October marked one year of working for Word of MICE, a company created by Mariska Kesteloo. I was pleasantly surprised because it was Mariska who reminded me of this anniversary by preparing a surprise for me and my wife Alicia.
It is an amazing time in my life. I would like to share a personal story with you about this extraordinary year and working together with Mariska. Especially since we haven’t met once in the whole year of our collaboration. All the meetings with Mariska took place online on Zoom and using other online tools but we got along very well and I learned what the Dutch sense of humour means.
The first step
A few years ago, when my wife Alicia and I were living in the UK, I noticed that Mariska was actively sharing her knowledge about B2B influencer marketing in the MICE industry.
I was eager to know more about this topic as she was the only person covering B2B influencer marketing in the MICE industry. I was also very interested in using social media to promote tourism and destinations. We met through LinkedIn and corresponded from time to time.
The first time (and interestingly the only time) we met in the real world was in London. It was in February 2019 at the International Confex trade show. I remember that I came to the fair in London from Cambridge and, apart from the fair, my main goal was to meet Mariska personally.
For many months Alicia and I lived in London right next to the Kensington Olympia exhibition centre, so it was also a sort of sentimental journey to where we used to live.
It was great to meet Mariska in person before the Confex started. We met for a coffee at the Hilton London Olympia Hotel. Later I found out that she is more of a tea person than a coffee person like me. During the meeting, I learned that she has knowledge and experience in B2B marketing, influencer collaborations and destination marketing. And next, she has the mindset and determination of an entrepreneur.
I also watched Mariska’s presentation on B2B influencer marketing in the MICE industry at Confex that day. Afterwards we had lunch together at Alborz on Kensington High Street. So many common topics of conversation! We could not stop talking!
What I didn’t know at the time was that this meeting was the start of our collaboration. That’s why I believe it’s always a good idea to connect with interesting people online and to meet them in person afterwards.
The start of our collaboration
Mariska invited me to join IBTM World 2019 in Barcelona, she created a collaboration with Reed Exhibitions and wanted me to be on stage to talk about influencer marketing and digital marketing.
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Unfortunately I couldn’t join her in Barcelona at that time. It was not an easy time for me and just a few months later the pandemic started. The MICE industry was gripped by an unprecedented crisis. It was also a time of learning new skills and creating new collaborations.
After we returned to Poland and settled in Warsaw, I noticed that Mariska started her own podcast series in early 2020 called the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series. I remember that I didn’t miss any of the 10 podcasts and was a very engaging and active participant. This was of course noticed by Mariska and Alessia di Raimondo, her co-host during the first series of the podcasts.
I had the opportunity to reconnect with people that I already knew personally (Henrik von Arnold, Amanda Thurlow). Next, it was a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, such as Giovanna Lucherini, Ivo Franschitz, Keith Jenkins, Dries de Geyter, Dennis Lippens, Sabrina Meyers, Julius Solaris and Rupa Shah. Listen to the interviews here Season 1 B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series.
After this series Mariska asked if I was interested to work together on a small project with her, then another project followed. And in October 2020 she asked me if I would like to join Word of MICE as a team member to support her with the ongoing projects and business development. There could be only one answer, of course YES!
Picking up the fruits of our collaboration
Our year together at Word of MICE, I had an amazing time.
Let me be honest, it was a very difficult and tough period, because many of our friends in the tourism industry and the MICE industry lost their jobs, projects were put on hold, and companies went bankrupt. On the other hand it was the perfect time to create new opportunities and collaborations, using our creativity. And let’s not forget the increasing role of digital marketing and online events.
One of my first tasks was to participate and support the second season of the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series. I was delighted to be able to invite, among others, Phil Gonzalez from the Igers Community (Instagram fans and mobile photographers) to this series and to add a little Polish element in the form of interviews with Anna Górska from ICCA and Robert Szulc – live conversation from Ecuador about incentives.
We had engaging and amazing conversations with representatives of the MICE industry and how they and their companies survived during the pandemic. Through this project I met more people and we spoke to Carina Bauer, Tim Williams, Nyomi Rose, Horacio Caamano, Helen Moon, Maris Kuklis and Antti Lumiainen and Nadia Rubtsova. Listen to the interviews here Season 2 B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series.
