How To Fast-Track Your Success By Promoting The “Sneezers”

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Do you want the idea for your product or service to spread like a virus?

Find those that are doing all the talking and promote them.

“It’s not about what you know.  It’s not about who you know.  It’s about who you know knows.“

This post is about finding those that can take your product or service viral — they are called the sneezers.

What Is A Sneezer?

A sneezer is someone that is influential and commands the attention of others in a particular niche.  They are different sort of folks.

They are borderline obsessive about a product or service — think Star Trek convention here.

They have an audience.  People look to them for the “Gospel” about the product or service in this particular niche.

Some of these people are absolute rock stars (in their niche.)  You know, these are the sort of people you think are gods and your friends couldn’t pick out of a police line-up.

In your industry, when they talk, people listen.

They are early adopters of new ideas in your niche, they make judgments and they share those judgments with their audience.

These are the sneezers and this is how you find them…

How to find a sneezer

Well… I have a feeling you already know who some of these sneezers are.  However, you may not know where they are hanging out.

Start by Googling their names.  You will likely find many places that they are communicating with their audience online.

• Do they have a blog?
• Do they have a huge number of Facebook fans?
• Do they have a massive Twitter following?
• Do they have an email list?
• Do they use YouTube?
• etc, etc.

In other words, what vehicles are they using to sneeze their message to their audience.

Once you find one sneezer it becomes easier to find more.  They tend to hang out together and comment on each others blogs.  They follow and speak to each other on Twitter or other social networks.  They are active in the same forums as the other sneezer.  They go to the same conferences.

Take note of who they are and what vehicles they are using to communicate online.

How To Get The Attention of a Sneezer

Be careful.

You should take time to consider how you will approach a sneezer.  Remember that they are very vocal and if you do something that turns them off — they will sneeze that too.

Start by listening.

Read their blog posts.  Read their tweets.  Subscribe to their email newsletter.  Listen to their podcast.  Watch their videos. In other words, stalk them — silently for a while.

Find out what makes them tick.  Then, open the lines of communications and don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back from them.  Keep pushing, ever so slightly.

Think about what you could do to help them out.  And I mean legitimately help them out, not manipulate the relationship.

You need to gain access to their audience. Remember that they have two big problems:

1. they have to keep developing content for their audience.
2. they want a bigger audience (just like you)

Here are some ways to start getting the attention of a sneezer by solving their problems:

• Write for them -  If you have the ability and the track record (you are blogging or otherwise writing), offer to write for them.  Believe me, they will be happy to take a look at something you created.   Submit something outstanding to them, that meets the needs of their audience.
• Interview them – Sneezers like to talk.  Interview them using audio or video plug-ins on Skype or, if they are local, set up something in person.
• Write about them – Use your own blog as a pulpit to spread their message.  Then, send them an email asking if there are any corrections to the article you wrote.  Voila, you have their attention and gratitude.
• Buy their stuff – Their books, one-on-one consulting, courses, events, etc.  The closer you get to one-on-one contact, the more expensive it will get — but it may be worth it if you can impress.
• Tag them often – These sneezers are using social media, which is part of the reason they are sneezers.  Connect with them and tag them when you mention their books, posts, events, etc in social media.

How to get plugged by a sneezer

Getting a plug from a big sneezer in your industry is a process.  Don’t push too hard.  Don’t get frustrated or angry.

But just like anything else in life, you will have to ask for it.  If you feel you have developed a significant relationship with the person, ask for a plug.

Send them something you created that you think would be a good fit for their audience.

If they don’t respond, get back to work on your relationship with them.  Reevaluate what you are doing and make sure it is something their audience would find relevant.

They have 24 hours in their day and there are many others trying to get their attention.  Keep promoting them and occasionally asking them to promote you.  Over the course of time, if you have something of value to their audience, they will point the audience to you.

That’s what sneezers do.

 

 

Tagged as: Business Blogging, Online Video, sneezer, viral marketing