Regular readers will know Rachel Miller, from her popular post last year that urged us to Ignore the Wackadoos, which was in our TOP 10 for months. But, Rachel is more than an entertaining writer, she is a recognized B2B influencer marketing expert, who’s recently joined SAP in what she’s described as her “dream job”. So, I caught up with her.
Hi Rachel,
Since the last time we were in touch, you’ve got a new gig with SAP as Global Influencer Marketing Lead, it sounds fantastic, tell us a bit about the role.
It is an awesome opportunity that is allowing me to utilize all of my skill-sets from relationship management, to identifying new voices, and project management.
It seems SAP are committed to influencer marketing, what do you think is the key reason for that?
Companies like SAP have learned that shouting “we’re #1” is an ill-advised marketing strategy. Collaborating with industry experts, internal and external influencers, and customers is an incredibly powerful way to tell your story. And most importantly, it’s a people-first, solution-focused strategy which is much more relatable and likely to produce business results.
Last year influencer marketing seemed to be at maximum hype, especially in B2C and there was a bit of a cynical backlash. How should our readers, who are looking to implement an influencer strategy, handle push back on these programs?
Heed the lessons – good and bad – learned from others and really hone the strategy before implementing. Start with the end in mind. When you focus on the desired result you’re much more likely to see success.
On the theme of this issue, your background is creative, with a degree in Fine Arts. I imagine like most marketers you are awash with data, how do you balance creativity with following the data?
Creativity is integral and data affords us the opportunity to try new things deliberately versus trying everything and anything. Knowing your audience is very important and often over-looked – especially in influencer marketing.
In one of your popular articles for us, when building a community you suggested that we focus and “ignore the wackadoos”. We think ‘wackadoo’ should be included in the English dictionary, as we see so many, but how do you focus, especially in such a big business?
It’s a personal motto that I’ve expanded to my professional life. We spend so much time analyzing and engaging with our “haters” and give so much less attention to our fans and advocates. Flip that ratio and you’ll see immediate rewards. The world needs more focus on people doing good and promoting positivity. When you engage and encourage your community, they will far outnumber and drown out the wackadoos.
Your second passion is craft beer, you’re a big Untappd user, so I have to ask; what do you recommend we stock in the penthouse beer fridge?
Living in Central California I’m super spoilt with having access to awesome local craft beer. I’m a huge fan of anything from Alvarado Street Brewing.
Finally, you might be familiar with our Rockstar CMO Swimming pool, where we chuck all that’s wrong in marketing, the snake oil and BS. If you were channeling your inner Rockstar what would you throw in there?
“Build it and they will come”. Just because you have an Instagram/Blog/Podcast etc account and post every day doesn’t mean you’ll automatically attract followers.
Thank you Rachel!
Rachel Miller in the Global Influencer Marketing Lead at SAP, is an influencer marketing, social media, and content marketing expert who was listed as one of the Top 50 MarTech, Influencer Marketing, and B2B Marketing experts worldwide.
You follow her on Twitter or enjoy some of her previous articles for us.
Keep an eye on our podcast, as we recorded a longer version of this conversation to be aired shortly. We learned more about working from home in the current crisis, her new role and of course the Wackadoos. [ Rockstar CMO FM ]
Ready to rock?
Fancy a chat about this? Or maybe we can help with our advisory services or get in touch!
Subscribe
Join hundreds of your peers and get your weekly fix of marketing street knowledge from the Rockstar CMO community.
Share this article
Author