Working at Word of MICE is the perfect opportunity for me to establish new ways of collaborations and executing new B2B influencer marketing campaigns, with companies like, Singapore Tourism Board, Helsinki Marketing, InspireME from Monaco, Catalunya Convention Bureau or France Convention Bureau.
I had the opportunity to work on campaigns and projects with influencers and content creators such as Sabrina Meyers, Nadia Rubtsowa, Nyomi Rose, Meg Strahle, Sina Bunte and Jorge Bravo-Pratscher. Miek Egberts will always remain in my thoughts.
During the year I learned a lot about resilience, flexibility and overcoming personal challenges, because Mariska and myself, we have been through a very difficult and emotional rollercoaster.
Thank you Mariska
I’m glad we have a similar vision, we often discuss topics related with the MICE industry and destination marketing. We keep an eye on the development and new trends in digital marketing. Every month of work is a blessing during these times. For me even more because I can do what I love and I can work from home.
Thank you Mariska for involving me in every step of the company, sharing new ideas and projects and how to improve Word of MICE. Last year we ran, among many projects, LIVE on IBTM’s Instagram. And during another campaign we used the new Twitter Spaces broadcasting capabilities (#Associations Space) and the Hubilo platform for the online events (Singapore Spotlight Series #BizeventsSG).
As always Mariska repeats during conversations with clients “I am Dutch so I will say it straight”. This makes working with her always very transparent and focused on achieving goals. By the way, her Dutch sense of humour has a lot in common with the Polish one, which is probably also why we get along so well. Because it’s important to have fun in the work you do.
I really enjoy my work and the style that Mariska has introduced. Everything is always clear. Sometimes I have to sit many hours in front of the computer, and not everyone understands that the proverbial eight hours cannot be calculated. On the other hand, I also know that when something suddenly happens in my life, I can always count on her understanding and flexibility. I wish everyone such a business partner as Mariska.
If there’s one thing that I have to mention that was a challenge for me, is the fact that she pushes me to get out my comfort zone and encourages me to do the things I have rarely done this in my professional career. I know she’s right but I was not used to this.
I don’t know what the year 2022 will be like, but who knows? In times of a pandemic when our jobs and our loved ones’ health is so fragile, when it is difficult to predict what will happen in the MICE industry and in the entire world. Despite many unfavourable developments, I remain optimistic. There are many new opportunities and perspectives, and I am sure that together we will develop and strengthen the position of the Word of MICE.
I also know that Mariska is not only a good business partner, but I have gained a friendly soul. This is very valuable to me and I would never have thought that one meeting in London would bring so much good in my life. Again, you see now the value of 1 connection on LinkedIn.
Thank you for reading my story. I hope coming months will we very succesful for you.
Please, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Youtube to see the latest updates from us.
Jaro
B2B Influencer Marketing Q&A with Tim Williams
We share with you seven questions about influencer marketing and answers of Tim Williams, CEO at Onalytica. The blog post was created from thelive interview with Tim during B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series. You will find the link to the interview below.
Q1 – Do you consider yourself an influencer?
Well, since we said in the iterview that everyone’s an influencer, then yes, but I don’t. I asked people. I went down the South Bank in London and I asked some random people that walked past I said ‘What is your definition of an influencer?’ and they said, people with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram or something like that. And so, obviously, the definition of an influencer is very ambiguous.
We define an influencer as because, obviously are journalists, politicians, analysts. Those are the kind of traditional forms of PR or marketing. So I suppose when people are talking about influencers, they’re talking about non-traditional people who are delivering an impact on a target audience or changing behavior or helping them make a decision in your target audience.
So that’s our definition of an influencer. And, of course, I can influence certain people, but I would not expect the brands to hire me as an influencer unless they’re trying to get into the influencer marketing space of which I would hope to be more influent.
Q2 – Is it too late to start?
What would be your piece of advice for a person who is well known within the industry, but does not have social media profiles? It was not necessary in “normal times”. This person has just started using LinkedIn and Twitter. Is it too late for her? Or does she still have a chance to catch up and influence my audience online?
