Trust is the most important factor when forging new business relationships online. Having the right connections for your personal brand is a start, but it’s how you nurture those relationships that counts so that people know and trust you.
How can your brand interact with influencers in a successful way? Through individual attention and conversation. It’s good to know exactly what works and what doesn’t, especially when it comes to social media.
As a personal brand builds meaningful connections social measurement services like Klout and Kred are taking notice. This also affects your website and search engine ranking as more people connect with you online. There are a few simple strategies to follow when communicating with the right people and brands.
How to Build Winning Relationships
A good image for your personal brand is built over time through daily interactions. Begin these steps today to make lasting connections:
• Target market research – Who is the most influential and active online in your brand’s niche? Check Alexa ratings, social following, and LinkedIn to learn more about who would be best to connect with. Once you find the right people and businesses start interacting on their blogs and social networks with helpful, and professional comments and shares of their content.
• Build your social influence – Social media measurement matters, especially to influencers. By keeping tabs on your score on services like Klout and Kred you can learn how effective your personal brand’s communication is online, and learn where to increase your engagement. In Klout especially it’s important to connect your website and active social networks in order to have an accurate measurement.
• Be a part of various online communities – Conversations are happening in professional groups, and this is especially popular for Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, and Twitter. Your brand will build its sphere of influence by interacting and sharing in these networking hubs. Watch for those groups in your niche that have a large number of active members who are there to bring value to the community.
• Daily activity and interactions count – A drop or gap in communication online can delay your personal brand’s network growth as well as negatively affect your image. Any time away should always be communicated with your followers as this shows them that your brand is both professional and trustworthy.
Developing the right relationships with influencers takes time and patience, but in the end will create more networking opportunities for your personal brand. Daily communication and activity is the key to success as others begin to see your brand as a valuable connection.
