How To (Easily) Reach 'Top-Dogs' via Twitter
Farhana RahmanI use my personal Twitter account for professional purposes. A lot of my professional acquaintances became great genuine buddies along the way, but my laid-back account is actually all professional. Tweeps frequently ask me how I manage to grab the attention of top-notch people through a few simple tweets. Well pay attention, cause I'm only writing this once!
Anyone that knows me the slightest bit knows that I work on PR, social media management, and brand awareness of at least 3 start-ups at any given time. The start-ups are usually strikingly different from one another, so it's not like I could use similar tactics with each of them all the time.
There are a few self-taught approaches that I use to get through to the 'top dogs,' for the sake of exposure of the brands and for myself. I came to learn my magic method through simple trial and error. As W.L Bateman beautifully said, "If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always got."
Create Special Lists
I have a bunch of Twitter Lists set up. Sorry, I'm greedy, and I made them private. But anyway, each list consists of Twitter handles of people in various industries that I already started engaging with, or would like to engage.
For example, let's say I have to increase brand awareness for a geeky social networking app called "Geeky Techies R Us." I would use a service like Commun.it to sift through top notch influencers of interest by writing out key word(s) like: tech journalist, tech blogger, early adopter, love apps, etc- and let the service weed out people, and suggest who to follow based on their level of influence.
Once I get a bunch of handles, I would place them in appropiate lists titled things like: GeekTech College Kids to Pursue, GeekTech Bloggers That May Be Interested, GeekTech YouTube Personalities, etc. Organization is done!
Make the First Move
Obviously, people that have a lot of followers have a lot of people vying for their attention at any given moment. Be different from the rest of the pack. Surely, @InfluencerIvy regularly deals with people trying to impress her; trying to flirt with her; spamming her; pitching her... it gets overwhelming!
The way to grab her attention is to just be regular! It's kind of like those scenes in the movies where the whole crowd is going berserk, but you notice that one person who is calm and quiet. Be that one person who doesn't appear to be a leecher, or preacher, or creeper.
I usually make the first move by commenting on their bio in an engaging way, and including their name to make it more personal: "Hi Ivy! I would have NEVER guessed that a hotshot like you also bakes wicked cookies! I'd like some toffee please. :-)" I would also ask totally out-of-the-ordinary questions, such as: "Ivy... would my cookies come out weird if I use mystery flour from the dollar store?"
In both cases, Ivy would be taken aback by my tweets, cause this is not what she is used to seeing under her @mentions. I usually get responses from my first approaches within 1-2 days. If I see that I'm not getting a response... I'll keep tryin'.
Be Persistant and Unique
No response to your initial tweet(s)? Don't give up! Maybe @InfluencerIvy wrote a few articles and/or made a few appearances on TV, Podcasts, etc. Talk to her about those! But don't mention anything about the recent ones, cause that's what everyone else is talking about. Dig through her old stuff, and say things like: "I love how you were spot-on with your predictions in that interview w/ @InterviewerIan 3 years ago! How does it make you feel, Ivy?"
I once spontaneously asked @GaryVee (whom I'm not actual buddies with... yet), "Gary, should I keep my Android, or switch to iPhone?" The next day, he quickly responded, "iPhone." He followed me back a few days later. This other time, I realized it was @Om's birthday. Of course everyone all over the world was tweeting him birthday wishes, but I decided to be different, and I tweeted him a 'Poem for Om.' He was so flattered- he thanked me twice, and followed me back within a few minutes. Look at his ratio of followers to following! And this powerhouse is following me!
Don't Be Pitchy!
I would never directly ask @InfluencerIvy to check out "Geeky Techies R Us." That would make me just like all the other people that bother her. As I engage her, I will wait for her to eventually ask me what I do for a living. That would be my golden ticket to mention the client I'm representing. Even so, I won't ask her to check it out. I will be like, "I have a few alpha invites left, & I'm looking for someone in media to pass it to. Know anyone who would be interested?"
At that point, if you established a good-enough bond, she will volunteer herself. If not, she will mention other (perhaps more suitable) people who could support your cause. Win-win!
I would really like to know of methods that worked for you!
** Please feel free to tweet me with your questions and/or comments, or reply with something really nice below. **
Reader Comments (10)
hi Farhana,
Thank you so much for the mention of Commun.it in your post :) we are so happy to have you with us, sharing the vibe :)
Indeed it's hard to focus on the people that matter to you at any given time.. lots of engages and noise...:) this is why we build Commun.it - to help you focus on the people that matter to you, and give you actionable insights to build relationship with them :)
We look forward to give value to you and your community :) and look forward to get your feedbacks and insights :)
Thanks,
Sharel
Commun.it
Great post, Farhana! A really well-detailed explanation of how to engage people who are hard-to-engage.
Another great post!
Hi Farhana ,
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We are looking forward to give you value :)
Sharel from Commun.it
to help you focus on the people that matter to you it really interesting! but i think people must speak with all! freelance writing jobs
Amazing tips!
Hope more people read this blog post. Being different is something we should do, and you showed it by tweeting the Poem for Om.. Now I'm so jealous I don't get a poems! Argghh!
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Farhana,
I appreciate you inviting people to write something "nice'. Nice is undervalued and underappreciated these days!
Thanks also for the advice. In the wonderful,confusing, intmidating and exciting world of Twitter, it is difficult to know where to start, how to establish one's boundaries and how to be genuine. We have so little control, I thing being genuine is very important!
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Thanks so much for the post and the advice. Being new at the social media thing - it's very helpful to get ideas on how to go about it all!
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