Peer Index measure your online social influence. I was contacted by them last week and informed that I appeared on their list of influential bloggers and tweeters in Cardiff (here: http://bit.ly/rrYUBJ ).
For those in South Wales, have a look at the list and give Peer Index some feedback (good or bad). Is anyone missing that you think belongs on there? How accurate do you feel the list is (I’m on there after all!).
Cardiff Top Tweeters
I have subsequently been asked if I would write a blog on the subject…
Background
I am from a business development and marketing background and currently work as Event Manager for Strategic Marketing in Cardiff. Whilst I am ‘not’ an expert in social media, I am admittedly proud of growing a 33,000 strong Facebook group, so I guess I influenced one or two people there. I am actively engaged in Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and have recently started blogging. These are the channels I have decided to focus on, so detailed below is not a ‘definitive’ guide to growing your online influence; it is based on my experiences, what has worked for me and a few lessons learnt along the way. Other social networks and guides are available!
Growing your online social influence (in my opinion)
Strategy
Having a plan in place will give you a targeted approach, with more direction and consistency in the content you post. After all, if it’s influence you want, you need to reach the right audience, they need to know what it is you stand for and what your expertise is.
- Think about who influences you and identify their social networking accounts. Listen, Analyse and Learn from them before Adapting your own approach accordingly.
- Think about who you want to influence. Try and define your audience, identify where your online audience is, which networks and groups they will belong to; think about who ‘they’ will be following.
- Think about which social networks will work best for you and concentrate your efforts on those. You do not have to be active on every single one. Altering your style, tone, content and approach for each one and their respective audiences will take up too much time and dilute the impact of your message. I have stuck to 4 which give me the variety I require. You can always scale your activity up.
Content
What do you want to be influential about? Decide what topic you want to specialise in and consistently focus on it. You will begin to attract a following and audience interested in what you have to say. It is okay to have a few inter-related areas that you focus on, but don’t try and post too much varied content or your impact diminishes because people don’t really know what you stand for. In truth, I have made many mistakes in this area, but the more I refine my content and focus on specific topic areas, the higher my follow count grows and the more my influence grows according to Peer Index, Klout and The Social Times.
Be Consistent – Rather than trying to achieve too much from one account, you might consider setting up different social media accounts, each concentrating on a core area of expertise, with a different voice targeting specific audiences that you wish to influence. This will ensure the right content is reaching the right audience. Your style and tone can and probably should remain the same however as that is what makes you stand out – that is your voice. Someone who does this to good effect on Twitter is @NeilCocker who also operates from @TEDxCardiff @IgniteCardiff @DizzyJam.
Have a think about the content you post and whether for instance it reflects what your Twitter bio says about you. Clarity in your Twitter bio is the first opportunity to catch the attention of and influence your desired audience. It will also help you stay focused if you stick to content that represents it. Consistency is key.
Be Sociable
Social media platforms were designed so people could connect, talk, build relationships, share ideas etc. It is called ‘social’ media for good reason, but simply apply the same principles to what works when you physically network with people. Remember, you’re building relationships here.
Join or even start online conversations on your subject or sector of choice if you would like to grow your stature in these respective areas. If people can see you talking with others and holding your own in that sector, it rubber stamps your credentials and increases your exposure, particularly if you’re conversing with other respected authorities. You will also start to build a community of like-minded people around you.
Connect with the influencers already in your space, the people who influence you. They already have audiences of their own and if those audiences see you interacting on a regular basis then there’s a good chance they’ll want to connect with you too. You will have influence just by being in the same circles or community.
Help others succeed – The people who influence me, who I go to for answers, are the ones who are active in their respective online sectoral communities, the ones helping others and helping me. They have become the go-to people, the people who influence me, so you need to mimic this in order to become the go-to person in your field of expertise.
People who help you, make a favourable impression and you remember them. If you like someone, you’re more likely to trust them and want to do business with them, and there’s the return on investment.
Help out on projects that will elevate your profile, not just for your own good or profit however. It should come naturally that if you’re interested in or passionate about your area of expertise you want to get more exposure, so aligning yourself with other key influencers and dedicating your time for free will win you significant respect, kudos and do wonders for your reputation. If are doing it for your own merit, people will see right through it.
Consider offering a little advice for free (I’m not being paid to write this), become a useful contact and if you can’t help someone directly, maybe direct them to someone who can. People will remember and you’ll get your payback.
