It’s one of the questions I get asked a lot … “You’ve got so many followers … how do you get famous online?”.
It’s a good question, but I think a better question is … how can you become more influential online and offline?
Have you thought about the meaning of the words famous and influential?
Famous means:
Known and recognised by many or most people. – Cambridge Dictionary
Influence (influential) means:
The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself. – Cambridge Dictionary
Which one has more weight with you?
Just because you are “famous” doesn’t mean you have a good influence. It will depend on what you stand for in business and in life.
There are plenty of famous people who don’t spread a good message.
And there are plenty of influential people who are not famous.
So how do you strike a balance between the two?
I believe it comes by being influential first and foremost and knowing what you stand for.
Then you build your authentic following online on social media, your website and webinars (among other things) and offline through speaking, interviews and the media (if that’s what you want).
- Strategy and having a plan
The word strategy is getting a real work out at the moment and with good reason … it’s so terribly important!
In your strategy you want to think about a few different things …
- Who are you going to target? Who is your niche market?
The niche market also gets a good workout, but only because it works to engage people quickly and then you can branch out.
So who is yours? And it’s more than just “female business owners” … delve deeper. Really get into the nitty gritty. Are they married, have staff, have kids, have pets, dislike coffee, like travelling and so on.
When you know who you’re targeting – and you know the people really well – then you can start to talk with them through your content and you can engage them quickly.
- Where will you be seen?
What platforms are you going to dominate? Of course, I believe LinkedIn is the best place to be if you are business owner or professional person looking to grow your business.
You can start with one platform and your website and then branch out from there.
If you are ready to take it up a notch, then get another platform ready and start creating the type of content that is engaging on that particular platform… for example images, picture quotes and memes for Instagram.
- What content will you create?
Are you into videos or is the written word more your thing? A good mix of all mediums will serve you well if you are comfortable with them.
It’s a good idea to create really helpful information first and foremost and then you can introduce some promotional content into your profiles.
Remember, think about what you like … do you like reading lots of ads and promotions? If you answered ‘no’ then there is a fair bet your target audience won’t either. Be mindful of that.
This is where topic becomes important. What do you want to share and what does your audience want you to share? To become influential, you’ll need to share the topics that interest them, while also sharing information on what you stand for in business. Plus consider information that could be useful to your audience on a different level, like the mistakes you have made and the lessons you have learned in your business and chosen field.
Sharing stories will also allow for engagement on a new level because your audience will be able to relate more easily to you.
- When and how
When will you post and how long will you spend doing it (or will you get some help in?). These are important questions!
Sometimes you will find you post something that gets a lot of attention and at other times you will hear nothing but crickets.
Think about the times you are posting and relate back to your target audience … if your audience is mums with newborns then maybe scheduling some posts throughout the night may be a good idea when they are up feeding. The same goes for other time zones.
Sometimes it might be pure accident that you post at a certain time and gets a lot of comments and engagement.
If that happens, try the same time the next day and see what you get.
Whatever works!
- Content and engagement tips
Content is still the most important element of the internet. So what do you people want to know?
Have you surveyed them to find out? Have you asked your best clients? I mentioned it above about knowing what they want from you. These are two of the best ways to find out.
You can search the internet, you can use programs like Buzz Sumo, to check in on what is popular in your niche or you can scope out your competitions.
But in all honestly, the best thing we have tried is just asking people what they want to know from you.
You can take it step further and follow them on social media to see what they need help with. You know your craft better than anyone so you will be able to see what they predominantly need and how you can help.
When you are engaging with your audience it’s really important to just be yourself but also be conversational.
The best results come when you are just conversing as you would if you were having a cup of tea or a beer with a friend. Just be natural. It will go a long way.
A word on engagement … you should engage!
It’s disheartening to see posts with comments and no engagement from the person who has posted the original commentary.
You have no idea how much people love interacting with their idols online and as an influencer, people will look up to you. So be sure to be approachable, answer their questions and reply to their comments and statements. It can only have good results.
That, along with your educational and entertaining content, will be a recipe for success and keep them coming back for more.
- Growing your influence
The more people you are in front of the more your influence will grow, so look to do marketing activities that get you found and seen.
Use your hashtags, especially on Instagram and LinkedIn. This will help the right people find you and follow you.
Have your keyword research and SEO done professionally for your website and blogs.
Get some guest posting opportunities and also some podcast interviews. If you would like to ramp it up, engage the media and get some coverage in the papers and magazines, online and on the television and radio.
Webinars are another good way to grow your profile and extend your reach.
There are some things you can do in person as well that will help grow your connections and relationships with people. You can run an event like a workshop or networking night, or you can launch a new product or service and invite your prospects and current clients to it.
If you are ever asked to speak, this is a great way to get in front of people but also share your expertise and knowledge.
Being face to face with people really goes a long way to allow people to see you and meet the person they have been following online. It really does build their confidence in you. Just make sure you being congruent online and off. This is incredibly important for building trust.
To be famous or influential is the question you need to ask yourself … I believe in being influential first and then building the “fame” that comes with it.
If you need help in that department, we have you covered.
Here are 4 ways we can help you accelerate your lead generation results:
- Grab our free 4-Week LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Course
It’s the road map to positioning your profile in the top 5% of the 550 million LinkedIn users currently active – Click here
- Join our LinkedIn Group and connect with entrepreneurs who are scaling too
It’s our Facebook community where smart entrepreneurs learn to get more leads and smart ways to scale using LinkedIn — Click here
- Join our LinkedIn Influencer Program so you can “Show out” instead of just showing up
Every 8 weeks we have a new intake into our 12 – week Influencer program… Click here for more details
- Work with our team privately
If you’d like to work directly with us to create new marketing opportunities send us a quick message Click here … tell us a little about your business and we’ll organise a time for a deeper chat