Mavens Feel Undervalued. How Do We Empower them?

I helped my little brother set up a lemonade stand back in August. While testing out different techniques for making lemonade, we accidentally broke my juicer. In need of a new juicer, one that would effectively turn sour yellow fruits into a refreshing summer treat, I had to find the product that was right for my particular needs. Lists of ‘best overall juicers’ weren’t much use to me: I was on the hunt for something specific rather than a ‘best-bang-for-your-buck’-type product. I also didn’t want or need a professional kitchen appliance, as that was too much for me. I simply wanted a juicer that would allow me to extract several liters of lemon juice each morning before my little brother ‘opened up for business’.

I searched online for popular bloggers and curators in the juice/smoothie world, focusing especially on people who run their juicers multiple times per day. Malcolm Gladwell, in his classic book The Tipping Point, calls such people “mavens” — information experts in niche areas who a) provide honest and helpful recommendations to others and b) play a hidden but increasingly crucial role in the economy.

Eventually, I found the perfect maven, Tor, who recommended a specific juicer. Believing this model to be appropriate for my needs, I happily purchased it from a third-party website after leaving Tor’s blog.

In an ideal world, what would this situation look like from Tor’s (the maven’s) perspective? It would probably look something like this:

• While searching for a new juicer, I land on Tor’s blog
• Tor’s blog features reviews he has written on several different juicers
• Based on his reviews, I pick the product that best suits my needs
• Because Tor has formed direct business relationships with the producers of the various juicers he reviews, instead of clicking on an affiliate link that brings me to a third-party website, I purchase the juicer directly from Tor’s blog-hosted online store
• While continuing to surf Tor’s blog, I come across — and then purchase — Tor’s Big Book of Juice Recipes, which I never would have seen had I clicked away to Amazon or some other website to buy my juicer.

Sounds like a cool system, right? Unfortunately, that’s not how things work today.

In fact, Tor makes money from recommending products only if: 1) he signs up for an affiliate program of a company that sells juicers; 2) a consumer clicks on one of Tor’s affiliate links, which directs the former to an external retailer; and 3) the consumer follows the purchase through to the end of the process, i.e., they don’t get distracted by the dozens of other juicers the external retailer is likely to show them before a purchase is confirmed.

Let’s assume that the consumer does indeed purchase the juicer via Tor’s affiliate link. Tor will, unfortunately, earn only a very small amount of money from the total sale price — that’s just how affiliate programs tend to work.

Will the consumer return to Tor’s website following the purchase? Will the consumer see Tor’s Big Book of Juice Recipes on sale or sign up for his community newsletter? Perhaps — but that’s asking a lot of a person who simply wanted to purchase a new juicer, isn’t it? Either way, the consumer must now intentionally return to, rather than continue scrolling through, Tor’s blog, which is likely to be harmful to Tor’s traffic and sales figures.

The more you think about these dynamics, the more you can’t help asking, “Are mavens getting the credit they deserve?”. What if we could bring the maven closer to the ideal world outlined earlier? What if we were to devise a system or platform that creates effective alternatives to affiliate programs, one that gives niche experts the recognition and compensation they deserve?

After all, there doesn’t seem to be any valid reason that mavens should be valued less or treated with less respect than established resellers are. Given the extent to which everyday consumers rely on mavens’ opinions and suggestions for their purchasing needs, shouldn’t mavens have access to fairer and more lucrative opportunities to earn? I think they should, as do the other people with whom I work at 1o. 1o allows bloggers, curators, and other content creators to form direct agreements with the producers of popular products, making it possible for the former to review and sell products directly on their own websites.

If you currently find yourself in the same unsatisfying position as Tor, we invite you to realize the value you create for your readers and for the brands with whom you work by finally getting paid properly for it. Our software not only improves the buying experience for the people you support, but it also keeps the entire purchase event on your website. Check it out here.

So, whatever happened to my little brother’s lemonade stand? I am pleased to report it was a runaway success! Tor’s advice helped us decide on the perfect juicer for our needs. With it, we ended up producing and selling more lemonade that summer than anyone believed was even possible. With all the money my little brother earned from his first entrepreneurial endeavor, he celebrated by giving back — he bought enough ice-cream to share with the entire family!

Feel free to email me — edward@1o.io — if you would like to learn more about what 1o can do for you.