Is #mavenism the new influencer marketing for digital comms?
- The Monash Marketer aka G Alexander
- Jul 29, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 2, 2022
We all know that things move fast in the digital realm; really fast. But so fast that our post from last week about influencer marketing is already obsolete? Is the reign of the influencer over??!
Not quite.
But we are here to tell you that, perhaps... just perhaps... they need not be the be-all and end-all of your social media marketing strategy.
Enter mavenism.
As expected, the definition of a maven has undergone a rapid evolution to keep up with the times, with Ho and Dempsey decribing an e-maven as someone knowledgeable in a field, who uses social media to build networks of followers, share content, and guide fellow consumers.
Bascially, they are someone who is an influencer, without being an *influencer*.
One thing you can do for your brand is to find a maven or two who are inluential in the audiences you want to reach, and entice them to engage with your brand offering.
But Aleti et al. has even better news: brands can even become mavens themselves.
Walsh tells us that the basic elements needed to become a maven are to be highly sociable, consistently share relevant and engaging content, and to exert a strong amount of influence on followers.
ProWritingAid details 8 steps to follow to turn yourself (or your brand) into a maven:
Post consistently
Engage with others in your niche
Follow people you engage with - they may follow back!
Use engaging post captions
Keep imagery striking (and relevant)
Take advantage of hashtags
Use a scheduling tool to manage posts
Know when to outsource
In essence, you need to foster an online image of a likeable, knowledgeable, trustworthy uber geek.
If you're still feeling a little confused as to what a social media maven actually is, SocialMediaToday make it as clear as mud:
A social media maven is an “Alpha Consumer”, filling a niche that is not quite journalist and not quite consumer, though, they are, in a sense, both.
Has your brand achieved maven status on it's social media channels? I'd love to hear your examples - drop them in the comments below!
Thanks for this article - I didn't have a word for this consumer persona before!
I'm part of a small brand community that started organically when lovers of a particular body-positive activewear label created a Facebook group to swap items, compare outfits, and geek-out over new designs.
From time to time, people employed by the label join the group to observe the customer base and (hopefully) listen to what we want, but the naturally emerging leaders who help new members with questions, provide valuable historical info about discontinued prints or fabrics, and speak authentically about issues the label have are actually mavens and it's true, their influence is considerable!