2 Simple Ways to Become a Social Media Thought Leader and Build Your Following
Today I begin a new series about social media marketing. The goal is to help you become more adept at getting exposure for your business, or yourself for that matter. For this installment, I focus on general tips. As I get deeper into the series, I'll get specific to individual platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.). These social media marketing tips can be used anywhere. Want to become a thought leader in your industry? Start (as I did) with these steps:
1. Be controversial. I like a good controversy. It gets people's blood flowing and compels them to respond. For example, the first blog post I ever wrote for this publication (which incidentally was the publication's first blog ever, back when it was Catalog Success) was titled, "Don't Start a Catalog." Telling people not to start a catalog in a blog post for a magazine that covered the catalog industry was a dramatic way to start my blog and set the tone for future posts (truth is, the article was actually about falling in love with the catalog business). In essence, don't shy away from tough topics. Use them to your advantage and build your social following as a thought leader in your field.
2. Wrap yourself around an issue. This is another great way to become a social media thought leader. You don't have to be a great writer to get social media attention. You can "own" another issue and make your mark. How? Find an article online that you have an opinion on and take a stand. Share and forward the article throughout the social mediasphere and voila, you're now associated with the issue, too. For instance, whenever the good folks at the U.S. Post Office decide to increase postage rates, my rant columns railing against the stupidity of the USPS tend to go viral and get plenty of comments.
Jim Gilbert has had a storied career in direct and digital marketing resulting in a burning desire to tell stories that educate, inform, and inspire marketers to new heights of success.
After years of marketing consulting, Jim decided it was time to “put his money where his mouth was" and build his own e-commerce company, Premo Natural Products, with its flagship product, Premo Guard Bed Bug & Mite Sprays. Premo in its second year is poised to eclipse 100 percent growth.
Jim has been writing for Target Marketing Group since 2006, first on the pages of Catalog Success Magazine, then as the first blogger for its online division. Jim continues to write for Total Retail.
Along the way, Jim has led the Florida Direct Marketing Association as their Marketing Chair and then three-term President, been an Adjunct Professor of Direct and Digital marketing for Miami International University, and created a lecture series, “The 9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing,” which he has presented across the country at conferences and universities.