Imagine a 13-year old teen jailbreaking into Apple's operating system. That's Rishabh Shanbhag for you. But Rishabh is more than just an iOS jailbreaker now. He has also volunteered in the past in the #GivingTuesday movement, started by the United Nations. It's surprising to think that a 17-year old teenager will become the UN's social media brand ambassador. But it's purely due to his knowledge and experience in social media that helped him earn this prestigious position.
Social media interaction
Rishabh played a massive role in making the #GivingTuesday campaign successful. He used his 70,000 Twitter followers to spread the word, and his social media tactics made the campaign viral within a few days. But what does the social media expert have to say about his feat?
According to Rishabh, "The goal was to make more people aware of the campaign and its mission. I already had a follower base revolving mostly around the tech niche. If I would have asked them for help, they wouldn't think twice before coming forward. But my intention was different. This wasn't just about spreading the word. I wanted people to question me about the program. I wanted to explain why philanthropy is a good habit. That's where I feel social media interaction is so important. If you are not ready to answer your followers' queries, you may fall short of their expectations."
Why is interaction so crucial?
Social media is not just about staying connected with your friends and family. It is also a platform where you can meet and greet your fans and followers. Rishabh feels that the best way to utilize social media as an influencer is to keep interacting.
He suggests, "You must keep interacting with your niche group to build your followers. When I joined Twitter, I never imagined I would have more than 70,000 followers one day. But my expertise in iOS jailbreaking helped me create a niche group. I would listen to suggestions, reply to them with my opinions, and even recommend techniques that others can use to jailbreak. That helped me build my niche, which should be your first step as well. For example, if you love tech, you can use your social media profile to post links, images, quotes, or even ask questions about it. Slowly but surely, with gradual interaction, you will notice your follower count growing."
Rishabh believes that interaction creates a personal space between you and your followers. It makes them realize that you care for them or value their opinions. When he had to talk about #GivingTuesday, he never stopped replying to direct messages, comments on his tweets, or posts related to this campaign. It shows why he is a social media guru and has over 70,000 followers.
Rishabh is now 24. His giant step toward becoming a social media tech influencer started when he volunteered to become the social media brand ambassador for the UN #GivingTuesday movement. Today, with more than 70,000 followers, Rishabh can influence people through his massive digital space reach. Through his hard work, dedication, and an undying passion, Rishabh has also earned a position as a Big 4 US firm consultant.
