How to leverage influencers with Twitter starring FreeAgent
FreeAgent is a UK based online accounting SaaS for freelancers and small businesses. They made a great Twitter play, without sending a single tweet.
I used FreeAgent for a long time, I mostly really liked it. I still follow them on Twitter. I feel like I might go back there one day.
They created this handy guide for freelancers managing finances.
They’ve sent those freelancers that contributed to it a beautifully presented box of freebies as a big thank you. And they can’t stop talking about it.
Harry Roberts is a big time CSS guy. Despite only being about 12 years old he knows more about CSS than you and all your mates. He tours the world teaching big companies how to do it properly. You may have seen him speak at a conference or workshop near you.
Because of this, almost 45,000 people follow him on Twitter — including me, obviously.
Harry is an influencer. He speaks, we listen.
Remy Sharp is another big time web guy. I don’t know about him like I do Harry Roberts but I know this — he’s got almost 45,000 followers too. Possibly the same 45,000, but it’s still a lot.
Remy is an influencer.
Paul Boag is a big name in the web design/web development world. He’s kind of an elder statesman of the web world. He speaks, writes and Tweets to his 40,000 followers.
Paul is an influencer.
Anna Debenham is another web developer. Very active on Twitter. Loves cats. I’ve seen her speak at a conference and that’s why I follow her. She has 13,600 followers on Twitter.
Anna is an influencer.
There were other tweets too. Many contributors with smaller Twitter followings also retweeted their lovely gift — so FreeAgent isn’t just lavishing freebies onto it’s most influential customers.
Why is this important?
FreeAgent has fewer than 10,000 followers on Twitter.
That’s not a small number but by sending a delightful free gift to each of their contributors they’ve managed to reach an audience potentially 10x greater.
Not only that but followers of Harry Roberts, Anna Debenham, Remy Sharp and Paul Boag already trust what they say. We trust their views and opinions because they’ve given us a reason to in the past. They are influencers.
Word of mouth referral has always been the best form of marketing. Nothing reassures us more than the opinion of somebody we already trust. We don’t like being sold to because we don’t trust sales people and we don’t know what their motives are. But when a friend (or trusted advisor) tells us that something is worth buying? A lot of the risk is removed.
Word of mouth spreads further than ever thanks to social media. Clever, creative, well intentioned actions can be amplified far beyond your usual reach.
FreeAgent have gotten their product in front of their audience on Twitter whilst effectively gathering the endorsement of some of the web industry’s biggest influencers.
And they did it all without sending a single Tweet.*
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They have a pinned a tweet on their timeline that they published the day after most of these influencers got their packages and sent their tweets. How many small businesses could claim such patience in waiting to promote their book?
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