influx of new sign-ups, but then... nothing much happened. This campaign didn't have a lasting effect because it fell short on a few things.
First, the blogger had to be convinced with money (a lot of it) that the brand was one she should tweet about. Since she had no emotional connection to the brand itself she didn't feel the need to provide additional value to the brand other than what was stated in her agreement.
Second, she simply didn't have the right audience. She had hundreds of thousands of fans but if the brand had paid attention they would have noticed that her tweeter feed did not have the right type of followers. The brand sold luxury products in excess of $500 but when you looked at the blogger's fan base, you could easily notice that her fans were young adults who, although longed for these types of products, could, more than likely, never truly afford them.
We also came across a similar situation when we managed the social media channels and blog of a famous Canadian personality. She was under contract with a dairy brand to tweet sporadically about the products. We were actually shocked when we read her agreement: every one of her tweets was pre-planned by the brand months in advance! She didn't even have the authority to create her own tweets! We know for a fact that her tweets resulted in very little results. She barely wanted to send them out; her fans, who followed her every move, noticed the "fake factor" of every one of these tweets. It was obvious they weren't really hers. A real shame.
An influencer campaign can be successful if done the right way. Paying bloggers and social media influencers to share your message can work, if you identity the right influencers and create the right campaign. You should then ask them to create engaging content that fits their audience. Give them the tools and the leeway to come up with the campaign with you. They understand their audience better than you; they know what works and what doesn't; and they sincerely hope for your success. These influencers have usually achieved the social success you are longing for, so you might as well listen to their tips and recommendations.
If you need to find influencers in the luxury travel niche, check out our blog on the top 145 Luxury travel social media channels to follow in 2014. Or even better, contact one of the luxury bloggers we have interviewed in our Blogger Spotlight series.
How Link Building Is All About Relationships
It is commonly accepted that social media is all about building relationships with those who share similar interests. The success of your own content, whether it's a blog post, a YouTube video or a simple tweet, lies in the hands of those who share it with their fans. You might create great content but if no one pays attention to your updates, you will inevitably be at a loss.
To achieve social success, you must therefore nurture relationships with fans and other key influencers in your industry. This takes time, commitment, and above all, an honest approach.
The same is true for link building. Once overflowing with shady practices, SEO is now all about relationships and a more genuine and authentic blogger outreach program. You might be able to purchase a list of industry bloggers and send them your weekly press release, but you will quickly notice that the results yielded are lower than expected. Don't blame the bloggers, blame your approach.
Bloggers are individuals, not machines. They pride themselves on curating and creating the very best content and they tend to dedicate a lot of time to their fans. Bloggers, like social media influencers, ultimately need to know, and love, you to be willing to work with you.
So, how do you make them fall in love with you or your brand? Start by being real. Don't expect anything from them; don't push them with countless emails; and don't annoy them on social media. Reach out to them on a one-on-one basis; tell them why you have chosen them for your blogger outreach program; and be honest on whether or not you can offer them something in return. While some bloggers will only accept payments in exchange of sponsored posts, most will be more than happy to help out if asked politely.
If you need more advice on how to successfully reach a luxury blogger, read our recent post, or to plan your next blogger outreach program, reach out to us.
What Happens When Everyone Is An Influencer
The social web has created a new surge of influencers. Think of bloggers who are read by thousands of visitors each month; Twitter stars who have gathered fans in the millions; or YouTube sensations who seem to produce one viral video after the next. It seems that anyone can become an influencer with the right combination of skills.
Since influencers have a broad audience of loyal fans, sometimes surpassing even the most coveted brands in the industry, they often get approached by brands who seek new marketing opportunities. The exchange of service is often beneficial for both parties: the influencer usually gets compensated, either in the form of a complimentary gift or money, while the brand gets its message in front of a niche audience. But what happens to the consumer - the third party involved in this transaction? Will this influencer-brand synergy manipulate his/her purchasing decision?
Before someone makes a purchase, they will be "influenced" by dozens of individuals. Some recommendations will carry a lot of weight, while others will simply be pushed to the side. The importance of each recommendation depends on the nature of the relationship between the influencer, the brand and the consumer. If the influencer is a digital star, then the message will not have the same impact as if it comes from a family member or a close friend.
In Influence Marketing by Danny Brown, I recently stumbled on a great table that shows the different degrees of relationships within a person's list of personal contacts. Brown defines the nature of each relationships - Inner Circle, Social Friends, Acquaintance, Followers - Colleagues, and Followers - Competitive - then goes to explain how this new landscape creates a multitude of pathways through which brands must try to deliver their messages. Everyone is an influencer, however, not everyone has the same influential pull.
| Tier | Categorization | Description | Relationship Activity |
| First | Inner Circle | Personal contacts such as family, neighbors, friends and coworkers with whom you share frequent and personal communication both online and face-to-face. | In-person and digital gathering such as meals, social engagements, telephone and video calls, text messaging, etc. |
| Second | Social Friends | Contacts with frequent personal communications but where the relationship began and, for the most part, remains online. | Digital gathering such as social networking, video chats, etc. |
| Third | Acquaintances | Contacts formed or solidified through a one-time or infrequent meeting such as at a trade show or past friendships such as old high school contacts reconnected solely through social channels. | Infrequent contact via social networks, mainly focused on business relationships. |
| Fourth | Followers - Colleagues | Impersonal relationships where no face-to-face connections were made; where communication is limited to the consumption of digital content. | Two-way, impersonal activity including reading each other's blogs, following each other on Twitter, etc. |
| Fifth | Followers - Competitive | Impersonal relationships where no face-to-face connections were made; where communication is limited to the consumption of digital content. | One-way, impersonal activity where one monitors the actions of another such as a competitive analysis. |
Reference: Influencer Marketing by Danny Brown
When creating an influencer outreach program, brands must try to understand the various types of influencers and the nature of their relationship with the buyer. Should they focus their attention on the blogger who can get thousands of fans to share his post on Twitter and Facebook; the women who leads the local group of mommy bloggers; and/or the Twitter star who can get the message go viral. The landscape is often blurry and requires time to understand.
If you plan on creating an influencer outreach program or if want to know more about how to reach a luxury influencer, read our recent post, or simply reach out to us.