Build Stronger Relationships Leveraging Influencers

You have created the greatest Facebook post ever. Or, you’ve just put out the best Facebook Live content you ever dreamed of. And yet, nothing. Minimal engagement, low views and you feel stuck. You may even feel like you are doing everything right and you still can’t quite ‘get it‘. Sound at all familiar? Chances are what you are not focusing enough on is building stronger relationships.

After all, you are in the relationship business right?

You’ve worked hard to get people to notice you – to some degree you feel like you have paid your dues when does it start paying you back? There has to be a better way!

And, there is.

This post will teach you how to establish more meaningful relationships while, leveraging influencers.

Sound good? Because, meeting and connecting with prospects is only a portion of the ‘battle‘, there’s so much more to conquer but rest assured that the work you’ve already done is the beginning of a necessary foundation.

5 Effective Ways to Build Stronger Relationships while Leveraging Influencers

People are not born with the natural ability to develop and build stronger relationships with others. These are skills like any other that can be learned and mastered when one recognizes the need and takes the time and effort to develop them. Network marketing is almost entirely a relationship space. And, we are learning that influencers are playing a much heavier role in this space too. So, why not utilize both avenues to create, nurture and strengthen new relationships? The 5 ways we are going to share with you can be done by anyone. Whether you are brand new to the industry or been around for years – the combination of these 2 skills are powerful.

In addition to powerful they are also a very new concept for marketers. In turn, puts you slightly ahead of the curve and gives you an opportunity to teach your team to do the same. Now keep in mind that leveraging influencers doesn’t mean using them either – in fact, we are going to share ways that will also help you gain their attention – the right way.

Start Creating your List of Influencers

This list should be no more than 4-6 names, and they are people you are going to watch and follow closely. Sounds sort of like stalking – in a safe and admirable type of way though of course! Seek out ways to follow them;

1. Facebook (Like their page!)
2. Facebook Group (join them!)
3. LinkedIn Groups (connect there too!)
4. Twitter (follow them!)
5. Blog or Website (subscribe to updates also know as RSS feeds)
6. Attend a live event if possible

Now, here comes the most important part ….

Engage with the communities and pages you are following! Be an active contributor but not just to comment or like – make your time spent here valuable. Often, these communities are packed full of people who in fact may be ideal for your products or services. These are key ways to 1) get noticed by influencers and 2) position yourself as an expert too! When this happens only makes sense that stronger relationships start to form, right?

Be a Supporter or a Fan

As mentioned above, you want to follow them wherever you can. Love on them somehow – even make references to why you follow them or support their opinions, styles, perspectives, etc. Paraphrase their content in groups, for example; you are selling insurance and you’ve heard the influencer before comment on getting the highest liability (work with us here!) …

You could answer a question in the group about this very topic with; ‘Great question! and I actually saw John mention that getting the highest liability is ideal! Let me see if I can tag you in John’s post about it!‘. Yes, this will take time but, like any activity once it becomes a habit it’s much faster. And in our opinion? If this is one you can master … your business will reward you.

Stronger relationships create bigger business.

A nice complement to this strategy is become almost like an informal community moderator. Let us explain … It is without question that these influencers have massive communities that can make it difficult to ‘keep up with’. They would not only value a contributor who is in alignment with their teaching, beliefs, etc. but this is also a great way to get noticed!

Cover their Live or Keynote Talk

Now remember everything we do to represent this industry should be genuine and authentic. And so, when you are commenting or engaging in groups or attending live events or watching webinars, etc. it’s because you actually, really want to. As a result, let’s assume you have just attended an event they were speaking at and it was incredible! Talk about, write about it, blog about it, go Live about it – do something that covers their main points. And, tag them!

This is 2 fold; it’s a great way to give back to your current audience and, a great way to let an influencer know that you actually are about them and not just their status.

Create a Resource the Influencer’s Community is Looking for

This strategy should only be executed once the community is relatively familiar with you and the value you bring. Let’s assume it’s been a month of consistent engagement in the groups and it’s a great little place for you to ‘hang out’. And what you’ve noticed is people consistently asking for the benefits of this particular toothpaste that the influencer suggests. What you have also seen is the influencer say things like ‘I wish there was more time in the day or I’d create one, sorry ya’ll!’.

This tells us 2 things;

1. The community wants it and,
2. The influencer is all for it, just lacks the time.

Well, guess who could create that resource?! Yes – YOU! This doesn’t need to be some elaborate piece of art but, take some time to put a solid piece of content together that you are happy with. Then, you can share it with not only the influencer but with the community. There’s no need to brand it with your name or logo, etc. Keep it generic people will be far more receptive to that and more likely to be open to building stronger relationships with you. Oh, and don’t forget you are in someone else’s group or community. Having said that, when people don’t feel harmed or sold through the process they are very likely to reach out to you or connect on social media.

This shows people that you are interested in the same product and knowledgeable about the benefits. Super powerful and relatable.

Become a Customer of the Influencer

Most influencers (not all) have some type of course or program they offer to the public. Now since you have chosen this influencer because they are loosely related to your niche, their program may make sense. This allows you to become a student of theirs that often gives you direct access, but it can also give you more info and knowledge for your own business. Obviously you want to be mindful that the program or product will benefit you – but if you took the right time to choose this person in the first place this strategy should work in your favor.

Overall, learning how to leverage influencers can help you create some of the stronger relationships you are lacking in your business. It’s possible you have not yet experienced what that looks and feels like but trust us that when it’s happening you will know. You become the person who puts out constant value and people just want to buy from you or join your business. When you position yourself among the right people (influencers or leaders) you are also surrounded by people who are the ideal prospect.

Don’t forget to let us know if this blog was helpful and be sure to share it with your teams!

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