What do people REALLY look for in an influencer?

This is Tommy from Tommy.ismy.name, and I wanted to talk to you today
a little bit about what it takes to become an influencer.

Influence is one of those things that people have been talking about for years and
we now have a set of tools online that have really allowed us to reach
people.

But the influence part has become, I think, a little bit more
difficult, because everybody wants you to read their blog, everybody
wants you to go to their website, click their links, buy their
products.

Everybody is fighting for your attention at all times of the
day, and it can be really frustrating if you aren’t breaking through.

The question really is what it takes for another person to become an influencer?

So I asked.

I asked my LinkedIn crowd, I asked the Third Tribe forum (affiliate link), and I asked Twitter, and it was interesting to see the different responses that came in.

People have the same idea of what they look at in influential people.

Sara Smallman said in linked in, that in order to become an
influential, a person must have confidence, determination, knowledge,
and interpersonal skills.

That’s true. You need to be able to speak confidently. You have to be able to be you. You might be saying
the same exact stuff as some other person, you may be respouting
entire bits of information. A lot of the internet marketing world is
like that.

A lot of people are saying the same stuff over and over and
over again. But, what gets people attracted to a person is their own
ability to say what they need to be say and to say it in the way that
resonates with that other person.

@Realchaseadams on Twitter had said, “Innovation. Energy. The ability
to offer people exactly what they want… and give them just a wee bit
more.”

That’s the reason for this video, is I wanted to get your
thoughts and hear your reaction to this, and to see me as I am, right
now.

Nicole Ravlin on LinkedIn says, “To be influential, you must provide
value to those you are trying to influence. That ‘perceived value’
differs from person to person, obviously.”

She’s right. Not everybody’s going to like you.

You find the right people, those who are going to be the most likely to interact with you, and then you
build strong relationships with them. Over time, they hopefully bring
in others who are like them that you will also resonate with.

Every time a new generation of people who are interacting with you
come in, the barrier to entry becomes smaller because you have more
people who are vetting for you.

You see this a lot in general – you try something because everybody says that it’s awesome. You go to a
movie because “everybody” says it’s amazing. For a lot of people, it
can build up what their thought on the movie or the experience is,
because other people have said so many good things about it.

It might not actually be in line with what you think, but at the same time, we
become so programmed to think that this thing is amazing that you have
to share it, because everyone else is sharing it.

There’s a group mindset that we have. I have an iPhone; not necessarily because I knew
anything about the specs of the phone, but because everybody who owned
an iPhone said it was amazing. That’s really what influence is all
about.

So, let’s continue the conversation!

What do you think it takes for someone or something to become influential? I’d like to see your
thoughts in the comments below! If you like what you see here
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