How to partner with the influencer next door

Anyone following social media this month is aware of the chaos surrounding Twitter, so instead of covering ways to use Twitter influencers, let's explore a social network whose use and advertising dollars are expected to increase due to the turmoil as people seek out truly verified individuals and brands: Nextdoor.

What is Nextdoor?

Nextdoor describes itself as an app for specific neighborhoods, where locals can get tips, purchase and sell items, and socialize. It was designed to act as the digital equivalent of the neighborhood watering hole. The underlying thesis of why a user might engage on Nextdoor has to do with human connection, allowing for the exchange of trusted information, providing and receiving assistance, and building real connections with fellow neighbors and also local businesses and public services in the area.

Isn't Nextdoor just a collection of the oldest demographic of Facebook users?

This is a perfect time to introduce my favorite aspect of Nextdoor, which its very active Twitter parody handle, the best of Nextdoor.

https://t.co/oNFh8sXWNj

— Best of Nextdoor (@bestofnextdoor) Thu Nov 03 00:46:45 +0000 2022

The parody Twitter handle for Nextdoor does tend to feature a significant amount of absurd postings that generationally skew older than the average Internet user. At least, one would hope that it is our grans and gramps posting these.

🚨URGENT ALERT🚨 https://t.co/iQwVKQOoll

— Best of Nextdoor (@bestofnextdoor) Wed Nov 02 23:08:01 +0000 2022

Don’t write off Nextdoor for having primarily captured older demographics because these are heads of households that control the purse strings of local economic activity. By initially restricting sign up access to those that can receive a mailed invitation to join the service, the skew is naturally towards those that have physical mail service. Over time, it is expected that other verification methods will be tested in order to show continued network growth while still restricting to neighborhoods. IP geolocation services and trusted neighbor invites are the most likely possibilities, with the trusted neighbor method being how I was personally brought into the service.

Is Nextdoor too hyperlocalized?

As discussed in a previous article on the benefits of using handwritten influencer notes for localized mail, there is a strong benefit to being able to being able to establish oneself in marketing material by associating with known entities and peers. The degree to which Nextdoor allows for this is unparalleled. In fact, if there's a next big network Intellifluence and other influencer platforms is looking at, it's Nextdoor.

An example of how a company might use influencers on Nextdoor

Close your eyes and envision yourself as having recently started a restaurant in a crowded area, where you must fight for attention amongst a sea of culinary options. You need to build affinity for your cuisine and need to do it fast. Now imagine the power of being able to have multiple neighbors within the postal code of your restaurant report on how delicious your local establishment is to those around them. If this influence occurred on Nextdoor, the only readers of these directed advertisements would be hyperlocally targeted potential future diners.

Is this even possible? Technically yes, though it's quite difficult without the right tools. The first obvious hurdle is finding individuals residing in your postal code. Some of these people may already be walking through your door looking for food, and smart restaurateurs currently request their honest reviews through services like Yelp or Google business reviews. It can go further though, by incorporating Nextdoor.

While Nextdoor does make it difficult for those external to the neighborhood to be able to review information, which thus far has limited influencer use, it's not impossible. By using a clever combination of screenshots and UTM tracking parameters on links provided directly to your friendly neighborhood influencers, a brand can track whether reviews are properly posted and gauge their impact. The bigger the specific neighborhood, the larger the potential impact. Nextdoor does offer an option to see activity within a slightly wider geographic radius of 5-10 miles, though the claim is a wider geographic view in the general feed. Due to this, the brands that are in dense population areas are likely to gain the most.

That sounds complicated, how else could a brand use Nextdoor?

Nextdoor offers the ability for businesses to place simple advertisements to drive customers locally, within a 30 mile radius. Similar to Instagram ads, they tend to be designed primarily for visual consumption, but can be combined with various promotions and messaging capabilities to initiate direct dialogue with potential consumers. Should a brand have success using Nextdoor as an advertising channel, it would be highly recommended to revisit using that increased foot traffic as a virtuous loop by offering influencer incentives for organic reviews. The local restaurant that can figure out how to build upon that loop of eating patrons is sure to succeed.