Build Connections with the Top Dogs Via Social Media

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Tiger Woods shakes hands with junior golfer Charles Pantango, 17, of Ft. Worth, Texas, after giving him a few tips on his game June 18 at Disney's Palm course. Copyright © 2002, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY.
Tiger Woods shakes hands with junior golfer Charles Pantango © 2002, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY.

Alright… so we all want to be leaders, yes. But most of us also do a lot of following, and many of us will usually do the following in the coming years as we graduate and work our way up ladders and etc.

I read a great article today by Tom Treanor off my Google Reader from CopyBlogger.com regarding the best ways to get “in” with people in your community over social media. Now, I have to admit that my new career world is surrounded by people who’re completely dialed into social media, so many of these post as a real challenge to me.

For those going into fields where social media isn’t necessarily a sixth sense, you can probably just start by talking about what you can do for a company/person with social media and you’ll be “in” within seconds (trust me, it works). Regardless of where you are or where you’re going, though, these are skills you’ll probably want to consider and even brush up on in the coming years and social media expands and innovates.

There are 14 tips total, but I’m only going to go over the first four because you should really check it out yourself!

  1. “Start cultivating:”
    • Treanor suggests starting small by picking a couple people/businesses and subscribing to their blogs, following their Twitter, and connecting with them in every other way possible (Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, younameit). Once on their radar, pick up events their hosting and go to them, as well as engage with them online.
  2. “Show your support:”
    • Almost like sucking up but Treanor says it’s more like showing them you’re interested by reading their stuff and “thinking about it.” Much like the above bullet, share some of their posts with your own comments, comment on their blog, Tweet back to them, etc.
  3. “Become their informal (or formal) ‘Community Manager:'”
    • Treanor says if you see holes in their social media, fill it. Help other followers find their way on the Facebook, maybe create a mini-tutorial post for the person/company. If you see anything you think could use some editing, send them your edits and ideas.
  4. “Connect them to a great resource or person:”
    • This is a great one by Treanor and one I agree with wholeheartedly. If you see a connection between this person/business and another person you already know, connect them!!! The term, “it’s who you know,” didn’t come out of nowhere. Especially in Phoenix you’ll find it’s a relatively small world; making an extra connection is a great way to get ahead for everyone.