Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 How the heck can spinach have any effect on your social media influence? It goes without saying that if you are using social media for business then you desire influence in your chosen field or niche. Let’s be honest, the more influence you have the more people will take notice, the more people that take notice, the more relationships you can develop. Why Would You want Social Media Influence? Apart from the reasons already discussed above, if you are deemed a Social Media influencer then studies report that when you share a link your open rate will increase 400%! If you add commentary, the open rate of that link you share will increase by a further 20% to 500%. The fact that you are reading this suggests that you have a business interest in social media and you would like to become a social media influencer. You would like your tweets, Facebook shares or your online copy to be opened, read and shared by hundreds if not thousands of people. How Can You Increase Your Social Media Influence? It is just natural that those who want to learn something look to those that already have that skill or knowledge. That is no different to how it works online. People who are just getting started watch, learn and listen how people who already have influence online operate in social media and what methods they use. This might make sense – somebody who has social media influence showing somebody else how they arrived at that level of influence. So you watch webinars, read eBooks, blogs and articles. Some of the information is useful and you start to get a better picture of how social media really works. In fact this approach “what works for one, works for another,” does not ring true and here’s why: Visualize this: You are standing at a super market queue. In your hands you have the following: a pack of cookies a bumper pack of potato crisps water A chocolate cake Brown Rice 2 Litre bottle of fizzy drink A bag of spinach What message do you think that puts out to people about your diet? It’s healthy? It’s varied? I don’t really have a specific diet? What if you add a filter to the items in the list? The filter being that your mission is to get fit and healthy, and as part of that mission you have identified eating healthy and only buying healthy food at the supermarket. Now when you go around the supermarket, before you put an item into the basket you ask yourself, “Does this fit with my healthy eating plan? Does this item help my diet?” If the answer is yes, you add it to the trolley. If the answer is no, you put it back and move on. So when you get to the check out your basket only has the water, brown rice and spinach? Image by SurvivalWomen via Flickr What do you think people looking at your basket will say about your diet then? What in turn does that say about you? Not only will you spend less time and money in the supermarket, but to anyone else in the queue they will look at you and be able to say unreservedly, “That person is a health freak” or “that person eats really well” or “that person follows a healthy living plan” It is clear what your persona is all about and what you stand for, and when that happens you naturally become more approachable to people who follow the same belief system. Someone may come up to you, tap you on the shoulder and say, “I notice you are into healthy eating. What do you think of……….” Bingo, you have suddenly attracted somebody who is interested in what you do and how you do it. That single engagement could lead you to developing a long term relationship. That relationship all stemmed from the fact that it was obvious to other people what you stand for, and on social media, relationships are the capital that build influence. Don’t get me wrong I am not saying that you should never indulge in a chocolate cake, a glass of fizzy pop or cookies. What I am saying is stick true to what you believe in. The closer you can stay to your social media marketing objectives, the easier it is for others to identify with you. The key takeaway is this. If you want to be seen as a person with social media influence in your niche, attract relationships and have your links and content viewed 400% more, then stick to one or two topics. Stick to what you believe in. Talk about things that are relevant to your business and niche! The more you digress, the more people will become confused and the more your message will become diluted in a stream of a million other messages. Social media influence is not about what you say or even how you say it. Social media influence is defined by why you are on social media in the first place, and if you don’t know why that is then how can you expect anyone else to engage with you? Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on James Debono - Big Thinking Online and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Connor Brooke Connor is a Scottish financial expert, specialising in wealth management and equity investing. Based in Glasgow, Connor writes full-time for a wide selection of financial websites, whilst also providing startup consulting to small businesses. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, and a Master’s degree in Investment Fund Management, Connor has … View full profile ›More by this author:ACH Crypto Price Prediction 2022 – Is it a Buy?Lucky Block Partners with Dillian Whyte ahead of Heavyweight Showdown with Tyson FuryNFT Pixel Art – The Best NFT Collections for 2022