Authentic social influence has been around for a very long time. Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, The Beatles, Bill Walsh, Oprah, Yoda, and so many more stood up for what they believed in, and people followed because their message resonated with them. Authentic Social Influence has taken on a new meaning of late for brands with the use of Twitter, Facebook, Quora, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, Tumblr and other digital platforms that enable communication between influencers and followers.

The famous quote from Field of Dreams that said, “if you build it they will come”, now should say, “if you build it people will talk about it, influencers will influence their followers with their opinions, and then decide if they want to come.”

I’ve been involved in a few conversations, tweeted with influencers, and watched a live Ustream about Authentic Social Influence recently, and since the topic is so new, evolving, and changing the way brands launch products, it evokes strong opinions from almost everyone involved. This is completely understandable considering that authenticity echoes strongly within most people, and the amount of money that’s on the table.

Want to create authentic engagement…Don’t be Perfect, Be Real. People trust Real People.

There are questions that always arise from this topic. They usually are:

• How does a brand and an influencer remain authentic to their followers?
• Should an influencer be paid by the brand to continue to influence their followers?
• Should an influencer be paid when a brand launches a new product that the influencer is unfamiliar with in order to attract followers?

It seems to me the third question enters an unauthentic area. In order to stay authentic to your followers and the brands you believe in, shouldn’t payment only be made (if any payment at all) after the influencer has a proven history of authentically engaging followers with this new product?

I’d love to hear your opinions on these questions.

One of the best examples of authentic social engagement is the Museum of Me project by Intel. So simple, clean, and thought provoking it resonates with almost everyone.