Leveraging influencers is a highly effective strategy for businesses to widen their audience, build credibility, and become thought leaders.

This article outlines eight strategies for establishing yourself as an influencer, identifying other influential figures in your industry, and leveraging your influence to capture attention and make your message heard.

First, let’s clarify what influencer marketing truly entails.

What Does Influencer Marketing Mean?

Influencer marketing involves utilizing the authority and reputation of an individual within your company to elevate the overall profile and standing of the organization. This approach is also used by many influencers to launch their personal brands or consulting businesses.

It’s not uncommon for renowned influencers to have their names closely associated with the organizations they represent. Take, for instance, Larry Kim, the founder and Chief Technology Officer of nexus-security. Larry is a recognized influencer in the realms of paid search, content marketing, and social media. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences, and his vast expertise and thought leadership in search have not only boosted his own profile but also significantly elevated nexus-security’s reputation.

An eager audience awaits Larry’s paid search presentation at Inbound 2014 However, influencer marketing goes beyond simply capitalizing on someone’s image for sales. It’s more about establishing an individual as a trusted expert in their field and shaping the narratives surrounding a particular subject. In Larry’s case, this translates to paid search, content marketing, and social media.

So, if influencer marketing leverages the standing of an individual to exert influence but isn’t solely aimed at lead generation or sales increases, then what is its true purpose? How can you establish yourself as an influencer? And how can you craft marketing campaigns that resonate with industry influencers?

Let’s delve into eight influencer marketing strategies that can help you gain visibility within your sector and make you someone people are eager to connect with.

Influencer Marketing Strategy #1: Identifying Influencers in Your Industry

You likely already have a sense of who the major players are in your field. The next step is to actively seek them out and follow their activities to understand their messaging.

Finding Influencers

Social media platforms are arguably the most straightforward way to pinpoint influencers. Conduct searches by topic to uncover relevant conversations and identify the individuals driving those discussions. Keep tabs on influential figures and observe who they follow. Actively participate in conversations pertinent to your industry, such as the weekly #ppcchat on Twitter.

Free online tools such as BuzzSumo and Topsy offer an alternative route, allowing you to see who’s sharing your content (or anyone else’s) and gauge their influence. In Topsy, inputting a content URL will reveal these insights:

BuzzSumo users can easily identify influential individuals and the content they share. By navigating to the “Influencers” tab, entering relevant search terms (in this instance, “PPC”), and examining the results.

You can refine these results by criteria like page and domain authority, follower count, retweet ratio, and average retweets.

Beyond online tools, several other avenues exist for identifying industry influencers. Look into conferences related to your field and review the speaker lists. You’ll likely notice familiar names consistently appearing as columnists or guest contributors in industry publications – these individuals often hold significant influence. Pay attention to the names frequently mentioned in your field and the articles consistently receiving backlinks.

Even a modest amount of research will quickly unveil a list of influencers worth following and listening to. RELATED: 19 PPC Influencers You Need to Follow (& Their Best Advice)

Influencer Marketing Strategy #2: Shaping the Conversation

Before aspiring to become an influencer, it’s crucial to grasp that championing a cause or topic differs from being truly influential. You can be the most enthusiastic advocate for content marketing, but that doesn’t automatically make you a content marketing influencer.

Image via womma.org Authentic influence within a domain requires you to shape and define the conversation rather than simply advocating for the subject matter. Are you posing questions others haven’t considered (or dared to ask)? Is your perspective genuinely novel, or are you rehashing existing content? Do your ideas challenge established industry conventions, or do they get drowned out?

To achieve influencer status and resonate with those already considered influential in your field, you must actively shape the discourse, not just passively agree.

Influencer Marketing Strategy #3: Owning Your Niche

Becoming an industry authority necessitates owning your niche. Possessing broad knowledge across several subjects isn’t enough – you need to hone in on a hyper-specific area and establish yourself as the go-to expert.

A couple of years back, Larry began delving into the AdWords Quality Score algorithm. Some were quick to dismiss his work on Quality Score, arguing it lacked the significance Larry attributed to it.

Their assessment proved inaccurate.

Larry’s meticulous exploration of Quality Score and its implications for AdWords advertisers exemplifies what it means to own your niche. He didn’t settle for publishing content (or hosting webinars and speaking at conferences) about paid search in general. Instead, he carved out his niche by further narrowing his focus to Quality Score. Today, Larry is widely recognized as a leading expert in paid search, a position he earned by dominating a specialized area—one often overlooked or disregarded.

