These days, entering into the world of social media can seem like a daunting task. Not only does one have to build a follower base, they also have to make sure their message reaches through the “noise” to reach those with whom they want to engage.
One way to do this is to connect with social media influencers. Either because of their celebrity, follower base or expertise, these people have clout in their chosen field. They can range from politicians to musicians to comedians or even everyday professionals. When and what they tweet, retweet, like, comment or share always gets noticed and elicits plenty of engagement.
There are social media influencers on every platform, but the easiest one to interact with them is on Twitter, due to its real-time conversation nature. Here are the first four steps to take when connecting with social media influencers.
Find Your Message
This is hands down the most important thing anyone must do before building their online presence and connecting with influencers. If a person, brand, company or organization doesn’t have a clear idea of what strategy, content or messaging they want to use on social, they run the risk of their final product becoming convoluted and ultimately confusing for their potential audience.
It is up to the managers to figure out what kind of voice the social accounts should have and the purpose it should serve from both a business and reputation perspective – whether it’s a customer service outlet, a relationship-building platform or part of a lead-generation program. These are just a few questions managers should ask before embarking on their journey through social media.
Seek out Similar Groups
Once the message, tone and voice have been decided, the easiest way to identify and find influencers is to connect with and join similar groups of people. For example, an ad agency would connect with other advertising and marketing professionals. This is a good way to understand what conversations are taking place on social regarding your area of interest or expertise. Analyzing the conversation allows managers to identify various influencers and influencer groups by looking at things like engagement rate on their tweets and their followers.
Start Small and Work Your Way Up
Just like in life, it takes time to build up credibility within social platforms. Consistently going after a top influencer with over three million followers may work out in the long run, but at what cost? Connecting with lots of smaller influencers and forging personal relationships with them can be just as valuable as that one Top 50 influencer. The key to remember here is that these influencers can become your best advocates. Focus should be on creating consistent engagement and interaction rather than seeking one RT out of a thousand. Granted, using a combination of both methods is encouraged once a greater social presence is established. Different methods of connecting can produce different results for different people.
Show You Are Human
Another thing to remember when connecting with social media influencers is that they are human, too. Having a human element to one’s social presence – regardless of the message or platform – is crucial. Without it, an influencer can dismiss a brand, organization or company as automated, generic and not worth their time or attention. This will lead to your message getting lost in the noise.
What are some ways you connect with social media influencers? Let us know in the comments section or on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and LinkedIn.