Tim: I think that’s a really good question. We provide advice to a lot of employees that feel like this. Because they’re trying to develop their own personal brand, as well. And a lot of senior execs are influential people, but not on social media. So I think it’s important to know what your passion areas and what your focus and what your routine would be on social media, you could post once a day when you have a coffee break or something like that. So you got to find your routine. And then you got to find the communities that you want to be influential within.
And if you start following the top influencers in those communities, and following their content, and adding value to their content and starting a conversation, you can quite quickly build up an influential account. And so it doesn’t take years and years, you can get the benefits from this in three months if you’re strategic about it. But you’ve got to put a bit of effort in so I don’t think it’s late, or like too late for people.
But I think it’s important to not just post random content onto social media and expect to get lots of engagement because it just doesn’t work like that. Thankfully, there are a lot of people who are influential already that you can co-create content with them. And then you can gain followers from their audience that are very relevant. So I think those are the few areas where you can accelerate your influence from a standing start.
Q3 – What social media platform shall I choose to influence people on social media?
What would be your piece of advice for a person who is known in the industry and says which platform should I choose? Whether should it be TikTok? We know that`s not right, probably. But would you choose a LinkedIn or Twitter or…
Tim: Well it depends upon the context of course, in B2B, you know, we analyzs platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Podcasts, YouTube, Forbes Channels, that’s really where we focus on saying whether Instagram Stories or Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat, what impact they’re going to have on B2B, who knows, in 10 years time in two years time, you know, we obviously need to see how the marketplace evolves. It just depends on where your audience is showing up.
But what I think is an important point, though, is you can create video content, we’re creating video content here, you’re going to be repurposing this, I think, into podcasts and blog posts. And so the ability to create quality video content, and then repurpose it across different channels in different formats, is absolutely vital. So you don’t have to obsess over the channel. But equally, you don’t want to post something on 10 different channels, because that’s probably going to be more of a diluted strategy.
Mariska: When I think of the MICE industry, I think Linkedin is still the place to go because it is a platform of the most opportunities and but indeed, it’s part of your, I think it’s the big word is consistency within social media. I think as you said, you need to be part of your strategy, need to be part of your weekly routine. I don’t say you have to post every day on LinkedIn. But at least check it every day. If people comment on your posts or engage with others or say people have a new job, congratulations. Because I think that’s also something a lot of people underestimate. It’s not just only sending, but it’s also engaging with other people.
Q4 – What type of content an influencer shall produce for social media?
Today, when you want to start Instagram, you have Stories, Reels and many other options. Your account doesn’t grow organically, like before, you need to pay for your ads. Thu world of social media is totally different now. Would you advise some people, rather than focusing on the text, so they could just focus on actions that do not take so much time? Could they focus on video or podcasts, so they don’t have to write long blog posts? For example, would you say that’s a good approach?
Tim: I think, when we speak to influencers, actually, what they love to do is they love to write blogs and articles, a lot of them love writing. And I suppose it just depends who the audience is. If their consumers want snackable images and videos, if you’re looking at the travel industry or leisure industry, I think that probably the video and images would be the way to go.
When you’re looking at tech, then there’s still, you know, blog posts, articles. They’re in massive demand, and the influencers love writing the content, not necessarily in long white paper formats, because, you know, I think that they’re evolving, and there’s a modern approach to a white paper. But I just think it depends upon the industry, it depends upon the audience. Blog posts and email marketing and traditional forms of communication are extremely effective in B2B marketing. Still, if you get them right.
Q5 – What are good B2B influencer campaigns?
Could you please share with us some B2B influencer campaigns you have recently noticed?
Tim: We have a number of clients that run successful campaigns. I think we work with a lot of global tech clients and we’ve seen with some of their marquee events, the 30% of the social traffic has been driven by influencers.
On marquee event, it could be IBM Think, for example. And, you know, I think that’s a great result to see the influencers showing up like really driving the mindshare in the industry and the awareness around events like that. So, I wouldn’t pick any particular brand out, that’s just an example.
But we’re just saying the results sharp around your virtual events in a big way. And there are other ones where brands are just starting off doing LinkedIn lives with a subject matter expert and an external influencer. And we see some really great engagement from that, but they’re just starting out on their journey running a pilot program and then just learning from the results and scaling up there.
Q6 – How do you see TikTok evolving for B2B influencers?
