Who are the influential people in your social network or community? I ask this question of every business with whom I work. Every industry has their “players” – whether it’s the food and beverage industry, alpaca ranching, or Wall Street. Each has someone in their field who leads the pack. These people influence the masses, make policy, and shape opinions. These are the people you want on your side when you have information you want to get out. I have heard this referred to as the “Oprah effect”. A mere mention by her of your business, product, or book can have huge returns. She is one of the most important influencers in many industries.
Once you identify these key people in your industry you have a great tool for reaching the people you need to pay attention to you and your message. With the invention of online social networks, it matters not if you were invited to that cocktail party or made it on that A-list of who’s who. You get to participate just by logging in.
When I first joined the social network of Twitter, I had no idea where to begin to build my community of friends. I barely knew how to use the tool and not having any friends to call a community made it even worse. What did I do? I searched for the influential people in my industry. I found out who their followers and friends were and included them in my network. Each social network allows people to see who the friends are of people you want to be friends with, and that is a great way to meet people. The Internet has democratized the velvet rope. As I began to talk to the friends of the influential, I became part of their community and network, and the acceptance was easy.
The next time you join a social network, like Twitter, Facebook, or any of the other hundreds of places people call community, search out and find the leaders in your industry. They have people that are in their networks who would love to be a part of yours. You, too, will become an influence within your community and your community will grow because people love to be included in the influential group. Just make sure you use your influence for good and help your cause!
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Tags: community, influence, social media, social networks