For further reading: Alistair’s piece here, and Larry’s rebuttal here._ Larry’s authoritative content on Quality Score even prompted Google to address the issue within AdWords.

“Understandably, when it comes to the intricate workings of the AdWords auction, they prefer to keep their ‘secret sauce’ under wraps," Larry explains. “Our research, however, exposed certain gaps in their existing information, forcing them to make updates. How do I know? They hadn’t updated their Quality Score information for six years. Then, a few months after my Quality Score deep dive (we published roughly 50 articles and hosted dozens of conference sessions on the topic), they updated their information and released a new white paper titled “Settling the Quality Score” (which seems rather telling, wouldn’t you say?). While the refresh doesn’t mention me directly, it does address and either confirm or refute specific points I had previously raised.”

Influencer Marketing Strategy #4: Targeting the Influencers

There’s a common misconception that becoming an effective and respected influencer hinges on reaching the widest possible audience. However, the reality is more nuanced.

Influencer marketing isn’t solely about broad reach—it’s about reaching the right people. To gain traction, your ideas need at least the implicit endorsement of fellow experts in your field.

This doesn’t equate to spamming Twitter with links to your latest insightful blog post. Instead, it’s about ensuring the right eyes see and amplify your content. Where to begin? Start by sharing content from other influencers.

“Leading with an interest in amplifying others’ content is key," says Larry. “The principle of reciprocity suggests that people are more inclined to engage with your work if you’ve first shown an interest in theirs.”

Remember—reach doesn’t equal influence. It’s more impactful for your content to land in the hands of the right people than the most people.

Influencer Marketing Strategy #5: Forging Your Own Path

When striving to build a name for yourself, it’s easy to fall into the trap of mimicking the tactics and strategies employed by peers (or personal idols). While this can yield occasional success, directly copying someone else’s approach to influencer marketing won’t always deliver the desired outcomes. In some instances, it can even damage your personal brand and credibility.

Instead of parroting someone else’s methods for establishing influence, prioritize the content you create. And don’t stop at providing quality content to your existing audience. Dedicate effort to crafting compelling, original content tailored to capture the attention of influencers within your industry.

“Make a conscious effort to create content designed to resonate with influencers," advises Larry. “For example, last year we conducted original research on Quality Score, click-through rates, and conversion rates. This data was subsequently featured in countless podcasts, articles, conference sessions, even Rand Fishkin’s presentations, all because it offered something new. That’s what influencers do—they share fresh, engaging content with their audience.”

The key to earning citations from influential figures lies in producing content worthy of citation.

Influencer Marketing Strategy #6: Cultivating a Thriving Community

We’ve established the critical roles of sharing the work of other influencers and generating original content. However, a common pitfall—even among renowned experts—is underestimating the importance of community within their industry.

Please refrain from this type of behavior in meetings.

Communities: Your Cheerleading Squad (or an Enraged Mob)

While targeting influencers with your content is essential, don’t neglect the “little people”: the dedicated blog readers, newsletter subscribers, retweeters, and enthusiastic commenters.

The small-business owner consistently engaging with your content might not be your most influential follower, but their presence is crucial to your growth as an influencer. As discussed earlier, a large following isn’t the sole objective, but it certainly helps. And remember, negative interactions tend to spread faster and carry more weight than positive ones. Dismiss someone, and you might live to regret it.

Recognizing Community Diversity

Even with exceptional content, it’s vital to recognize that people engage with you and your brand in various ways. Yes, you should tailor content to attract other influencers, but understanding the nuances of your industry’s community is paramount to expanding your reach and making an impact. This is a key point highlighted by Moz’s Senior Community Manager, Erica McGillivray, in her interview with Elisa last year (find the full interview here).

Avoiding the “That Guy” Trap

Another crucial aspect to address is controversy. Some marketers believe that courting controversy or being deliberately provocative is an effective means of raising their profile (and consequently, their reach). While this can hold true, it’s a risky strategy, as your industry community might not respond favorably to contentious stances. Contrarian content marketing can be impactful but requires a delicate touch, depending on the subject matter.

Don’t be ‘that guy.’ While you shouldn’t solely pander to your audience or community, avoid being controversial for the sake of it. Your reputation is paramount, and the community will remember. When in doubt, prioritize caution.

