I was recently one of many contributors to a very useful, in-depth feature by EngageHub on how to get established as a social media influencer. The full article contains lots of great tips from top influencer marketing experts - clear here to read it.
My own advice for anyone looking to piggy back on influencers to make the transition from ‘nobody’ to ‘somebody’ via social media, revolves around deploying the following ‘3 Cs’ on Twitter:
Step 1 – Curate: If you’re new to Twitter with hardly any followers, the best way to get yourself established is to become a curator of other people’s great content. Choose your area of specialism, then set about sharing interesting articles, research and commentary from thought leaders within that field. Be sure to use relevant hashtags in your posts and don’t forget to reference (via ‘@mentions’) other users to grab their attention.
Step 2 – Commentate: Curation is a great way to get started but can only take you so far. Once you’ve built your confidence, it’s time to start expressing opinions of your own rather than just relying on others. The ‘quoted tweet’ is the perfect vehicle for this, allowing you to add a brief personal perspective on content you share. Some of the influencers who might not have taken any interest in your posts when you were a ‘mere’ curator, will take more notice when you demonstrate views of your own.
Step 3 – Create: For many people, pursuing Steps 1 and 2 systematically within their chosen area of specialism will often be enough to get you established as a social media ‘somebody’. To really be taken seriously though, you should consider becoming a content creator. Starting your own blog, in which you can share more in-depth opinions and ideas, can be huge step in gaining respect as a thought leader in your own right. And there’s no better way of catching the eye of influencers than when you start displaying influence of your own!