DAY 3

One of the most amazing (and frankly most bizarre) things about living and working in our current time is how easily technology connects us all. Depending on the person (and their level of fame / their processes for running their brand and businesses) you can easily get noticed by someone you admire simply by engaging with them on social media. 

Celebrities and thought leaders are one tweet away. The President of the United States (for better or worse) is one tweet away.

What this means to me, is that we simply have NO EXCUSE for not making a conscious effort to connect with people who share our mission. 

In 2013 when I quit my corporate job to move abroad, that goal would never have come to fruition had I not doubled down on my twitter activity, and actively engaged with all the right people. By simply seeking out individuals who were leading the life I wanted, and noticing who they communicated with, I was able to fast track my goals, and open doors that were simply unavailable, just months before.

Here are some common ways to engage in our current social media landscape:

Twitter

• Twitter can be social gold. Many people still login to their twitter accounts and consistent, strategically-worded tweets can easily earn you the attention of your mentors. Don't hesitate to retweet their content or tag them in a valuable (read: relevant) post you create. Bonus points if you can make them laugh. This increases your value in a personal way, making you more memorable. 

Instagram

• Stories - Replying to someone's Instagram story is a quick way to get your name in front of them. Even if they don't respond, assuming that they personally manage some (or all) of their account, you have a decent chance of being seen. 
   
• Photos - Commenting and re-posting someone's photos can be a great way to get noticed. If they have thousands of followers and comments, maybe not... But tagging them and sharing their brand in YOUR posts can sometimes combat this "lost in the crowd" feeling.
   
• Messages - While many individuals with large followings could choose to ignore their incoming messages, some may not. 

 IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT

For my mom's birthday last year, I sent a [short] Instagram video to her favorite actor and asked him to record a happy birthday message for her. I had no idea if it would work, but I knew that if it did, it would make an amazing gift.

I should note, my mom had already employed the strategies we learned in Day 1, and had actually met this person many times. The TV show he's on hosts a variety of events, allowing fans to meet and mingle with the stars, and my mom-committed as she is- was at every. single. one. 

I should ALSO note, that these events are in Australia! So you have no excuse.

When her birthday came, we were in the middle of our celebratory skype call when my phone went off. He had sent the most thoughtful, genuine happy birthday video message. I forwarded it on to my mom, and live, on the skype call, had her watch it.  I recorded her reaction (an adorable mix of laughing and crying, but ultimately shocked) and to this day it's one of my favorite things to watch. 

I couldn't be sure that he'd respond, but I knew it was worth a shot! 

SNAPCHAT

• Much like Instagram, snapchat allows you to send private messages to anyone. When I decided to write a book, I created a physical book cover to keep me motivated, and help me visualize the end product. Every detail was considered, and I even included on the back cover some text that read "Forward by Lewis Howes".
  
  To increase the odds of this far-fetched dream becoming reality, I sent a snapchat to Lewis to show him, and get it on his radar. He not only saw it, he took a screenshot of it. 
  
  You never know how something will turn out, but only you are in control of the efforts you make to affect the outcome!
   

Facebook

• Biz Pages - Depending on the level of success, it can be unlikely that the individual runs their own Facebook Business Page, but you may be able to get noticed if you consistently participate in their FB live broadcasts. That being said, any engagement over time can prove fruitful, so comment away! 
   
• Personal Pages - If you're lucky enough to get past the approval process, go for it! If nothing else, by sending a friend request you're now following them. Pro-tip, become friends with as many of their friends as possible to increase your odds of being "suggested" as a friend. 
   
• Private Groups - Many influencers have their own private facebook groups now to give their followers a feeling of "community" and to add an engaging channel in which to market. What's more, a lot of these groups often highlight their more active members. This can be a GREAT place to add value and to get noticed.  

The important thing to remember is never give up. In my podcast interview with 19 yr-old TEDx speaker, Manu Goswami, he credits his relationship with Gary Vaynerchuk, to his consistent and never-ending efforts to connect. Manu sent Gary's team an email every week for months. While this may sound crazy, someone like Gary V gets hundreds of emails a day, so it takes that something extra to stand out. 

Action Item: 

• Take a minute to ensure you're following the people you want to connect with on all the social channels they actively use. 
• Re-share something they've posted right now!
• Schedule some time (5-10 minutes) each day this week to log on and engage with that person's content. 
• Come up with something valuable that you can share and tag them in.
• Repeat next week ;)