Whenever Oprah Winfrey mentions a book on her TV show, sales for that book sky rocket. Twenty of her picks made it to the number 1 slot on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list. When Oprah speaks, her audience listens and takes action. If you were an author, you would want to get your book in front of Oprah in the hope that she would notice, read it, and give it a brief mention to her audience.
In every industry, there is an Oprah that can influence their audience to take action. Your “Industry Oprah” may not have an audience as large as the real Oprah, but then again, who does? Even if their reach is not as wide as Oprah Winfrey’s, it is enough to impact your sales.
The questions you should be asking yourself are:
- Who is your industry’s Oprah?
- How can you can you get noticed by your “Industry Oprah”?
Your “Industry Oprah” can give your business a real boost much faster than you can on your own. Why? Because their recommendation loans you the trust they have with their audience. When they say you are great, their audience will believe you are great unless you demonstrate otherwise. “Industry Oprah” can immediately boost your website traffic, get you more followers on social media, get you a speaking slot at the industry conference, and get your phone ringing all by speaking positively about you and your services.
Identify The Industry Oprahs
Finding the “Industry Oprah” can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, so if you do not know them off the top of your head, try the following steps:
- Ask others in your industry who they follow, who they respect, and whose books and blogs they read. Make a list and start reading their work.
- Look up the trade shows and conferences for your industry and see who is speaking. Also look at who is hosting or running the conference.
- Search social media and identify the industry leaders with lots of followers.
Once you have a lay of the land, the next thing you have to do is get noticed.
Here are some great ways to reach and engage your “Industry Oprah”:
Read, Comment, & Share
You want to get on the radar with the influencer, so start by reading what they write and posting on their blog and social media. Start commenting and sharing what they write. Show that you are engaged and paying attention. Your effort of sharing and commenting will get you on their radar.
Connect With Them
After a few weeks, send them an invitation to connect on LinkedIn. Personalize the invite by telling them how much you enjoy their content. Don’t go all “fan boy” here, but a little flattery helps.
Quote Them in Your Work
By quoting them in one of your blog posts or a presentation, you can build credibility and attention. Send them an email and ask for permission to quote them, especially if you think the post is something they would not see. I have never had a “no,” and it often sparks a conversation.
Ask for Help
Nothing is as powerful as asking for help. I am not suggesting that this is where you ask for them to talk about you or your business. Instead, ask for advice on industry-related topic or business how-to. I once asked a well-known speaker for a tip on how she managed to get speaking slots at conferences when she was first starting out. She gave me great information, and she also asked to see an example of my speaking. Two months later, a conference organizer emailed me and asked me if I would be interested in speaking. He told me that their keynote speaker had suggested me.
Ask to Meet
Ask if you might buy a meal or meet for a drink at a conference you are both attending. Here is a little trick I learned: ask for the meeting before they speak. After they speak, they will have lots of people wanting to talk with them. However, before they speak, they tend to be free. I know that when I get to city for a conference, I usually do not have plans for the first night or two before I am scheduled to speak. If you know they are flying in the night before, suggest buying breakfast. A breakfast meeting is a pretty safe invitation.
Take Your Time
You should note that nowhere in these five suggestions on connecting have I said to promote your stuff. That is because people take an interest in people who take an interest in them. Once you ask them to promote you or your services, the relationship has changed. You are another person wanting something. Instead, I have found that if you do a good job with the steps outlined above, the majority will promote you without you having to ask. Not all of them, but enough to make this an effective strategy to get noticed and promoted by your “Industry Oprah.”
It is now time for you to identify your “Industry Oprah.”
If you have has success connection with an influencer in your industry tell us about it in the comments below.