Mariska: I would like also to have your vision on TikTok. How do you see TikTok evolving for B2B influencers? Do you think it will be a potential way to engage with people or with potential clients?
Tim: This is obviously just a very personal opinion. I’m trying to run a business focusing on all the channels that clients are asking about. And people mentioned TikTok, but they mentioned it in a jokey way. Like they did Snapchat, and I go to B2B, social media marketing conferences, and actually, that they aren’t just B2B.
There are the social media marketing conferences that happen in San Diego and content marketing world and all of those conferences and people joke around about TikTok, but until people are actually wanting to put budget behind it, then I don’t invest too much time in actually thinking about it from a business standpoint.
I think that anything which is video based, which can convey the message, is going to be really valuable. And so I think that maybe in a couple of years, we’ll see more campaigns. I’m starting to see people talk about Instagram Stories for B2B. But, you know, maybe in like 0.5% of cases, it’s really not something that anyone is putting some real budget behind that we’ve heard about. So at the moment, I’m just staying focused, but I expect in 2022, it’ll be part of a B2B campaign. When it becomes more mainstream than I think within employee advocacy this could show off in a lot of cases.
Q7 – Are social media giants trying to suppress all of the data?
Have you noticed that some of the platforms, such as Facebook, Linkedin, don’t want to share the data and they want to close access for the third party companies which analyse data?
Tim: Because we are a third-party vendor that wants to analyse platforms like that. So, we have to crowdsource, and we got a semi-automated way of analysing Linkedin which is just through significant investment that we had to make because they are not open. But obviously, we are crowdsourcing publicly available information and we are respecting GDPR rules, but it’s a big challenge.
Twitter is more open that’s why it’s easier to get information, Facebook is all anonymised and very very private. So yeah, it’s a big challenge, and that’s why we focused on B2B to make sure we get the channels right for B2B.
Companies that are trying across every single social media platform are being hit by all the changing rules, when Instagram dropped their API fee a number of business went burst in the influencer marketing space.
There are also some slightly, potentially, illegal ways in which some companies are getting instagram data. We have not gone that route, but we think it’s a threat to the industry. And Facebook and Instagram are trying to suppress all of that data because they want to build products themselves and obviously earn money out of influencers advertising promotional content. I think it’s a real danger, especially to the B2C industry.
Podcast with Tim Williams
Tim Williams is the CEO of Onalytica, an Influencer Marketing company that provides influencer relationship management software and supporting professional services. Onalytica provides influence marketing software, the company focuses on advocacy. In case you missed our live session with Tim Williams, listen to our conversation on your favorite podcast platform. We uploaded the whole interview to the following podcast channels:
Do you prefer reading over listening? You can read most of our conversation with Tim Williams in blog post How to measure influence on social media.
The second season of the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series
What are the B2B Influencer Marketing chat series?
Welcome to our LIVE interviews where we talk about B2B influencer marketing in the world of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events). We speak with people from all around the globe about the role, the meaning, the impact and the possibilities of B2B Influencer Marketing on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram. Facebook, Youtube, TikTok and other social media and networking platforms. We share case studies, discuss influencer marketing campaigns for destinations and other suppliers from our industry and beyond.
Our hosts for the first series of 10 episodes Mariska Kesteloo and Alessia di Raimondo (S01). And for the second series of 10 episodes Jaroslaw Marciuk and Mariska Kesteloo (S02).
How to join the B2B Influencer Marketing chat series?
Join us every Thursday at 1 pm CEST /12 pm GMT LIVE on Zoom. You can participate and ask questions to our special guests. This is the most engaging way to be part of our series of interviews.
Follow us on Eventbrite and sign up for the next live interview with influencers, entrepreneurs, and many other interesting guests from the MICE industry and beyond. You can register and participate for free.
World of MICE – events on Eventbrite – free registration.
What if you missed a live episode?
In case you missed our live session, listen to our conversation on your favorite podcast channel. We upload the whole interview to the following podcast channels: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Radio Public.
Blog posts
Do you prefer reading over listening? You can read the entire conversation from each interview on our website.
The second season of B2B chat series
We started the second season in November 2020 with Instagram Influencer, Phil Gonzalez and our new regular host – Jaroslaw Marciuk. Enjoy watching, listening, and reading the B2B influencer marketing chat series.
