Evan Carmichael, a content marketer who dispenses advice for small business owners and entrepreneurs, has more than 150,000 YouTube subscribers and 200,000 Twitter followers of his own. As a starting point, he advised creating accounts on all platforms to claim the name of your business before anyone else does. Then monitor and track within your industry to discover champions of your brand who already have established audiences. “It’s a great way to start instead of trying to go out and build your audience,” said Carmichael.

Influencers are key in the content marketing space. To catch their attention, Carmichael advised becoming a valuable and engaged contributor to their communities. “Start leaving comments, start to get involved,” he said. “You should be a known quantity on that person’s channel.” Doing so may engage an influencer, earning a thank you and perhaps a conversation that could lead to a guest appearance on their platform of choice.

For more on content marketing, watch the free Manta webinar featuring guest expert Joe Pulizzi.