They say the rich get richer and that holds true in both influencer and authority marketing. It’s easier to influence the media and powerful influencers if you have a little bit of respect and visibility yourself.
Influencer marketing is essentially the art of building relationships with people that have influence over potential buyers. This can range from customers with large social followings, industry knowledge and relationships, to niche experts and journalists.
Authority Marketing is the systematic process of building up your trust and recognition as a deeply knowledgeable expert. However, without being connected to the thought leaders and influencers in your topical area, you won’t be seen as much of an authority.
These three tips can help you get connected quickly to the influential people in your industry.
1. Podcasting
Podcasting with influencers creates an instant relationship. They almost never turn down an interview, if you have a decent blog where it will go and are a visible expert yourself. Once you interview them and post the podcast on your site with the transcript, they will retweet it a very large percentage of the time. They will commonly link to it as well and share it in other ways.
I recently asked the National Law Review if they would like to do a podcast with me and it quickly got on their homepage and opened some great opportunities.
Co-created content has the power to make both parties look good and podcast interviews are not only simple to do but they play on people’s ego as well.
2. Principles of Influence
Dr. Robert Cialdini, is bestselling author of Influence: The Psychology of Influence and using his 6 principles is a great way to influence powerful people. These 3 should get you going.
- Liking is an often overlooked principle. If you are annoying the influencers rather than doing something nice for them, such as pointing out a broken page, image or link on their website, you are less likely to start a friendship. Reading their book and interviewing them about it is also an easy win.
- Authority is the next principle that should be an obvious one. Dr. Cialdini says people often feel that “If an expert says it, it must be true.” Influencers will be more likely influenced by those in positions of authority. This means that you have to make them aware of your proven expertise to get them to notice you.
- Social proof is a quick way to sway people in your direction. It helps to have a large following on social media, regular media mentions and visible connections with your industry specific peers. You will then be more likely to persuade high-level influencers, who know how to quickly review common credibility factors, before deciding whether you’re worthy of their time.
3. Blogger to blogger connections
Blogger to blogger connections are also a game changer. Writing blog posts that include quotes from influencers allows you to share that post with them and show that you are actively recognizing their thought leadership in your content. Commenting regularly on their blog posts in a helpful way and re-tweeting their content helps raise your visibility. If they respond to your comments on their blog, then you have already influenced them in a small way by starting a conversation.
Linking to influencers from your blog might also get you noticed, if they are checking referrals in their analytics program. That sometimes results in them linking back to you.
Conclusion
Google is certainly one of the most influential websites online. When training their website quality raters to give scores to web pages, they use the acronym “EAT.” It stands for expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. The same acronym can be used to ensure your personal brand is up to snuff when attempting to influence powerful people.
Raising your level of influence is easier than you might think, if you formally position yourself as a visible and trustworthy expert. The reactions you will get from other influencers are often beyond their ability to control, as our instincts to follow experts is in our DNA.
