As an internet marketer or a business owner trying to promote your products online, connecting with experts and industry leaders is one of the most rewarding things to do. When you interact with industry leaders online in a genuine way, you get a nice boost in credibility. You can also take the relationship further and work together with top influencers in many ways.
Before you can enjoy these benefits, however, you need to actually connect with the leaders and experts of your industry. This isn’t a task that you can complete overnight, but these next tips and tricks will help make the whole process more manageable.
One of the best ways to start a relationship with an industry leader or an expert is by writing about that person. There is never a shortage of things to write about top experts and influencers, so this should be a relatively easy task to complete.
You can, for instance, write a review of a book written by the influencer. You can also talk about the expert’s views or ideas. Quoting that expert in your article on industry-related subjects is another great strategy.
By writing about the experts, you are basically opening a line of communication. In a best-case scenario, you’ll have the influencer sharing your article to his audience. At the very least, the influencer will notice you more.
User engagement is something that any social media practitioner values, which is why engaging with top influencers is another way to connect with them. Don’t just spam the influencers with meaningless comments either. What you want to do is add value to the discussions they’re having.
Reply to Tweets in a sincere and meaningful way. Respond to a post on Facebook or LinkedIn by offering your take on the subject. Again, these responses are easy to write, but they can take you several steps forward in your social media and digital marketing game.
Keep in mind that there is a lot of noise on social media. In order to separate yourself from the thousands – even millions – of other followers trying to get the expert’s attention, adding value is important. A relationship is not built overnight, but stick with the strategy and you’ll start seeing results in no time.
You don’t have to stick with the popular social media platforms to connect with influencers. There are other ways to reach out to them, especially if the goal is building genuine relationships. For instance, an entrepreneur friend of mine met some of the experts in his industry while sharing a class in the online diplomacy program of Norwich University. The online MDY program lets students connect with each other through the online learning platform.
You can also expand your network through trade shows, conferences, and even meetups. It is not uncommon for top influencers and industry experts to host their own meetup sessions. Take advantage of these opportunities and connect with the best people in the industry.
When done correctly, all of these strategies will expand your network and connect you with the best influencers on social media. All you have to do next is maintain those relationships for the benefit of your business.
