4 Ways to Build Your Influence on Twitter

  

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Use Twitter to get people to ENDORSE and talk about you whenever possible. 

In my 2010 West Hawaii Social Media report, 37% of marketers surveyed were using Twitter to market their business. Of those using Twitter, 71% said it was associated with identifying qualified leads and 89% said Twitter helped close new business.

To put Twitter to work for you, start by following the reporters and top-tier editors of the publications that write about your industry.

But don't start messaging the high-profile reporters directly, which can make your Tweets look like spam. High-profile editors get bombarded with hundreds of pitches every day.

(It's okay if you are responding to something a reporter posted or have a context for the cconversation, but out-of-context marketing messages tend to be dismissed immediately.) 

Instead, look for the 10 or 20 people with a few hundred followers and see how their cascade of influence affects the buyers and customers you want to attract. 

1.  Find the 10-20 people that are connected to your target influencer but have small or medium-sized followings (a few hundred people is best).

This tip works because it's easier to get noticed when you're one of a few dozen rather than one out of a few thousand. 

2. Create an "influence map" for your business--the five to 10 people that the "big people" in your industry listen to. You can find these people by looking at Twitter streams. 

For example, if the person you're trying to influence regularly retweets or messages the same group of people over and over again, see if you can build relationships with those people first.

Your more likely to get noticed by the "big names" if you first catch the attention of people they know, like and trust. As your influence grows, you will eventually become part of the "ladder of trust" yourself--as long as you consistently create and share valuable, compelling content. 

3. Once you've identified your "ladder of trust," ask, "How can I GIVE something of value back to the people I want to influence?"

You may have access to research, reports or just find ways to be helpful and add value whenever you can. Retweet, but add extra value. For example, ask questions or your readers, then use that feedback to write a blog post about that topic. Then share that blog post you wrote with the person who originally tweeted the message. They may tweet your blog post to their network!

4. Be supportive and go the extra mile whenever you can. Always be looking for ways to help and give back.

Over time, your extra effort will help you get noticed, while showing the type of value you can bring to a relationship. Be unique and worthwhile.

Plan to build relationships for as long as a year before you ever approach an influencer with an opportunity related to your business.

What are other ways that you use Twitter to get people to endorse and recommend you? Write your answer in the comments section below.