Last year I talked about how size matters on LinkedIn and now I want to talk about size on Twitter. Your follower size, that is.
Number of followers and how much it matters is an interesting question that has been argued since the dawn of the first social media platform (officially that might be CompuServe or BBS circa 1980 – the first place online to truly meet and connect).
Many articles will argue that having only 100 followers is fine if they are quality, meaning they are engaged with you, your business, and your posts and services. These 100 will discuss your business with their 100 friends and your reach will be organic and hold strong value for anyone in that circle due to the commitment of those 100 engaged fans.
So the better question is: do numbers still matter if you have engaged fans?
I say yes.
[Tweet “3 reasons your numbers matter even if your followers are engaged.”]
3 reasons your numbers matter even if your followers are engaged
Reason Number One: Level of Influence
There’s a perceived level of influence in the numbers, like it or not. Every time I’m asked to speak or be interviewed, even on a podcast, people want to know how many followers I have. Getting those gigs increases my exposure, which brings me new clients and ultimately brings me new followers as well which starts the cycle all over again. From followers, to prospects, to clients, to more future gigs I now have a lead generating engine that will help me keep my sales pipeline full and always humming.
Reason Number Two: Increase My Pricing
Having a large number of followers gives me great impact, expert status and the most valuable of all – social proof that I know what I am talking about. This social proof of my status allows me to charge more and value my services at a higher price point. So even if I am not getting a direct lead my prices can increase with my number of followers and thus so do my profits. I like knowing that I can keep my revenue stream in the black because of this expert value.
Reason Number Three: Extend My Reach Regardless of Ads and Promotions
Holding webinars to explain what I do, educate when and where I can, and to sell my services is key for my business growth and probably for yours too. Regardless if my fans are engaged or not, the more followers I have the more people my webinar promotion posts (or other launch vehicle) can reach. I don’t need to buy an ad (though I still do at times) to gain some extra views, and the value of number of views is more important than engagement to gain one more webinar sign up. I have often found those that don’t “know” me yet are just as likely to sign up to see what I’m all about as those who already interact and buy.
To recap: One of the best ways to grow your business is to gain the trust of your prospects and one of the best ways to do that is through the proof of numbers.
To be deemed an ‘expert’ and ‘thought leader’ the prevailing statistic on Twitter is 5k-10,000 followers.
I know that sounds like a lot when you feel stuck at maybe 50 or even 200. Check out my post on building your social media system to start gaining followers who are not just friends. It IS possible! I did it and I know you can too.
Do you have a specific question about where to start on your march toward ten thousand? Join me in my LinkedIn Group and I will be glad to answer any questions you have!
Today, I’m going to talk about how to BECOME an influencer.
Pick a platform: Blog, podcast, any place you can share your expertise. Think about what medium you enjoy working in. For some it is writing, for others it is speaking, and for some it is a visual medium with video or photography.
Because the steps to becoming an influencer will take time and consistency it’s important to really nail down your favorite method of connecting and of doing the work. Because I won’t lie, it will take work to make yourself an influencer, but work that is well worth the effort.
[Tweet “It will take work to make yourself an influencer, but work that is well worth the effort.”]
Once you have picked your platform it’s time to get busy!
7 steps to becoming an influencer in any market or platform you choose
First: Share your best stuff. This idea is nothing new, but still needs to be said. Sharing valuable information that actually improves the lives of your tribe will be where you spend the most time, and get the most return. Followers will notice that you offer a great value to them without expecting anything in return. Be consistent and post often. Sharing knowledge with no expectation is paramount to becoming the influencer you wish to be.
Second: Specialize more if you can. Try to niche down into an even smaller division of your market. The reason this has a lot of power is with a very specific and specialized niche you stand a better chance of becoming The Go-To person in that field. And that is a win toward becoming influential!
Third: Be open. It’s time to really get comfortable being out and in the wide “open” internet. Becoming influential means you will have a lot more eyes on you, and that’s a good thing, but I know it can be scary. Work on really staying true to your business Why. Start to shape the conversation around your business niche, and your influence will truly come.
Fourth: Partner with other influencers. Remember those blog posts I wrote about building relationships online and how to start that before you need them? (Check them out here and here) (link) Well here is a great example. Now you have things to say and your favorite platform to say them on. It’s time to partner with another influencer to help get the word out: write a guest post, get an interview, offer to interview them, write an article for their publication, contribute to their comments, offer to talk at seminars and conferences they attend, the list goes on. When you get on their radar you get on their people’s radar and that helps rocket you to the influencing top much faster.
