Now that the 2013 Small Business Influencer Awards are over, it’s never too late to start thinking about next year. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up becoming a Champion.
What’s interesting about being involved in the Awards each year is to see how different each nominee works to get votes. I recently met with Laura Rubinstein, a social media and marketing consultant, as well as the President and Co-Founder of Social Buzz Club.
Laura was nominated in 2012 and was a Champion this year in 2013. Her strategy to getting more votes from her community was quite unique.
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Laura Rubinstein: I’ve been working with small business for over 2 decades and have a passion for igniting entrepreneurial success. It was such an honor to be nominated for the Small Business Influencer Award. I felt that winning this award, unlike any other, truly represented who I am and what I’m dedicated to doing.
SMBInfluencer Awards: Â What strategies worked the best?
Laura Rubinstein: Communicating with my personal network of clients and the email list members I’ve developed over the years was the best way to get repeat votes.
I also created an infographic and blog post about the “7 Keys to Being A Small Business Influencer.† This was a hit. Lots of people shared it across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus. I sent out a LinkedIn email as well, letting people know of the nomination and the blog post.
Using images throughout the voting period was probably the next best strategy. I created images with quotes by Stephen Covey on them and a request to vote. I submitted one Facebook post to our content syndication site, and that one Facebook post got over 30 people sharing it across various networks. I got creative with a few images requesting votes as I didn’t want to hound my friends with a boring message. Images included animals, quotes and even images of the votes.
Participating over the years in some great Facebook and LinkedIn groups also garnered great support.
SMBInfluencer Awards: Â How big is your network?
Laura Rubinstein: I don’t have the largest network out there, but I made it work for me. I have:
- 5,000 friends on Facebook
- 3,900 likes on on my Facebook business page
- 2,455 Likes on the Social Buzz Club
- 30,000 Twitter followers
- 2,600 LinkedIn connections
- 949 Followers on Pinterest
- 4,307 people who have circled Laura
SMBInfluencer Awards: Â How did you use the Facebook comments on your profile?
Laura Rubinstein:Â Â The comments that people posted on the voting pages were awesome testimonials. I took screen shots of each one and am adding them to my website.
SMBInfluencer Awards: Â What tips would you provide SMBInfluencer nominees for 2014? How can they get more votes from their audience and beyond?
Laura Rubinstein:  It’s important to build relationships throughout the year with your clients, target audience and colleagues online. I love using social media because of the increased reach you can get.
Use the recommendations in the blog post  â€7 Keys to Being A Small Business Influencer.† These steps will serve you well. That’s how I do it. If you produce great blogs, articles or videos, you’ll get way more traffic, visibility, credibility and expand your influence.