1. Phil Gonzalez – Influencer marketing on Instagram
Phil Gonzalez, besides being a dynamic person, he got involved in the internet and social media from the early start. He saw the evolution of influencers and influencer marketing, before it received its official name. Besides he’s a huge fan and passionate about Instagram and with his community (Instagramers Network) and followers he reaches thousands of people.
During this episode with Phil Gonzalez we will cover the following topics:
- The role of Instagram
- How Instagram has changed over 10 years
- The evolution of influencers
- Instagramers (Igers) and mobile photographers community on Instagram
- How do you become an influencer on Instagram?
- How does the future look like for Instagram? (Reels, Shopping, videos)
- Is it too late to start your Instagram profile?
You can read two blog posts: Influencer Marketing on Instagram and The future and trends on Instagram in 2021
2. Tim Williams – Measuring impact of influencers
Tim Williams is the CEO of Onalytica, an Influencer Marketing company that provides Influencer Relationship Management software and supporting professional services. Established in 2009, Onalytica helps brands to run their influencer programs to increase brand awareness, improve brand reputation and drive lead generation or consideration in the early part of the buying process.
During the episode with the Tim Williams we will talk about:
- The outcome of the Onalytica report: The Current State & Future of B2B influencer marketing
- The impact of B2B influencer marketing
- The underestimated role of data in the world of influencer marketing
3. Anna Gorska – The role of marketing in the world of international associations
Anna Gorska has been involved in the meetings industry for over 20 years. Since May 2019 she is part of the Advisory Board in the leading Polish association called PCO Symposium Cracoviense, where she is responsible for relations with the international associations. In March 2019 Anna became the Vice President of the SKKP Polish Conference & Congress Association. She is a passionate lecturer at universities promoting the importance of the meetings industry to the young generation. In October 2020 she was elected as a Board member for ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association). She was also chairing the ICCA Central European Chapter for 6 years.
We will talk with Anna Gorska about:
- News from the World; an initiative that was created during the lockdown to keep in touch with associations. And now this initiative is on the list for an award
- The ICCA conference that was held in November 2020 and had more than 1500 participants online
- The role of the different social media channels; why Facebook is more popular in Poland than LinkedIn for associations?
4. Nyomi Rose – Influencer marketing on TikTok and Generation Z
Nyomi Rose is a final year Events Management Student who has flourished during this COVID-19 era through leveraging her social media skills and to spread positivity, passion and love for the events industry. In six months Nyomi has transformed her skillset and developed a status as a young professional woman within the world of events, becoming a prominent figure in the pursuit of diversity, sustainability, social media optimisation and youth empowerment through her Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
Nyomi Rose empowers and provides impactful insight to individuals and SMEs to optimise their social media and marketing strategy. Nyomi is a Tech, AI and Data enthusiast and aims to bridge the digital gap through sharing her knowledge and insights.
We will discuss with Nyomi:
- TikTok from a personal account to professional influencer
- Numbers, influencers, demographics, terminology and
- The voice of the young generation and misunderstanding of TikTok
- Is the MICE industry ready for TikTokers collaborations and campaigns?
- TikTok B2B influencer campaigns – case studies
- How to use TikTok in the era of Covid-19?
Join Eventprofs TikTok Challenge created by Nyomi
5. Horacio Caamano – Influencer marketing in South America
Horacio Camaano is a Director of Global Accounts Latin America at ConferenceDirect in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ConferenceDirect is a full-service meeting solutions company specializing in site selection/contract negotiation, conference management, housing and registration. It provides expertise to 1,600 corporations and associations worldwide through 350 Associates and regional offices. Horacio is passionate about the meetings & events industry and of course marketing.
He created his home studio during the lockdown and decided to dedicate his time to learn new skills. During the episode with Horacio we will cover the following topics:
- Insights from a MICE influencer; how is life nowadays in South America
- How to become an influencer in Argentina and South America?
- The untouched potential of influencer marketing in South America
- The future of the MICE industry in South America
- The role of B2B Influencer Marketing
6. Helen Moon – The role of wellbeing in the MICE industry
Helen Moon founded Event Wellbeing Week and EventWell Ltd in 2017, the event industry’s first charitable social enterprise and resource dedicated solely to offering wellbeing advice, knowledge and support to event professionals to keep them well.
