Social Media Stardom Is a 7-Step Process If you have authentic expertise and a sincere desire to help people, social media success is just a matter of working consistently long enough.
By Timothy Sykes Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
There is no arguing that social media has completely changed the way that we operate in today's world. Everything from reaching customers, to dating, keeping in touch with family and reading the news has all been impacted by this new form of social interaction. With hundreds of millions of people using social media every day, it is extremely difficult to stand out on any of these platforms. However, a strong social media presence is essential for many companies to thrive in today's market. So, how do you stand out on social media? Here are seven steps to becoming a social media star that any person can use to boost their company's online exposure and stand out in the social media realm.
1. Become an expert in something.
Before you can get people to start following you on social media, you need to establish yourself as an expert within a field. This can be any field whatsoever. It doesn't matter what you are an expert in, you just need to be an expert in something. Make sure that you have clearly defined what your niche is and have the actual know-how to back up your status as an expert. You can be an expert in doing clown makeup, and your back up can be pictures and videos of you doing clown makeup, but you need to actually prove that you are an expert. One of the best ways to do this is to take the time to create and release a free guide on your topic, like I did here on trading stocks. Even if this process takes months and doesn't end up making you any money, it's still worth it because you will have established yourself as a credible source of information.
2. Demonstrate your expertise widely on various social media platforms.
Once you have found a specific niche, you then work to provide article, images, insights and videos that highlight your expertise in this niche and describe why you can call yourself an expert. There are countless "YouTube Stars" who have made millions just by uploading videos of them providing expert tutorials within their niche. You need to be willing to create a lot of professional and engaging content that will give social media users a reason to visit your page.
Related: 12 Proven Tactics for Rapidly Growing Your Presence on Social Media
3. Get testimonials.
To build your reputation you need the backing of other individuals. Encourage customers, supporters or whoever you can find to attest to your expertise in your niche. Make sure that these individuals are writing reviews or posting photos or videos to promote you and prove to others that you truly are an expert. The more positive reviews you have, the better off you will be.
4. Prove you're better than the others.
Every industry has competition. No matter how specific you niche is, chances are you will have others competing against you in this industry. You need to show why you are better or different from other leaders in your industry. Don't get dirty with your comments, but you may need to attack certain influencers and prove that their wrong to showcase your knowledge.
5. Be consistent.
If you want to create a strong social media presence, then you need to be consistent with your posting. You cannot just disappear from social media for a few weeks or months at a time and then reappear, expecting people to still be following you or to be interested in what you have to say. You don't have to post multiple times a day, but you should be posting multiple times a week. The more consistent you are the more likely you are to have a consistent group of followers supporting you.
Related: How to Build a Social-Media Strategy That Works
6. Rotate promotional formats.
You need to create a rotation based on the types of promotional information that you post on social media. Rotate between testimonials, photos, blog posts and videos. Never overwhelm your followers by posting too much one any one format. Don't post 50 videos in a row followed by 200 testimonials in row. People would lose interest right away. If you were setting up a schedule for a week start with a testimonial, then post a video, then link to a blog post, and then end with a photo. Spacing out the type of posts you make is a good way to keep people's interests.
7. Guide your followers.
To keep your followers interested in and dedicated to what you have to say, guide them and put them on a good path. Your goal should be to pass your knowledge on and teach your followers so they can also become experts. Praise followers for the good work they do, and they will thank you for teaching and guiding them. When other people see this type of relationship unfolding on social media, you are far more likely to get even more followers.
Becoming a social media superstar is a long process that often takes a great deal of time and hard work. However, if you are willing to stay dedicated to building your social media presence, in the end you can really use it to elevate your professional status and your success within your niche.
Related: The 4 Easiest Ways to Supercharge Your Social-Media Marketing
