10 Simple Steps To Increase Your Digital Influence

This post, by Jeff Bullas, originally appeared on his site on 9/20/10.

What if you could shortcut the time it takes to be known as a thought leader or an expert or get elected to a position of authority and power or chosen for that important job that you want so desperately.

Just imagine when you wrote a book that it immediately sold in the thousands and maybe even appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Social media is sometimes viewed as just another way of communicating… and yes it is… but it is so much more than that if start to scratch its surface and dive in and start to leverage its power to spread your content globally and amplify the results. It can be used as a tool to promote your company and personal brand that can fast track results that can be astounding and the 10 people mentioned in this article I am sure would testify to that.

Social media is sometimes viewed as just another way of communicating… and yes it is… but it is so much more than that if start to scratch its surface and dive in and start to leverage its power to spread your content globally and amplify the results. It can be used as a tool to promote your company and personal brand that can fast track results that can be astounding and the 10 people mentioned in this article I am sure would testify to that.

There was a comment left on a post the other day and it was both expected and surprising.

Why are cooperation, organization and collective action treated as new methods of achieving results … There’s nothing new to any of these interactions…the only “new” component is the current social networking apparatus (fb, twitter, etc.) and even these aren’t really new…and those are only variations on communications (primarily involving the internet) which we’ve been experimenting with now for more than a generation…but I worry about what we’re giving up for those advantages. I will worry even more if people unthinkingly give credit to social media for the achievements that would have resulted from their interaction without said media….”

Sure there are some problems with any new media with the fear of  the unknown or the concern with its possible diminishing of face to face interaction. The reality is that it increases real interaction both online and offline through reduced friction to keep in touch, be found and spread your knowledge and opinions in your niche.

I have found it facilitates face to face opportunities and intensifies my personal and professional interaction, engagement and collaboration and  it also breaks down barriers to communication by enabling multiple means to communicate and keep in touch that are both efficient and personal.

In fact my blog and my social media channels provide me with my own  multimedia printing press and marketing platform.

I think what excites most social media early innovators and adopters is the ease with which you can promote your ideas and opinions to large audiences without gatekeepers like traditional mass media costs and barriers that prohibited us sharing without getting permission from editors and journalists or power brokers.

The Influencer Project provides some more insights on what tips and actions you can implement to be digitally influential. Here are some thought leaders’ insights from the Influencer Project and I have added some actions you can implement or start to commence on your digital influence journey.

1. Hang out where your audience hangs out and get to understand them.

 

Read the rest of the post on Jeff Bullassite.