A segment of a social network (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
4 Ways to find those who could influence for your brand
- Talk to your sales side
Gain an understanding of who’s pushing the dollar figures for your product and industry. Engaging with key stakeholders within these organizations may be the right route to gain both influencers and advocates. - Industry Analysts
Though you may not wish to openly engage with industry analysts in the social space, understanding who’s listening to their social channels may give you a pool of people that are interested in understanding your industry more. - Industry Experts
Industry experts are people who have tons of experience in your industry. They might be the people your company has been trying to hire for a top-level position or whom your organization sees as thought leaders. They are likely strong, knowledgeable voices. - Industry Publications
Checking out journals, newspapers or magazines posting intelligent information about your industry can give you a list of authors and interviewers who understand your space and could be writing in a social sense as well.
Once you’ve complied your list of people influencing your business, hop on social media and see if their presence carries over. Connect with these people now. As your industry matures socially, you can gain from the benefits.
Once you’ve found your influencers, the next question becomes, “How do you connect with them?”
1. Ask your influencers questions
2. Ask them to guest blog
3. Comment on your influencers’ blog posts
4. Share their content with your social networks
5. Google+1 and like influencer posts
6. Link to their content in your blog posts
7. Ask to cross-post influencer content on your corporate blog
8. Make introductions
9. Ask for introductions
10. Give your influencers a shout out on your social networks
11. Invite your influencers to a Tweetup
12. Invite them to participate in a Google+ hangout or webinar
13. Ask them to provide feedback on your brand or product
14. Make changes based on your influencer feedback
15. Provide feedback on influencer content
16. Reward them with exclusive content or offers
17. Host an event to show them your appreciation
18. Give them a sneak peak of a new product or service
19. Thank them
20. Connect with your influencers on other networks
21. Ask an influencer to be your brand’s spokesperson
22. Invite them to collaborate on campaigns
23. Offer to work together to author or co-author an ebook
24. Ask your influencers to host a Twitter Chat
25. Host an event panel and invite your influencers to participate
26. Do a blog or video interview with an influencer
27. Engage with your influencers as people, not prospects
28. Ask them for advice on brand or industry topics
29. Add your influencers to a Google+ circle and share it with your community
30. Create a Pinterest board with your favorite influencer content
These are a few ways to reach out to and engage with your influencers that can easily be incorporated into your existing social media strategy.
Note: under Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, any relationship where payment or other compensation is received for an endorsement or testimonial must be fully disclosed.