Building your business’s brand recommendations with top influencers will bring you, your social media and your website more visibility and credibility.
This might seem a bit lofty to attain.
But, with the right communication and strategy in place you can connect with high-level individuals.
Who are the right influencers to reach out to?
Your business does not need to seek out people like Oprah or Donald Trump to stand out. A good place to start is within your own network such as blogs in your niche, consultants, media professionals, and those who you know would make an impact on your customers’ purchasing decisions. Many of these contacts can be found on LinkedIn, while others may be a part of your subscriber list or other social network connections.
According to an article on Entrepreneur, the best type of high-level influencers are those who are making a big impact in your industry, have at least 500 connections on LinkedIn, and are active online.
An investment in online research tools like Traackr can help you hone in on the right individuals without spending a lot of time in Google search.
A spreadsheet in Excel or Google Docs tracks your business’s list of contacts, and is a good way to see who you might already be connected with.
There are a few simple rules to follow when approaching the influencers online with those most obvious avoiding an initial sales pitch. As your business builds relationships with these people they will become interested in what you have to offer.
You can start the process in several ways:
● Introduce your business – Creating a drafted email and social media messages ahead of time will provide clarity, and allow you to tailor these according to your contacts. These should be open, friendly, and genuinely interested in what they do. It’s good practice to get involved on their blogs, Facebook Pages, tweets, ect. in order to establish a relationship, which will open the doors for communication.
● Mention influencers on social media and your website – People love to be recognized for their articles, accomplishments, and work. By including individuals or businesses in your content marketing you are building trust and favor. Tracking responses will also help your business determine who is active versus those not interested.
● Showcase a top list of influencers – Kim Garst recently showcased a great list of women who are social media mavens. Notice the number of interactions, and this type of post will speak for itself. Not only does this provide word-of-mouth advertising, but also helps your business connect with new influencers. Do you notice the catchy headline? Great choice for words.
● Attend networking events – It is well worth the time and effort to join in on special events in your industry both online and offline. This can be as simple as joining a professional webinar and creating a conversation. These new connections will transfer into your online properties, and before long your business can be hosting its own webinar or seminar.
A trusted list of influencers who will agree to endorse your business arrive as you nurture a helpful relationship, respond in a professional, friendly, and timely manner, and offer something of value. The process take patience, perseverance, and action, but the end result are high-level recommendations and mentions that show the integrity and influence of your business.
Susan Gilbert
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