Building Relationships With Social Media Influencers

A lot of bloggers belong to at least one social media network and use it (them) regularly as a way to meet new bloggers and bring more traffic to their websites. Some bask in the attention they receive while others are struggling to make friends and grow their audience.

If you are one of the latter, it probably doesn't have anything to do with you directly, but the way you are marketing yourself and your blog.

Here are a couple questions to ask yourself:

1. How are you distributing your content?
2. Who is supporting you?

Many successful bloggers have gained their popularity by networking with popular social media users who influence others with the content they promote or submit. What about you? What are you doing to extend your blog's reach? And who is reading and talking about your blog? A lot of bloggers are not content with their answers to these questions, and for some reason, are unsure of themselves and their ability to connect with new people.

Need a little help with establishing relationships with the social media influencers? Here are a few guidelines to go by:

Pick your targets.

If you can't easily think of a few off the top of your head, visit the 'popular users' page on the social media website of your choice. Many of these websites have a list of the most active members in the community, and you should be putting those lists to use. Also, keyword searches may be of great help in finding new networkers.

Which social networkers do you think would be interested in your blog? Do you write about a topic similar to the one(s) they promote? Relevancy is very important. Some people may have a lot of interests, but only submit or promote articles on a specific subject. Pay close attention to the content they are promoting.

Also, when choosing the people you want to network with, consider their reach. How many other people are in their networks? Do many of them respond to the social media user? Pick those who are active and have an equally (or more) active group backing them up.

Get to know the influencers you have chosen.

Look at their profiles. Is there a way to contact them? Do they belong to any other social media websites or forums? Do they have a blog?

Once you have established a way to communicate with them, send a short message their way. Don't pitch your blog- just introduce yourself and show appreciation for their contributions. Many busy networkers will automatically delete messages from those they don't know who are trying to pitch their blogs, so it's important to build a working relationship before asking for anything.

If they chat via instant messenger and are open to talking with new people this way, start a conversation with them. Get to know them. Ask them about some interests you both share. Do you have the same views or theories? Or are they different, but compliment one another? Friendly discussions can open the door to many future opportunities. 

Do favors without asking for anything in return.

If you come across a useful resource that your new acquaintance(s) would be interested in, send the link their way. Just don't be sending your own links yet- it's not time to pitch your blog. You are still establishing a friendship or working relationship.

Keep in mind that both parties should be benefiting from this relationship. Anything you offer should be of high quality and something the other person can use to further improve his or her brand or network. If you want social media users to promote you, you must also promote them in a way that fits their needs.

Pitching Your Blog

Once you have established a sort of bond between you, casually inform the social media users about your blog. Don't throw it in their faces- a link and a brief description are usually best for an introduction and will make pitching articles much easier.

If your new social media friend enjoyed looking at your blog, slowly start pitching some of your best work. Once a week is fine in most cases.

Remember, the other person has a right to reject your content, and you should not be discouraged if they do so. Just work a little harder and allow more time between pitching your articles. During this time, you should still be doing small favors without any expectations of something in return.

If they do like your content and promote it, continue pitching your best work until they start checking your blog for new material on their own and sharing it with the community.

Simple enough, right?

Building relationships over the internet are the same as doing it face-to-face, minus the physical locality. Just relax, be yourself, and strike up a little friendly conversation. That's all there is to it, so get out there and start networking!

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Comments

[Steve Pronger]

Agreed. It's certainly a good strategy to give before receiving, and establishing relationships with infuential bloggers. Nice post.

[Abhinav Sood]

Had we not interacted at BlogEngage, we would have never known each other. We wouldn't have discovered each other's blog if we hadn't talked about them.

Establishing a relationship with your readers is most important aspect of effective social networking. Even if I don't write a post if I am too busy but I take care that I find a few minutes to respond to new comments at www.inspiritblog.com and also that I participate in discussions at forums and social networks.

And "Do favors without asking anything in return" is my motto at Inspirit.
I am currently offering Free Blog Reviews to anyone who is interested. I am trying my best to help anyone who needs some without asking for anything in return. I have never really gave a thought to whether those who request a blog review keep reading my blog till I have reviewed their blog or they wait for me to comment at their blog when I am done.

It really feels so good when you find that someone sticks to you, and what you do for them enhances the bond between you and them.

Nice post, Raivyn. Keep the good work up ;)

[Walk Through Money Online Journal]

thanks for the informations. I find it hard to get attentions from popular social network and found quite new social network called PostOnfire.. The site is pretty easy to navigate and bloggers response quickly when you post some comments on their article.. I spend most of my time blog hopping to their member's site.

[Pam]

Hi Raivyn, Great article. I've only been blogging for a few months. I just wanted to tell you what a great blog you have. Your blog design is clean and comfortable on the eyes. Your presentation and writing style are clear and very understandable. I've added you to my blogroll and I'm looking forward to reading more of you articles. Thanks and keep up the great work.

[Geoserv]

Add to TopStumbles:
http://www.topstumbles.com/tutorials/idiots-guide-to-blogging-building-relationships-with-social-media-influencers/

[Linky Love]

Found you through FMB community :-)

[SiteBiter.com]

SiteBiter.com - Lots of Bites of Lots of Sites. Here is a good way to promote your site. Submit your articles for people to vote on. The more the votes the higher the on the list it will be.