Becoming a social media influencer is almost like becoming a unicorn. The mission extend beyond the content. Learn as much from watching what influencers do, as what they say. Social media is a starving beast. To be an icon on social media it requires constant feeding. The people need to be fed a diet of content that keeps readers and audiences coming back for more.

This is one of the main challenges if you want to do social at scale and to help you with these challenges, here are 7 ways to becoming a social media influencer.

1. Say what matters: In social media, people say what they mean. Be as brave in your leadership as you are in your tweeting. Show up a little messy. Real attracts more than conformance. Attract followers by showing up real.

2. Build your own tribe: Social media leaders know they don’t need a title to be a leader. Some don’t even use their real name. In your daily leadership, lead from your passion. Start something you care about and see who shows up.  Lead from where you are.

3. Take risks. Try new styles, new ways of leading. Meet new people. Twitter users move from tweets to phone calls to friendships. Try new ways of connecting in your leadership. Try new approaches.

4. Rankings don’t define you or your work: In business we often get hung up in our place in the organization structure or our position on the performance potential grid. The blogging crowd knows that even the most reputable lists are often subjective, and based on a variety of factors. Care less about lists and more about influence. Work toward influence not rankings.

5. Less is more: More words don’t mean better thinking. Streamline communication. Find the main idea. Take out extra words. Communicate in a way your followers can hear. Create “tweetable” leadership memories. Communicate to influence.

6. Engage conversation: Ask questions. Invite divergent views. Join conversations.  Insert yourself into conversations that matter.

7. Attract creativity: Be interesting. Be different.  Don’t fit in. Don’t just do your leadership equivalent of a “retweet.”  Make a ruckus.