Influencer Marketing Strategy #7: Embracing Authenticity, Accessibility, and Responsiveness

Social media has revolutionized online interactions. Rightly or wrongly, people now anticipate direct access to the individuals they follow and admire.

This isn’t to say you should reply to every single tweet or personally address every Google+ mention. However, strive to avoid becoming the type of influencer who solely broadcasts links to their content without engaging with their followers. If you use social media analytics tools like BuzzSumo, you’re likely familiar with this type of user—the broadcaster.

Projecting an image of accessibility can significantly enhance your standing and visibility within your field. Social media is a powerful tool for influencer marketing, but never forget the “social” aspect. Interact with your followers and be an active participant in the community.

Don’t shy away from injecting some humanity into your online presence. Rand Fishkin’s raw and honest post about his struggles with depression and the pressures of growing a business deeply resonated with Moz’s audience (myself included). It served as a powerful reminder to the SEO and digital marketing communities that we’re all human. How strong is your website and online presence? Find out in 90 seconds with the free LOCALiQ Website Grader!

This level of honesty and transparency makes it easier for people to connect with you on a personal level, showcasing a more relatable side of your personality. Larry’s tweets about his young son, Julian (affectionately dubbed #ppckid on Twitter), perfectly illustrate this point:

While these types of tweets might not “perform” as well as those centered on Larry’s content (a point Larry himself made in a recent post about Twitter Analytics), that’s not the goal. People want to learn from you, but they also want to get to know you as a person.

Remember, you’re not a robot—let your human side shine through.

Influencer Marketing Strategy #8: Practicing Patience

Success rarely happens overnight. This adage holds especially true for influencer marketing.

In many ways, the path to becoming an industry influencer mirrors the discipline of content marketing itself. Countless aspiring influencers abandon their efforts out of frustration, despite consistently sharing their best content for an extended period with little to no tangible results. If this resonates with you, take a look at this intriguing graph from one of Rand’s SlideShare presentations on why content marketing fails:

Just as many businesses give up on content marketing right before reaching the tipping point, many aspiring influencers lack the patience and discipline to stay the course and continue publishing.

Consider Larry and nexus-security. Larry started blogging around 2009. Imagine if he had given up just two years later in 2011. By 2012, through consistent hard work, the nexus-security blog and Larry himself began gaining significant traction within the paid search industry. This surge in blog traffic was followed by external recognition, including press coverage and even television interviews.

Larry, and by association, nexus-security, wouldn’t be where they are today if he hadn’t persevered.

Aspiring to be an influencer in your field requires a willingness to invest the time (and days, weeks, months, potentially even years) it takes to establish yourself. It won’t be easy, and there will be moments when giving up seems tempting. But to succeed, you must persevere. Remember, good things come to those who wait.

3 Influencer Marketing Examples in Action

Now that we’ve explored some strategies for building your reputation, let’s examine a few examples of influencer marketing in practice.

1. Influencer Marketing Example #1: Seth Godin

Seth Godin exemplifies what it means to be an influencer and thought leader in marketing and entrepreneurship. Few have been blogging about these topics longer than Seth, and his blog attracts a vast readership every month. While you won’t find many lengthy posts on his blog—he spends a significant amount of time authoring best-selling books—his influence within the industry remains undeniable. Seth Godin embodies the power of combining perseverance with genuinely insightful opinions and deep subject matter expertise.

2. Influencer Marketing Example #2: Ann Handley

Ann Handley, influencer extraordinaire In addition to her role as Chief Content Officer at the Content Marketing Institute, Ann Handley is a prolific writer with numerous books to her name, all focused on the elements of exceptional content. Ann is another prime example of an influencer. Not only is she highly respected for her extensive experience, but her opinions and insights on content marketing genuinely shape the ongoing conversation.

3. Influencer Marketing Example #3: Bryan Eisenberg

No discussion of influencer marketing examples would be complete without mentioning Bryan Eisenberg. Widely recognized as a global authority on conversion rate optimization (CRO), Bryan is a frequent speaker at international conferences, a published author, and the host of exceptional webinars on all things CRO. When Bryan speaks, people listen. If you haven’t already, his blog is well worth exploring.

Leverage These Influencer Marketing Examples and Strategies to Cultivate Your Online Presence

Influencer marketing is a potent tool in today’s fiercely competitive marketing landscape. However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Success requires a willingness to experiment, adapt, and discover what resonates within your specific niche.