Compliment and reference others – If someone influences you, mention them in dialogue or refer to the article they might have written etc. Everyone loves a bit of flattery – again, they’re likely to remember this and it keeps you on their radar, so if you keep making waves they’ll no doubt return the favour. You’ll then win the influence of some of their own audiences.
Don’t Sell to people or self-promote – Get people to buy into what you have to say. You win new clients and influence prospects by ‘listening’ and engaging them in meetings. The same rules apply online. Networking is two way! It’s okay to use social platforms to find and win new customers, but if people don’t know you, if you haven’t engaged them, then you are highly unlikely to influence them and they are even less likely to buy from you. Do it properly – build your reputation gradually and earn trust.
Style, Tone & Personality
The people who influence you will have a style that makes them stand out from others, or you wouldn’t have noticed them. Think about what makes you different and develop a voice, style and brand of your own. Then bring out what you stand for in the content you deliver.
What do you represent? What’s your cause? What change do you want to bring? If you can communicate this effectively, people will respect what you stand for and your views will resonate with them. When you represent a worthy cause it evokes emotion and emotion forges a strong connection. Give people a reason for people to want to connect with you from the start.
What are you passionate about? When you are genuinely passionate about something, your enthusiasm can be infectious. So find whatever it is that you believe in and people will believe in you. Energy and confidence are naturally magnetic qualities. People believe in enthusiasm. They are attracted to passion. It’s easy to believe in someone who believes in themself.
Be yourself and be believable – If you post about things you are genuinely interested in or passionate about, people will hear your true voice and you’ll win them over. Paul Steele ( @paul_steele ) has successfully carved out a career for himself by doing and speaking about what he loves – travelling, the outdoors, mountain hikes, taking photographs exposing the beauty of the natural world and sharing them with everyone online. Paul’s passion shines through and his enthusiasm is contagious. With a Twitter following approaching 246,000, Paul is now one of the foremost influential social media personalities in the UK, and for good reason.
Bring your personality through – Give people an insight into what it might be like to do business with you. I was informed by a client that the reason they liked working with me, was because I “Make business personal”. It’s not just about the business’ bottom line – clients want a good customer experience; people DO buy people! If people like the sound of you, you’re more likely to win business in the first instance and if they have a pleasant experience, they’re also more likely to return.
Speed Mentor Central is a provider of online support and mentoring to UK entrepreneurs and the small business community. MD, Lorraine Allman is passionate about the support she offers and incredibly enthusiastic about the best interests of those she represents. Lorraine was previously running two Twitter accounts – one with a more corporate voice @speedmentorcentral and the other account @beindemand was more the personality behind her company. The level of engagement and following she experienced from the more personal account considerably outweighed the other, so she now just runs @beindemand. I think everyone could learn a thing or two from Lorraine and how she builds relationships and trust. She has certainly been influential to me and I hold her in very high esteem. She is currently listed by Peer Index as one of the most influential finance account on Twitter (http://bit.ly/Ae7pFW).
Don’t try to be influential – I admit to having made this mistake myself. Don’t try and win people over by posting content that you think others will be interested in. If you want to grow your influence; post about what ‘you’ are interested in. Don’t misrepresent yourself, let your real voice come through and you will gain a more regular following in your chosen area of expertise.
This leads me to my final point on the subject:
Don’t ask for Retweets and Likes – Be more retweetable, be more likeable.
Etiquette
We live in a moan culture, so if people have a less than favourable experience of dealing with you, they’re likely to tell others and spread the word. Basic etiquette goes a very long way to winning people over.
Be responsive – If someone in a meeting asked you a question, you’d answer it right? So if someone asks you a question online with ‘@’ or a direct message, make your best effort to reply.
Thank people – Whilst you can’t always thank everyone, if someone references you in a positive way or does you a favour, make every effort to acknowledge and thank them. You don’t want to appear unappreciative when they are clearly showing signs that you already influence them.
Nurture your first few followers / people who start to take notice of you (the ones who your early influence reaches). If you want to grow your influence, make those who mention you, refer to and compliment you feel important, and valued. Build your influence a few followers at a time.
Summary
Becoming more influential just requires a little more forethought, but it is all very logical and totally within your reach. Determine your goals, define your chosen subject or area of expertise and communicate your content in your own style constantly and consistently.
You can’t go too far wrong if you look to those who influence ‘you’.
Above all though, don’t TRY to become influential.
I’m interested in your thoughts, feedback, and additional suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Ben Cook
Strategic Marketing
www.strategic-marketing.co.uk
thisisbencook 