Social media is king when it comes to advertising today. Not only can you easily increase your exposure, but you can also gain real influence in the community or niche you want to reach. Of course, this tactic only works when you leverage social media effectively. So how do businesses succeed in gaining a powerful social media presence? There are many things you can do, but the following six tips on how to create influence through social media remain some of the simplest and most effective.
- Initiate conversations and be social. It’s called social media for a reason; you’re supposed to connect with others and exchange ideas. That’s not possible unless you start the conversations on your social media pages. You need to write thought-provoking content, respond to comments, and generally promote an atmosphere of sharing and exchanging ideas. Remember, leaders have the most influence, so to create influence on social media, you need to take the initiative, not just respond to others.
- Stick with what you know. Experts have the greatest influence, not people talking about things they don’t understand. The most powerful way to create your own influence is to stick to posting about what you’re best at. Spark discussions where you can provide valuable insights to your followers. They will appreciate the contributions.
- Respond to demand. The fastest and easiest way to create influence through social media is to fill a gap that people are demanding to have addressed. Look at the content in your niche and read the comments to see what questions aren’t properly answered, and then respond with your take. People will flock to get what they’ve been asking for– and they will appreciate that you are the leader who stepped up with an answer.
- Work with others. Quality connections are currency on social media. You’ll become an influencer much faster by connecting with already-established influencers. Approach some key influencers followed by your ideal audience with ideas for collaborations. Make sure that you offer value to the interaction for them too, and you’ll find that many influencers are open to working together.
- Keep your content positive and consistent. There is already plenty of negativity and trolling online. No one needs more of that. Instead, provide positive, engaging, and fun content that people will want to read. An effective way to gain influence is through developing a consistent and positive social media personality for your business. Keep it in line with the persona you use already in traditional marketing or in your business materials, and it will feel natural to maintain online.
- Post only high-quality content. Ultimately, the best way to create influence on social media is to create content that people can really use. Insightful and helpful posts will always drive more influence than mediocre content, no matter how many social media “tricks” you employ. The top social media influencers never post half-formed ideas or poorly written posts. They take the time they need to develop meaningful, engaging content that provides real value to their readers.No matter the social media channel, these six strategies will create influence. Keeping these six tips on how to create influence through social media in mind when you develop content will help you build a social media presence that drives conversion and attracts attention. Still, truly becoming a social media success demands a more customized strategy for each brand on each channel. The Provaro Marketing team would love to discuss how to reach all your social media goals more effectively. Contact us any time to set up a meeting.