What is influence? How, if at all, can you measure it? How can you build yours, and how does it benefit your business? Today, we’ll look at all of these questions and explore how you can use offline influence to give your business and strategy a boost.

What Is Influence?

I believe influence is undervalued – or perhaps perceived as something that is exclusively for celebrities and models! People find it hard to associate themselves with influence. But, actually, everyone has influence over someone – parents over kids, or teachers over their students. It’s really just a reflection of the trust and respect you have earned in a certain circle.

Building influence is just a matter of expanding that circle. If you are a designer, coach or health expert, you will have a level of influence in that small circle of people who know you and trust you in your field.

Some people get very confused and overwhelmed when it comes to reach, amplification, engagement, and influence. They are really “buzzy” words. The way I always think of it – and this really helps me simplify everything in my own mind – is to remove buzz-words and replace it with ‘relationships’.

Can Influence Be Measured?

I think influence in general is hard to measure in a tangible way because it’s something that builds up over time and is (and should be) very subtle. It’s not something that you can achieve in any one way, so that makes influence even harder to measure.

If I had to ‘measure’ it, I would say that it would be based on the level of support and engagement you feel from those around you, when you reach out. Because, at the end of the day, the only true value of influence is in the relationships you build – how meaningful they are, and how you can leverage that influence to create a positive impact.

Is Influence Better Built Online Or Offline?

Both! Meeting and networking with people offline gives you a chance to deepen the relationship – to get to know a person in a whole different way. But staying connected and visible online means that you can easily keep in touch, stay top-of-mind and continue to build on the relationship.

If I was to summarise the main benefits of each, online has reach and amplification, and offline has more depth.

The Business Benefits Of Building Offline Influence

1. It’s much easier to get business when business comes to you: when people hear about you and search for you and reach out to you. You also attract more of the right people (and can start turning down those that aren’t a good fit).

2. The more media/press you get … the more media and press you get! Visibility creates more opportunities for visibility. After the first few opportunities, you will get more and more press enquiries.

3. It’s easier to do business when people trust you, so you do less ‘pitching and selling’ and can take a more consultative approach.

4. It’s more fun working with people that really value your work and are excited to have you on their team.

Be authentic as you build your profile so that people know what to expect, how you work and what you value.

Finally, How Do I Build My Influence?

A big part of building influence is simply becoming known, by more people, as an expert in your field. That means being visible and being generous with your knowledge and expertise. The more you share, the more value you add; the more visible you are, the more influence you will build.

Most people would assume that building influence offline means you need to be out there on stage speaking, writing books, and hosting events. And, yes, these are excellent ways to get seen and recognised as an expert. But many people don’t want to do these things. What if you are shy or introverted, or hate public speaking, or just don’t want to live the ‘rock star’ lifestyle?

Well, there are actually many powerful (and subtler) ways to build influence. Networking in smaller and more intimate groups, where the culture of the organisation is focused on relationship building. Volunteering in research, operations, administration or technical roles for organisations in your field. Joining committees or groups that advocate for change in your industry or a cause you are aligned with.

All of these help build relationships, trust, and top up your ‘bank’ of influence. Simply find ways that suit you – where you feel more comfortable.

If you’d like to start building your influence, Executive Lifestyle is a great place to start! We have a special Summer Sale price for the Get Found Online ‘Experts’ Package where you can join our panel of experts for just $250 on your first year.

_{Edited by Nedda Chaplin}

_{Image credit: young professionals from Shutterstock}

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