According to Nfinity, this cements the company as a major player in the influencer marketing sphere, with offerings now covering employees (theIntern-ship), micro-influencers (theSALT) and celebrity influencers (under the Webfluential license).
Managing director Pieter Groenewald says, "As we became more entrenched in influencer marketing, the clearer it became that brands wanted to get their staff involved as advocates in their own brand campaigns."
"Staff utilise their own social media platforms where they have an existing trust base and relationship with their communities on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, depending on the brand requirements," adds Groenewald.
Nfinity has created a programme that aims to teach and inform staff of the power that their individual voices have in their own social influence spheres.
The process takes 12 months and aims to teach staff how to use their social media platforms more effectively to become brand advocates.
"We even assist in creating individual accounts, should the person not already be involved on a platform – like on LinkedIn, for example," says Groenewald.
"People with similar mindsets, activities and lifestyles tend to naturally gather into communities. They speak a certain way, interact with each other uniquely and, as such, they don’t need to be taught this important skill – it’s automatic, it happens. What’s more, individuals trust each other within these communities, and the authenticity comes through," he adds.
Over the course of the year, theIntern-ship makes use of an in-house algorithm to track and monitor employees’ content and engagement levels.
Bronze, Silver and Gold medals are achieved at certain engagement levels and at different phases of each 12-month campaign. The media value that is generated from the employees’ effort is measured as part of the KPI’s of the programme.
"theIntern-ship allows brands to get front and centre with their customers. And let’s face it, we spend a huge amount of our time online. That’s where the conversation is happening and brands want to be part of it," says Groenewald. "Our initial campaigns using employees on their own social media channels are showing engagement levels that are through the roof."
"The beauty of theIntern-ship is the ability for brands or companies to punch way above their weight when it comes to marketing," adds Groenewald.
"Thanks to the mechanics of the programme, a small independent business has as much opportunity to elevate its brand as a multinational does. In fact, studies have shown that 25% of sales actually originate from 'social selling'," he says.
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