By Mike Myatt, Chief StrategyOfficer, N2growthSocial media influence; the harshreality is that you either have it or you don't. I'm going totell you the cold hard truth about social media...what you need toknow that most people won't tell you. While anyone can have asocial media presence, not everyone possesses social mediainfluence. It's clear to those in the know that social media is auniverse of the haves and have nots. It's the differencebetween relevance and irrelevance, visibility andanonymity. You might have something to say, but withoutinfluence, nobody will be listening. Put simply, having asocial media presence without influence is little more than anexercise in frivolity. In today's post I'll share somethoughts on the importance of social media influence in thebuilding of personal and corporate brand equity. The amountof influence, or lack thereof matters in all areas of life,and social media is no different. That said, before we go anyfurther I think it's important to address socialmedia critics and the naysayers by answering the questions:Does social media work? Is social media right for business? Can yougenerate an increase in revenue and brand equity with social media?How does social media compare with other mediums? Watch the videobelow and judge foryourself:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypmfs3z8esI&hl=en_US&fs=1&]Okay,it should be clear after watching the Socialnomics video thatsocial media can produce huge ROI, but only if you know whatyou're doing. The one thing that each of the personal and corporatebrands profiled in the video all had in common is that theyleveraged social media influence to accomplish their objectives. Ifyou choose to dive into the social media world without a strategy,without understanding how to create social media influence, youwill not be pleased with your results. Like anything in life, ifyou're going to do something, you're better off to do it right ornot to do it at all.There's nary a week that passes whereI don't have a conversation with somebody who proudly proclaimsthat they created a Twitter page, to which I usually respond;"that's great, but why?" Don't get me wrong, recognizingthe value of participating in the most powerful medium on theplanet by getting in the game is a good thing, butit's an even better thing when coupled with a plan. Let me saythis as clearly as I can...a ready, fire, aim approach willrarely find the target.For all you well intended ad agencies,consultants, marketing managers, brand managers, entrepreneurs, andprofessionals ready to dip your toe, or your clients toe inthe water that is social media, keep in mind that it does no goodwhatsoever to have a blog that only has one published post in thelast 6 months, a Twitter page with 4 followers, a LinkedIn profilewith 18 connections, a Facebook account with 7 friends, etc. It'slike flashing a neon sign that says I'm irrelevant and nobodycares. It won't do anything to help you, it will only hurt you. Intoday's world no one wants to do business with a company that's notconnected, has no influence, isn't engaged, and that doesn't getit.While having little or no online following can easily brand youas being without influence, having legions of followerssolely for the sake of amassing large numbers doesn'tnecessarily mean you have any real influence either. Anybodycan amass tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands offollowers just by following as many people as they canand waiting for them to reciprocate. The important thing tounderstand is whether or not anything of substance orvalue underpins the numbers? Think about it for amoment...almost nothing can hurt a brand faster than constantlymessaging irrelevance to a large constituency. Not a goodmove... Who you choose to follow on Twitter, which blogs youread and comment on, who you add as a friend to your Facebookaccount, or which invitations you accept on LinkedIn speaks volumesabout what you're attempting to accomplish online. Like mostthings, building and maintaining your social mediafootprint should be engineered by design, but the truth is thatmost people allow it to be constructed by default. In aperfect world you would build relationships with the largestpossible universe of targeted constituents where you canproductively engage and contribute. Just as you don't want toadd to the noise, nor do you want to remain part of the silence.Having a relevant, highly engaged social media following means youhave influence and can create action.So, how do you start to buildsocial media influence? The best way is to start off on the rightfoot by not tainting your brand or reputation. Don't begin bytrying to sell something, but rather by listening, engaging inconversations, building trust, and adding value.Contribute knowledge and information tothe constituencies that you want to build influence with.Become a part of them as opposed to a vendorto them...This is a difficult concept for old-school marketersto get their arms around, but a critical onenonetheless. I would strongly suggest reading two previousposts: "Shut-up and Listen" and "Stop Selling and Add Value" as support for thesepositions. Following are a few tips to help you buildinfluence online:

1. Don't breach trust - you work far too hard tocreate a trust bond with your followers, so don't blow it by notfollowing through on your commitments. I would also suggestresisting the temptaion to have all your communications beself-serving. Do this and you'll be viewed as just another salesbroadcast. When you do sell, do it properly, and for the rightreasons.
2. Don't be a jerk, hater or taker - Peopledon't want to hear from those they don't like. If you want to buildlasting social media influence you must be seen as valuableresource and not a taker of other's time, resources orideas.
3. Have command over your subject matter - If youdon't know what you're talking about, remain silent. Voicing youropinion isn't nearly as important as helping someone else refinetheir thinking with wise counsel. The easy rule is to stay out ofconversations where you don't add value.
4. Listen and respond- If you're forcing anagenda rather than responding to the needs of your followersyou'll lose any chance at creating influence. Remember that mostpeople will go to great lengths to help someone who hasbeen of assistance to them.
5. Publish quality content that adds value - whatyou produce in terms of content will be become synonymous with youronline reputation. It will either serve you well, or be yourundoing.

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