She has more than 20 years of experience in the world of marketing and events and she believes passionately in the value of live events and the power of the communications that all marketers create and deliver. She loves what she does, and believes that every individual should be given the freedom and opportunity to find their passion in life.
During the episode with Helen Moon we will cover the following topics:
- The role of wellbeing in the MICE industry
- How Helen Moon got passionate about wellbeing and started her company Eventwell in 2017?
- The role of marketing for her company; sharing best practices from Eventwell
- Sharing practical tips on how to disconnect for eventprofs (especially going offline) in a very connected world
7. Maris Kuklis – Airlines marketing in the era of Covid-19
Maris Kuklis is a curious, adventurous and enthusiastic relationship marketing team player who is always keen to learn, develop and share knowledge. Result-driven, passionate and creative guy with solid business acumen and a comprehensive skill-set underpinned by extensive experience in hospitality, events, airline and destination sales as well as marketing.
Within Etihad Airways, Maris is responsible for developing the MICE market for Etihad’s global network, long-term value and profitability.
During the episode with Maris we will cover the following topics:
- What were the most important steps that Etihad Airways has taken on the level of safety and security of the passengers?
- What has Etihad Airways done to remain in touch with its clients?
- The future of Etihad Airways; new initiatives and what are the plans for 2021 and beyond
8. Robert Szulc – How to build a community on Social Media
Robert Szulc is the CEO of Boomerang, an incentive company based in Warsaw, Poland. The company has specialised in travel for corporate clients for 20 years. Experience, passion and creativity are their three main strengths. They organise incentive and corporate trips abroad, like motivational company trips, conferences, congresses and fairs.
The aim of all projects is to strive for excellence in providing participants with unforgettable experiences. A network of contractors around the world and travel experiences allow them to create unique and unconventional incentive programmes. They are avid travelers with great knowledge of the countries they travel to.
During our chat episode with Robert Szulc live from Ecuador we will cover the following topics:
- How you can create a community on Social Media by sharing your passion and personal ideas
- How his community contributed to the growth of his incentive company
- Sharing his dream journey that he started in January 2021 and will visit 4 continents in 4 months #worldinstages_4continents
- Latest news about the new normal in travel and incentives – airlines, airports, hotels, MICE industry and destinations in Europe and South America
9. Carina Bauer – The future of exhibitions
Carina Bauer began her career in retail and catering, before entering the meetings industry in 2002 as the Marketing and Operations Director for IMEX in Frankfurt, as part of the original launch team for the exhibition. Following the expansion of the IMEX brand into America in 2009, Carina was appointed CEO of the IMEX Group. In her role, Carina is responsible for all aspects of the business.
We are all sad that the IMEX 2021 edition in Frankfurt is cancelled, what will happen? The following topics will be covered with Carina Bauer:
- We will talk about how IMEX adapts to the current changes. More details about the decision-making process will be shared in our conversation
- IMEX has a strong community and loyal visitors who come every year to Frankfurt and/or Las Vegas. We will talk about how F2F communities were fragmented by Covid and what that means for IMEX and for others
- Marketing & social media. IMEX always has been very active on social media and Carina will share insights about the tools and strategies they have used
10. Antti Lumiainen & Nadja Rubtsova – B2B influencer marketing campaign
Antti Lumiainen is an event enthusiast with over 10 years of industry experience and a strong believer of face to face and the power of events. Having a diverse background in associations, exhibitions and event management, Antti is now working with Helsinki Marketing, promoting Helsinki as a meetings and events destination. He has been active for several years in the local chapter of Meeting Professionals International and currently holds the position of President Elect. He is passionate about giving back to the industry that has created so many possibilities for his career.
Nadja Rubtsova has more than 10 years of experience in the meetings industry. Before starting her own business in 2020, Nadia has worked in 4 different countries as well on the suppliers’ side as from the client’s side. Nadia specialises in business development, sales and negotiations.
During this episode we will cover the following topics together with Nadja Rubtsova and Antti Lumiainen:
- Why has Helsinki chosen to put influencer marketing for the meetings & events industry on their agenda?
