Keys for Social Media Influence

Check out these statistics. Every day…

294 billion e mails are sent
2 million blog posts are written
4.7 billion minutes are spent on Facebook
864,000 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube
More iPhones are sold than babies born!

As Digital Buzz Blog posted those statistics last year, those numbers are sure to be conservative. Buzzwords like engagement, guru, conversation and platform (Michael Hyatt wrote a whole book on it) are all the rage. The social media space seems to be getting more and more noisy. 

For those who wish to inhabit the quickly growing space of social media and truly grow to become an influencer with a Klout score higher than 14, here are some keys for social media influence.

Key #1 – Be Compelling

Sure, cats and other furry creatures are all the rage on You Tube and Facebook. We’ve all seen enough Willy Wonka memes to make us hum the Oompla Loompa song ad infinitum.

But those are flash-in-the-pan one hit wonders. “Charlie Bit Me” had it’s moment (and a very good one) but that was it–a moment.

Why?

The message was interesting, but not compelling. It didn’t teach, add value or challenge thinking as a true influencer might.

Follow the example of Jeff Goins, Pat Flynn or Zen Habits and see if they don’t encourage or provoke you to make a chanage. True influencers.

 Key #2 – Be Consistent

Being a social media influencer means being consistent. Sure, it’s good to toss in a few surprises for some added flavor, but influencers recognize they’re in a relationship with those that follow them. It’s not a one night stand, its a marriage and needs the loyalty and dedication of one to maintain its vibrancy.

Posting on blogs and the sharing platforms must have a dependable voice and a reliable schedule. Without this, followers will flock to better leader.

 Key #2 – Be Creative

Whereas the schedule and content is consistent, there’s still room for creativity.

Creative influencers give away what others might charge for, earning customers for life when the next product rollout happens. Creative influencers surprise and delight their followers. Creative influencers recognize what Zig Ziglar said best…