Fifth: Write a book. Yes I know it sounds awfully daunting, but that’s what ghost writers are for! Writing a book is still a huge mark of credibility, even in this day of online everything. People see a book as evidence that you know what you are talking about. You also have the potential of reaching a whole new section of fans and followers.
Sixth: No hiding, get your contact information out there and make it easy to find. Respond back to fan emails, invite and encourage people to call or write, show a willingness to connect in person or on the phone. Quite simply, be available. This can generate a lot of discussion among your fans and the end result is often, loyalty. Which means they will talk about your stuff over and over again. And there is no better influence than that lovely piece of the market called: social proof.
Lucky number seven bonus step: Track what works. Always always always keep track of what is working and what is not. Know your numbers. By numbers I mean followers, comments, clicks, and analytics. Getting help with analytics interpretation is a great idea because this can be a lot to learn. But this information is invaluable in helping you to plan for success by doing more of the actions that work well and less of what doesn’t
What is one action you can take today? Check out the top 10-20 influencers in your niche and see what they are doing.
Ask yourself:
What platform are they on?
How often do they post?
What content are they sharing?
What will it take to be there?
Then come on over and join my LinkedIn group where we can talk influencer strategy all day long! Can’t wait to see you there and at the top of your game.
There is no doubt about it, social media has changed all of our lives for the better, and some might argue for the worse. But from a business perspective I can’t imagine doing business successfully and as lucratively without it.
“The Internet doesn’t steal our humanity, it reflects it. The Internet doesn’t get inside us, it shows what’s inside us. And social media isn’t cold, it’s just complex and hard to define.” ~ Josh Rose, Mashable
I couldn’t agree with Josh more, and no matter how much we might stomp and moan that social media is “all just too much to deal with”, it has a very important role to play in your plans to help a lot of people, and make a lot of money.
[Tweet “5 very positive ways social media has changed our business culture.”]
So today I want to focus on 5 very positive ways social media has changed our business culture.
Social media has leveled the playing field for business.
Just a decade ago there was no way (or a very very difficult way) for a solo-preneur to compete with any big business out there. David was no match for Goliath, period. But with the advent of social selling, accessibility, ease of marketing, email auto-responder campaigns, Facebook Pages, LinkedIn, and more, the ability to create, reach and sell has never been easier.
Social media allows you to reach anyone in the world.
Want to talk to Oprah? Just tweet @ her! Want to share your story with a Travel Magazine? Message their Facebook page! Want to find a group to test your product that is not from your country? Find a LinkedIn group or Meetup! More reach = more potential customers, it’s that simple.
Social media allows you to work with AND keep in touch with anyone, anywhere.
Find your perfect business partner on LinkedIn, no matter that you live in London and they live in the States. Follow up and engage easily with customers via email lists, membership sites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and more. Time zone is irrelevant when they can pop online and find YOU, and your products, accessible. You think your ideal client might live across the globe? That’s ok! There has never been an easier way to find them and reach them than social media in all forms.
Social media allows your message to be known loud and clear.
Share your life and share your business message, almost like a diary, with a scope no one could EVER reach without social media today. It’s a record that shouts out who you are and why you are in business, a message that fosters trust and connection in a way that cannot be replaced for its reach and its (semi)-permanence.
Social media supports sharing, collaboration, and provides a platform to establish your expert status.
Imagine telling one person at a time why you were good at your job and why you knew what you knew? Imagine handing out your business card as the ONLY way for people to get to know you and believe in you. (Though I still believe in the old fashioned handshake and business card swap as a go-to during face to face meetings!) Imagine never EVER hearing from your competitors, your “lost” clients, and your fans for ways you could improve and change to better serve them. Imagine your resume the ONLY method for telling people what you were good at and why.
Now let’s breathe a sigh of relief and be grateful that we DO have access to social media!
With this in mind what is the first step you are going to take today to get started in leveraging the smorgasbord of business tools (aka social media) out there for you to use?
Endorsements… those fun little squares, so nicely filled with people’s faces. Those mind boggling emails you get telling you that someone you barely know endorsed you for something you KNOW they have no idea you have any talent in.
Maybe you have done that too, I understand! It’s so easy to click, click, click, adding endorsement “kudos” to your fellow connections, it just feels like you are doing something good!