- How do you select the right influencer for your city?
- Based on which criteria did Helsinki choose for Nadia to work together?
- How do you create a relevant content calendar in these challenging times for our industry?
- What are the tasks of the influencer during the campaign?
Jois us
If you have an inspiring story and/or experience which could be relevant for our audience, please contact us: mariska@wordofmice.com
Meet Word of MICE
Word of MICE is the first and only global influencer community for the MICE industry. We inspire hotels, venues, destinations and other suppliers to employ Social Media Influencers as an integral part of their brand strategy and explore the true potential of influencer marketing. We create unique creative, tailor-made campaigns for all suppliers in the MICE industry over the globe.
Our B2B clients appreciate our years of experience in the MICE industry combined with an innovative product to bring their brand awareness to the next level.
TikTok Challenge to get eventprofs ready for the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series
Let`s talk about TikTok
Why are event professionals not engaged with TikTok? Is it fear, lack of awareness, makes you feel old or even just want to ignore a social media platform which has over 850M active users worldwide? Wait, what?
60% of TikTok users are Gen Zers, the trendsetters, trend breakers and influence changes globally whether we like to admit it or not. I can imagine many event professionals would rather ignore this social media and just wait for the trend to be over so they can just go back to posting their same old content.
Yes TikTok could be replaced with another social media platform later on but it’s the fact that you have missed a key demographic who are all eager to have their voices heard and prosper in their dream career whilst most of the world is against the #NextGen succeeding.
Now, why is this a problem? It’s a problem because if you have forgot to include a demographic which in the next couple of years will be your customers, employers and competition you have been erased from their minds. The next generation consume content everywhere they go, advertisements trying to get them to buy their products and follow them on social media. They can decide in less than six seconds whether to keep on scrolling or to give you the benefit of the doubt.
TikTok is the platform to be on but it’s important you understand:
- what it is
- who uses the platform
- why you should be on TikTok,
- how to best use the functions and insider tips and tricks
Will you be joining us for the 4 Day TikTok Challenge #wordofmicetiktokers?
TikTok Challenge for eventprofs
Will you be joining Nyomi Rose, Mariska Kestloo, Jaroslaw Marciuk for the 4 Day TikTok Challenge to get you ready for the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series? So, come and join us and leverage yourself on TikTok to make sure your event business or even personal brand is future proof.
Day 1’s TikTok Challenge is for everyone to, Get to know you!
Introduce who you are, share what you do and a fun fact perhaps. This is a great TikTok to film even if you already use TikTok or to introduce yourself to 850 million active users. There are different ways you can film this type of TikTok such as; Pointing to different places on the screen and then adding text over the top or by going into the templates section on the record tab and begin uploading images that represent your brand, company or events you plan.
- Introduce yourself to TikTok, this can be educational!
- A song that empowers you, use a sound in TikTok Viral, you can find these in the sounds tab when you go to record your video.
- Use TikTok hashtags: #introduceyourselfchallenge #intro #viral #introducemyself
@mariskakestelooMy first video on TikTok ?##eventprofs ##wordofmicetiktokers @whatnyomidoes
Make sure you check out the TikTok from Nyomi Rose over on her profile at @whatnyomidoes and get inspired by her take on the Day 1 TikTok Challenge. Don’t forget to use #wordofmicetiktokers so I can easily find your TikTok!
Day 2’s TikTok Challenge is to share your misunderstandings of TikTok!
This is a great TikTok to film as you can put a funny twist on the video but it’s important to show your preconceptions or judgements about TikTok but then share positives you are learning from the platform! There are many different ways you can film this type of TikTok but you need to make sure this is entertaining as comedy is loved on this platform.
- Share what you thought about TikTok, this can be entertaining!
- A song that makes you laugh or is just silly, use sounds from the TikTok Dance and LOL Sound sections, you can find these in the sounds tab when you go to record your video.
- This time use hashtags from the Discover tab that are trending, use hashtags that resonate the most with your TikTok.
Make sure you check out the TikTok from Nyomi Rose over on her profile at @whatnyomidoes and get inspired by her take on the Day 2 TikTok Challenge. Don’t forget to use #wordofmicetiktokers so Nyomi can easily find your TikTok!
