Hi all,
Dean here, I spoke at SME11…

One of my passions is showing business owners (even introverts) how to build relationships with influencers with tools like Facebook.

* How to find and locate them* How to approach them (what to say, and what NOT to say)* How to build trust, rapport, credibility etc…* How to get on the phone etc to do a deal or take things further.* and more..

I would be more than happy to share any tips and answer any questions on here.

If you have any questions on relationship building, and connecting with influencers, please post them here.

Thank you.

Russell,

Great question.
I recommend starting with the end in mind.

 So ask yourself questions like:
* What is the ideal end result for this?

* Who are the types of people that can best help me achieve this?
So for example, I consult with startsups who are often looking to connect with reporters, investors and celebs… they want PR, cash and endorsements respectively.
Or my online business clients may want to connect with joint venture partners who have a large audience.
Speakers may want to connect with event organizers.
Bloggers may want to connect with authors…
You get the idea.

If you know who you want to connect with, then you can laser focus, if you don’t, you will be inefficient and ineffective. 

@deanhunt Hi Dean,

So, once we know who we want to approach, what would be the best way of introducing your business to them on Facebook?

Hey @annfurnivall- an influencer is somebody in your industry vertical that has a broad reach. For example: if you’re in the automotive industry, an influencer could be a industry blogger who has a high number of website visits, and/or Facebook fans, or Twitter followers, etc.

An Influencer has a high following, and it essentially means that by working with this person, you can reach his/her following more personally than you would by yourself, via advertisements. Does that make sense?

~ Alexandra

@annfurnivall good question. I’d say absolutely! Building relationships with influencers should be a strategy in your SM marketing plan

Remember too that they’re not all bloggers. They could be YouTube partners, or folks with large following on Pinterest, or Tumblr, or LinkedIn, etc.

Good luck, glad I had a chance to talk to you.

good  point on  strategic  connections….. thats what we  all need…..im local  so   very different and  probably  use   social media  in  different ways….but  connecting  and  networking thru  social media is   a  big  part of  our  marketing….also  networking outside of  social media  of  course… 

..for my situation my  target influencer  would be a  popular person  with money   within  driving  distance  with  lots of   friends  who  would actually  come and  buy  my  furniture..my  job is to try and  figure HER out  and what she likes  and etc etc etc…….right now im  getting   lots and lots of   followers on pinterest….thats  nice  and   flattering  but  i have to  realize  that  most are  so  far away  they  wont  be  coming  to me  to  buy……but my  real  connecting goal  has to  be   a lot  closer in  geography…

i do hear  your point tho,  for me it   would maybe  mean  getting  featured in a national  magazine ….  that would  be  great..and  my  target  customers  would see me  there etc etc,….but i  figure my   work connecting  with     local  buyers   is  where i  need  to  spend most of my   time…  

i hear  you..and lots of  my  ~who  you know`~  benefit    comes  from   word of  mouth,,,,customers i  know   happily  spreading the word….in person or on their internet  connections,,….

SO I  KNOW I HAVE TO HAVE really    good  content too…in order  to  get that  good w ord of  mouth… good  content  for me, and maybe  your  local brick and mortar   clients  is the markets  view  of   my inventory and  the  shoppers  experience… if  they came and were bored  that would  be  something   social media  couldnt  fix..since im in  a  small pool  and not international……….  … i totally  believe in the long term  value of a happy  client/customer….