3½ Ways to Kiss-up Influencers on Twitter

Getting the attention of influencers on Twitter can help your own Twitter profile gain recognition and followers. Here are 3 (and a half) tips for getting noticed by Twitter’s influencers.

Twitter, more than any other social media platform, is the choice for Influencers. Influencers are those who lead groups of people (in formal organizations, or not); aka, #leaders. Twitter is perfect for such busy people; attractive to heads of organizations & businesses; authors & thought-leaders; and remains hot for Technology, Entertainment, Media, & Politics (TEMP).

Those who have a large Twitter following may not be the Influencers you want to court: Remember, “real world” leaders of organizations, associations, & businesses may wield great influence in the “real world,” but not on Twitter. In fact, this is a great thing; you’ll be able to gain enviable access. Pro tip #1: Follow “real world” influencers who are active on Twitter, but with a relatively small following.

As you probably know, Twitter isn’t a two-way street: Just because you’re following the Influencers, doesn’t mean they’re going to follow you back. So how do you pique their interest, capture their attention and spark a relationship? Kiss-up to them! Here are 3½ quick ways to do so via Twitter:

Kiss-up 1: RT them
Are they tweeting something of interest to your world of followers? Go ahead & re-tweet (RT) them. The more you do so, the better (within reason). Two treats for re-tweets: A) The original tweeter can get notified (Note: Big-time Influencers may turn notifications off due to high volume. Plus, they may have a marketing team that manages their Twitter engagement). B) Influencers’ followers can see your icon (Twitter image), if they click into the Tweet. This drives people to your profile.

Pro tip #2: Give thanks to those who RT you. See “Kiss-up 3”.

Kiss-up 2: Favorite them
Are they tweeting something of significant interest to your world? Go ahead & favorite that tweet. Followers & those checkin’ you out will be able to see your Favorite tweets. Moreover, the original tweeter may get notified (or may not; see above). Likewise, your icon shows up as someone who has “Favorited” the tweet to the Influencers’ followers (see B above).

Related: 5 Rules of Twitter Etiquette

Kiss-up 3: @mention them
When you quote or reference Influencers in some way (or anybody else for that matter), be sure to use their @username in your tweet. Promoting their Twitter handle drives your followers their way. Plus, users are notified by default. Again, if their big-time they may turn notifications off. So, focus on those who’d appreciate the shout-out.

Kiss-up ½: #tweet their hashtag
Influencers are often involved with organizations, conferences, projects, topics, or ad campaigns that are trying to popularize a specific hashtag. Add relevant tweets (comments, questions, shout-outs) referencing their #reservedhashtag. The organizers & leaders will love ya for it! Of course, if the Influencer isn’t affiliated with a specific hashtag, then this isn’t relevant. If it’s uber-popular, you may be lost in the crowd. Hence, the ½ Kiss-up value! Be sure to look out for optimal opportunities.

RELATED: Use Hashtags to Get Better Results on Social Media

So, if your relationships are giving you lemons, pucker up & kiss up to some Influencers on Twitter! For bonus points, keep track of how much kissing up it took to gain the following of each Influencer. Now that you’ve got the Influencer’s ear… what’s your call to action? How will you help them, help you?

Got any great stories of victories gained by kissing up to Influencers, on or off Twitter? Share ‘em as comments, or tweet them to @vikramrajan. Don’t forget the lip balm.