If you are convinced that getting the attention of Twitter influencers is going to take your business to the next level, and you have taken the time to find who the influencers are, you may be wondering what to do next.
They get pitches and requests every single day, much of it spammy. If you want to be remembered in a positive way, then you have to do it right.
Luckily, courting Twitter influencers isn’t rocket science. Anyone can start putting in the work immediately to get positive results.
[Tweet “Start from a place of sincerity rather than desperation if you want real results.”]
Follow Influencers
In real life if you see someone you are interested in, you smile and nod. Maybe wave if they are far away. On Twitter, you follow them. It is a great first step to establishing a connection. It is a polite way to let them know you appreciate what they have to say. It’s also an easy first step to be able to communicate.
If you want to take this a step further, add them to a Twitter list so that you can give their content priority in the constant stream of information that is Twitter.
Retweet Content That Resonates
Once you begin following Twitter influencers, continue to build a relationship. Just like you can’t smile from across the room and expect that to result in an instant friendship (other than the most rare of serendipity), you now have to actually communicate.
A retweet is another subtle virtual compliment. You are saying that you appreciate their content enough to share it with your own audience. Share things that you actually care about, don’t retweet for the sake of retweeting.
You also can make a decision here about whether to retweet with a comment or without. If you do it without a comment, then the influencer’s profile picture will show up in your timeline with their tweet exactly as they posted it. If you add a comment then their original tweet will be inset and your profile picture and comment will show up in the feed.
Decide what is best based on your relationship with your followers and what will add the most value to the content.
Comment on Posts
Another way to build relationship is to start a new conversation. Rather than passively sharing their tweets, actively engage in dialogue. You can do this natively within Twitter by simply clicking “reply.”
You also may decide that you want to use a tool to help with this. If you work with a team on your social media, it can be helpful to track of who you have reached out to and if you need to pass the contact on to a teammate. Agorapulse is perfect for this because you can also add a flag to make sure you come back to the conversation later, assign it, or make a comment all in one place.
Share Twitter Influencers’ Content
It is easy to click the retweet button. Sometimes a bit too easy. If you want an influencer to know that you actually read the stuff they publish go to the next step – share their content directly from their website. Find articles that you like, even if they are from a few months ago, and share with a tag to the author.
This is a win for the influencer because you are helping you resurface some of their older content and thus giving value to their evergreen content. And it is a win for you because you are sharing things that not everyone else is sharing. On top of the relationship building you are doing of course.
[Tweet “If you really want to build a relationship with someone, you must do your homework.”]
To make this process easier, consider setting up a Google Alert with the name of the influencer, or adding their blog or website to a list in a spreadsheet you can refer to on a regular basis when curating your social media content.
Compliment Them
A common misconception about people that have achieved influencer status on social media is that they don’t pay any attention to the “lower” social media users. The reality is that these people are still people. They need to hear that their work is appreciated. They value it when they can make a difference.
The most important thing here is that you are sincere. Don’t make something up – especially not something shallow or superficial. If you like something they create, tell them. If they have impacted your life positively, share that. You can definitely overdo this, but most people err in the opposite direction.
[Tweet “A sincere compliment has the ability to make just about anyone’s day. “]
Make Their Life Better
All of the above strategies are things you can do to benefit Twitter influencers. Now is where you get to be creative.
Pay attention to the little things and jump in to lend a hand whenever you can. Do they have a webinar coming up? Share it. Did they ask a question you know the answer to? Send them a note. Are they looking for a service provider and you love the person you use? Offer to make an introduction.
Social media is based on a foundation of being social. The same things that make people think of you as a good, kind, and helpful person in the real world will work online too. It can’t be stressed enough that this has to come from a place that is genuine or it will backfire. No one likes someone who is being nice only to get something out of you. Practice empathy and caring in your daily life as much as you can.
What about you? Have you built relationships with Twitter influencers? What were some of the ways that you reached out? Let us know in the comments!