Day 3’s Challenge is to share what you are currently doing to inspire or empower the #NextGen as they are your future employees and business partners
60% of TikTokers are Gen Zers, so it’s important you share that you aren’t just doing TikTok for the fun of it, you want to be visible to the #NextGen and inspire them to be part of the events industry. This type of TikTok can be filmed in a variety of ways; Pointing to different places on the screen and then adding text over the top, using a filter that allows you to share videos or images or even a filter that celebrates your commitments to the #NextGen. Have a browse!
- Share what you are doing to leverage young people in your workplace or how you empower others around you, this is inspiring.
- A song that is motivating, fun and empowering, use sounds from the Hot 40, Sport Energy or Hip-Hop Fire tab, you can find these in the sounds tab when you go to record your video.
- Use hashtags: #futureleader #empower #Learnontiktok #goals
Day 4’s TikTok Challenge is to share what you are going to use TikTok for in the era of Coronavirus
This is time to let people know more about your journey which is important because everyone loves a story and how you got to where you are. Just remember this is to a Gen Z audience so this needs to be something they care about such as if you vacancies to recruit young talent, you have webinars or events that can help them level up in their career, why your company is the best to work at or even if you have advice you would tell your younger self.
@themiceblog What’s your pivot this year ##eventprofs? ##2020Wrapped ##edutok ##wordofmicetiktokers @whatnyomidoes
This type of TikTok can be filmed in many ways; Pointing to your top 3 solutions on the screen and add text, show your story by recording your voice so you can directly tell the audience or even do a workplace tour!
- Share top tips on how you got into the events industry and built your brand
- A song that is trending, use sounds from the Pop hits or Retro Fun tab, you can find these in the sounds tab when you go to record your video.
- Use Tik Tok hashtags: #NextGen #trending #millennials #GenZ
Make sure you check out the TikTok from Nyomi over on her profile at @whatnyomidoes and get inspired by her take on the Day 4 TikTok Challenge. Don’t forget to use #wordofmicetiktokers.
Have fun and let`s talk about TikTok Influencer Marketing
How many videos have you shared on TikTok? Join our special host Nyomi Rose and let`s talk about TikTok and Influencer Marketing. During this episode we will cover the following topics:
- TikTok from a personal account to professional influencer
- Numbers, influencers, demographics, terminology, …
- Misunderstanding of TikTok
- The voice of the young generation – your future employees and business partners
- Is the MICE industry ready for TikTokers collaborations and campaigns?
- TikTok B2B influencer campaigns
- How to use Tik Tok in the era of Coronavirus – time to learn new digital skills
Free registration on Eventbrite. B2B Influencers Marketing Chat Series with Nyomi Rose about TikTok.
About our Influencer Marketing Chat Series
Welcome to the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series where we talk about influencer marketing in the world of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events). We speak with people from all around the globe about the role, the meaning, impact and possibilities of B2B influencer marketing. Season 01 regular hosts: Mariska Kesteloo & Alessia di Raimondo interviewed MICE industry leaders and influencers.
You can listen to us and our guests on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts.
The second season of B2B Chat Series
We launched the second season of B2B Influencer Marketing chat series in November 2020. Follow us on Eventbrite and signup for coming chats with influencers, CVB`s representatives and many other interesting guests from the MICE industry and Social Media world. We started the second season with Instagram Influencer – Phil Gonzalez and our new regular host Jaroslaw Marciuk.
World of MICE – events on Eventbrite registration.
The TikTok campaign for eventprofs and content (text and videos) have been created by Nyomi Rose. She is a final year Events Management Student who has flourished during this COVID-19 era through leveraging her social media to spread positivity, passion and love for the events industry. In six months Nyomi has transformed her skillset and has developed a status as young professional woman within the world of events, becoming a prominent figure in the pursuit of diversity, sustainability, social media optimisation and youth empowerment through her Instagram and LinkedIn pages. Nyomi empowers and provides impactful insight to individuals and SME’s to optimise their social media and improve their marketing strategy. Nyomi is a Tech, AI and Data enthusiast and aims to bridge the events digital gap through sharing her knowledge and insight into the new digitised world.
Website: whatnyomidoes.com