How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 45

Influence is not popularity
Having many “likes” on Facebook and followers on Twitter
doesn’t make you influential. Many celebrities have thousands
of followers on Twitter and other social media channels, but if
you are selling portable toilets to construction companies,
tweeting about a celebrity would really offer little more than
just a ripple of brand awareness. Influence only happens when
the influencer and their target audience are aligned, making
exchanges relevant and useful.
Influence is about the topic
No matter how you look at it, influence has everything to do
with the topic being talked about and the follow-up action that
is generated. Is the conversation relevant and meaningful to the
audience being targeted? Does the conversation spark them to
take any action?
If you are selling kitchen accessories, having celebrities
(especially the well known chefs) tweet about how they are
using your products can significantly boost the awareness of
your business. A highly relevant audience together with a clear
action to take makes for a success story and an increased online
influence.
Target your audience
If you find something that works in one of the social media
channels that you are using, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it
will work on your other profiles as well. Some people have built
up huge amounts of “likes” on Facebook, but are far less
focused on Twitter. Others are only focusing on building a
community around their blog and not worried about any social
networks. It all depends on where your target audience spends
their time online.

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