The Art of Influence Using Social Media

What if I told you there was a way to influence anyone to make any decision you wanted?

You’d think I was crazy right?

That’s ok, I thought so too at first.

But then I realized something critical about marketing – online or otherwise – at it’s core, it’s really about making the right offer to the right people.

Does it have to be any more complicated than that?

Sure, we can talk all day about guest blogging, advanced blogging strategies, and branding, but at the end of the day, if you’re not influencing the right people, who’s going to buy your stuff?

The first part – finding the people to influence – is usually the most difficult for people.

But it’s actually easier then you might think.

With enough time, research, and application of the principals talked about in Nick Tart’s “How To Get Bloggers to Reply To Your Comments” article, you can build your own online following and watch it grow.

Below, are three videos I’ve found the most useful for finding the “right” people on the three major social networks; Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.

How to Build Quality G+ Circles

In this video, Neil Ferree shares his strategy of building high quality Google+ Circles.

For all you scanners, the strategy looks like this…

1. Type in a keyword into Google+ search


2. Circle The top 6 “Plussers” as chosen by Google


3. Review the “Most Recent” stream to see the latest posts on the subject


4. Review the “Best Of” stream to find the content Google deems “best”


5. Add users as you see fit.


6. Share Circle.

The idea here is that by building a circle of quality people, and sharing it, you will also get ranked for that term, and people will follow you as well.

Gaining quality followers leads to an increase in your site’s traffic when you post something of interest.

Not only do you get the benefit of added traffic to your site, but this technique also gives you a quality list of people to network with, potentially leading to guest posting or even better, Joint venture opportunities.

How To Create A Twitter List

While the video here shows an outdated Twitter interface, the tactics are the same.

The principals behind creating custom Twitter lists are the same as building quality Google+ circles.

When you’re able to follow only the right people, you can get a strong idea of what they like, dislike, and personal interests so you can find the best way to appeal to them with your content.

Read what they’re reading, share what they’re sharing, and create your own content in a style you know will resonate with them (based on what they’re already reading and sharing)

Facebook Search To Gather Customer Intelligence

This video shows you how to use Facebook to analyze linguistic style, and relative popularity around a given keyword phrase, using Facebook.

By learning how people on Facebook are talking about a given keyword, you can get a rough idea on how to present your own content.

Short and sweet version, mimic what you see gets a lot of feedback, and don’t emulate the people who don’t.

Remember, people on Facebook are usually there to socialize with their friends and family (and play farmville)

Presenting your information in a way you already know is “engaging” is your best bet at leveraging social networks.

Final Thoughts

This all takes time.

Getting these lists set up takes time, researching interests takes time, and developing your ability to stand out takes time.

But it’s time well spent, and is the number 1 secret to influence. Not only on the internet, but in the world.

“Why should I spend my time reading your stuff, if you haven’t spent the time figuring out what I want to read?”

Whether you realize it or not, that’s the question everyone asks themselves when they happen upon new content.

But when it’s made abundantly clear through your content that you’ve taken the time to understand what they like, they’ll love you all the more for it.

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