I remember the start of internet marketing (back in Myspace days...) and the promised efficiency and transparency of that channel compared to traditional media like TV and print. It started out like all good frontiers with the early movers taking all the advantages. But with the maturing of the market and Google and Facebook monopolising digital advertising spend and restricting organic reach to a trickle, what's next?

On my recently holiday I was pondering this questions and trying to come up with a genius idea on how corporates can stand out online and grab users attention without just shouting louder than the rest. Of course, it wasn't all altruistic, I would like my company Social Star to create a unicorn solution for it and Google buy us for a billion in a few years so my boys and I can go on tour with AC/DC. But that's another story...

Anyhow all this thinking lead me to a potential solution I wanted to explore and get some feedback on: employee e-ttraction pitch.

For those who follow my blog, you would have heard me bang on about this thing called e-ttraction for awhile now. It's my theory that if you are authentic in your intentions and create a strong digital platform around your mission, that opportunities will come to you instead of you chasing them. I coach a lot of entrepreneurs in this area and when done well, it works a treat. The question is, can we apply the same theories to corporate workers?

Having worked in several Fortune 500 companies and the largest telco in Australia, I have experienced my fair share of marketing campaigns. I know what works and what doesn't. Plus having a strong interest in influencer marketing since my days doing social campaigns at Sensis and at Tribe.co so I think I have a good awareness of what employees, corporates CXO's and consumers want. So here is the pitch for your feedback...

Problem: In today's noisy internet space only the few cut through and get attention for their marketing messages. Consumers are just switching off listening to anything that is advertising and not related to them specifically.

On the flip side, we all like to buy products. We all want credible information about things but only when we want them, not when someone wants to push an ad in our face. We want to have the control.

But who do you go to when you want good info? Research says we trust other consumers far more than marketing messages.

Solution: The people with the best knowledge about any product are those that make and use it regularly. So you have two options, pay a bunch of influencer clients to market your product for you or get your employees to do the same.

Client influencers are the new PR channel. They have the reach and numbers so it's a quick win for your brand if you get it right. The down side is, you can't control the message or the medium so if they mess up you can be in trouble and they can promote your competitor product next week and you can't do much about it. Also you stop paying them and they stop working. Finally, if people know that it's all promoted post they can be less influential than real organic posts. For some brands using famous influencers can really work (e.g. Swisse vitamins), but for many businesses it can be expensive, not very effective or measurable marketing.

I would argue that Staff influencers is a far more efficient, especially for business or tech products. Firstly, you already pay staff so the marginal increase in incentives to be an influencer is minor. They are far more knowledgeable about the products than customers. (Imagine an engineer from Apple giving you free advice on your phone, rather than that 12 year old from youtube.) Thirdly, they are generally more engaged to help the company they work for, especially if they see a career progression for the longer term. And finally, you are developing an asset of remarkable and regular content, rather than disconnected posts from unrelated individuals.

Of course there are many barriers to staff wanting to create and share content through their personal social media. Companies want to control the messages, staff don't want to annoy their friends and sometimes the message will be off brand. But with a structured program this form of marketing could be extremely powerful. A simple maths exercise can show you how well it works:

Let's say you have 10,000 employees

Take the top 10% go getters who want to be e-ttractive 1,000

Build them 5,000 followers each

Total reach = 5,000,000

(that's a TV ad size market for the budget of a Christmas party)

Why Us: To run such a program, I would argue that you need an external provider. The marketing team are too constricted by branding and management to create compelling consumer content. (I know I was! #maxmainframe) The staff need an independent brand coach to guide them through the e-ttraction process to ensure it meets their personal goals as well as the company ones. Finally, it needs to be someone full time focus to drive the initiative because it is an effort campaign rather than a money one.

What's next?: I looking for three large scale businesses to conduct a six month proof of concept. We would work for a reduced cost on the program and measure the financial ROI with an independent accounting firm we have partnered with to prove financial advantage over other forms of marketing. If this tweaks your interest and you would like to know more email the team for an discussion at support@socialstar.com.au.

So there you have it, my new idea for companies to stand out online with employee e-ttraction. Will it be the next best thing? We shall see!

I would value your input and feedback so smart people let me know your thoughts!

Regards Andrew