What is a LinkedIn endorsement really for anyway?
Well, just like everything else, there IS a strategy behind this chess board and I’m going to tell you what it is and what to DO.
First and most important item to know: LinkedIn uses these skills terms as keywords in their search algorithms to make sure the people who are searching for those skills, words, and knowledge find YOU. That’s why you must ensure the keywords you have worked so hard to use in every other space of your LinkedIn profile show up here too!
Take a look right now, I’ll wait. Do you see all of your keywords in some fashion or another in your list of endorsement skills? If not just click edit profile, click edit skills/endorsements and locate that long white box under Add & Remove. Enter any additional areas of expertise aka keywords here and click Add!
Second, move what you most want to be known for to the TOP. Take a look at my screenshot above. All of these skills are my expertise, what people look to me to teach them, and what I want to be known for. Do yours show the same? Don’t let the fact that Bob Smith who connected with you 6 months ago and decided to endorse you for something he remembers you used to do 5 YEARS ago get in the way of what you want to be known for now. Be consistent with how you are presenting yourself and your zone of genius to the world. Constantly work to stay in your zone, it shows you are polished and professional and will get you the work and the clients you deserve.
Take 60 seconds and fix it now. Click Edit Profile, then click edit skills/endorsements, then just click and drag each skill “box” around until you have the order you want. While you are at it remove any skills that don’t relate to what you do now, those skills that take attention away from your zone of genius (Just click that little X in the skills box). Be sure to click Save, and then you are done!
Third, and most strategic of all: My sometimes controversial advice is – don’t be shy, ask friends and contacts to endorse you for those specific TOP skills to help bump them up. Heck, ask me! This is strategy, you’re not asking people for straight up recommendations, you’re just asking for some strategic help.
30 seconds: send me a note and 5 other contacts in your list asking for help endorsing you for your top 5 skills. Tell them you will return the favor. Do this a few times a week (to different contacts of course) and pretty soon your skills section will start to look full to the brim with exactly the expertise YOU want to be known for.
Finally, set a monthly appointment: Review these skills periodically to make sure they are still on target with your goals. This is a fast paced world we live in, your projects and passions and zones of genius will come and go and change as we evolve in business so make sure everything you do reflects where you are right now.
In literally 2 minutes you could be on target and more laser focused with what your LinkedIn profile says about you to everyone who is looking. I challenge you to take these next couple of minutes and make it happen.
Want more LinkedIn advice and a group of amazing engaged professionals just like you seeking to conquer the LInkedIn realm? Join my LinkedIn group and get even more help and support!
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “Social Media”?
Do you think…
“It’s only for twenty-somethings ‘selfies’.”
“Facebook is the only way I keep up with my grandkids!”
“Instagram…Insta-what?”
“Tweet, twits, it’s just too much at once!”
Actually internet users over the age of 55 are driving the growth of social networking. (Nielsen Social Media Report)
“The fastest growing segment of social media users is now adults aged 45-55,” says (social media today)
And that means there is a huge opportunity out there for women my age and older who are transitioning from kids to empty nest, creating a 2nd (or 3rd) chapter in their lives and careers, to jump into the social media stream feet first! Heels and panty-hose thankfully optional.
Social networking, including blogs, account for over 25% of Americans time spent online and as you savvily create this new career, or revive an old one that you loved, this is a gold mine of time and attention ready for YOU to use to your advantage.
“77% of buyers are more likely to buy from a company if it’s CEO/leadership uses social media.”(war of words)
People research, discover, read and engage via social media order to make decisions about what to buy, where to eat, and whom to trust. No matter your business or service I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best way to establish expert status in your field is by generating a solid presence online.
I have talked about how to do this on LinkedIn and on Twitter. Really, any platform you choose to focus on will benefit you and your business.
LinkedIn is more heavily trafficked by the 45 and over crowd, even outpacing Facebook. It is where business goes to do business, with the highest percentage of users having college degrees than any other platform.
It is where you can stake your claim on what you know and why people should listen.
It is where you can research freely amongst peers to form smart marketing decisions.
It is where you can find future partnerships for your ventures.
It is where you can gain the confidence to finally pursue your passion.
Being in transition is a fantastic, albeit scary, place to be. Plant your feet firmly in Social Media and gain strong business footing as you step across the threshold into a new life.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
