You know the old saying in business “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know…”? And the saying holds true for business blogging. You can work hard on a new post or video, but if it doesn’t get any attention, all your efforts will be wasted. That’s where influencers can make all the difference. These key players in your industry have huge audiences that can get you noticed, but you have to get on their radar first. Let’s go over a few simple steps that can help you build the relationships you need to take your authority and visibility to the next level.
A Roadmap for Relationship-building
1. Choose Some Influencers: Your first task is to select a set of about 4 or 5 key people in your field and make an initial connection. Reaching out to these people via blogs, social media or even real-life interaction will lay the foundation for the next steps in the plan.
2. Show Your Support: Once you’ve sown the seeds of a connection, it’s time to demonstrate your support. You might want to link to them within an interesting post of yours, share their latest promotions or posts on your social networks, comment on their blogs or retweet them. Show them that you’re paying attention to their work and find it valuable.
3. Figure out a Way to Help: Is there a way you can be your influencer’s hero? Pay attention to their postings, and see if you can hook them up with a person or resource who can help them with a problem. Perhaps you can offer assistance yourself: If you have a specialty that could help you solve a frustration or problem for your influencer, try offering a bit of free consulting services. It’s a great way to build an immediate connection.
4. Be Consistent: Developing a relationship with an influencer is a long-term investment of your time and effort in the other person. Regular communication is essential: Don’t be that person who only makes contact when they want something.
5. Share: You likely have a network of people with whom you share various conversations and ideas. Use your own networks to help your chosen influencers expand theirs. Sharing their content and giving them the opportunity to reach new audiences is a great way to deliver value.
6. Don’t Go Overboard: When you’re eager to connect with influencers, it’s easy to take things too far and become a nuisance. Remember to respect boundaries at all times; this will keep your networking efforts from crossing over into stalker territory. It’s also important to keep your expectations in check, because the process of building relationships takes time.
Getting in Touch with Influencers
While the steps described above are fairly simple, the process might seem daunting if you don’t know how to make the first move. There are many effective ways to connect with your chosen set of influencers and plant the seeds of a relationship. You can subscribe to their blogs, connect with them on Google+, become a follower on Twitter or join their LinkedIn groups.
The interaction doesn’t have to be limited to blogs and social media. You can attend an event or conference where your influencer is speaking and write a post on their presentation; even better, you could ask to interview them. These are great ways to make a connection and let the influencer get to know you personally. Another way to get in touch with influential bloggers is hiring a writer who may have connections within the blogging community.
These relationship-building tips are powerful, but be sure to use them with good judgment. The most successful networking happens when you’re a nice person and have decent manners. With a bit of courage and this advice in mind, you can develop connections with influencers that can move you out of obscurity and into the spotlight.
