Clients and customers are what makes your business go round, they’re the very lifeblood of your business. Without them, you don’t have a company.
So here’s the big question: Where do you find clients?
It’s a question that you might have asked, and have likely heard a hundred times already.
Part of the answer is that you don’t wait for clients to come knocking at your door, or referrals to be handed to you on a silver platter. Businesses that want to make it and grow put in the effort.
To get clients you need to be out there – and one of the best places to be present is social media.
Here are some tips to help you find more customers using social platforms.
Which Social Media Platform?
Before you start looking for clients, you need to determine if you’re on the right social media platform/s.
Part of finding new clients on social is about focusing your efforts on the platforms which your ideal prospects use to connect. You want to be on the ones where potential clients are active, otherwise you’ll only be getting dead leads.
Pro-tip: Use Buzzsumo to determine audience engagement on each platform. Buzzsumo is one of the best tools to use for checking the performance of any content you published on social media, especially in terms of engagement. With this tool, you can see on which platform your company’s website has more social traction by looking at those that have the highest engagement. This makes it easier to develop a lead generation strategy that’s appropriate for the behavior of your audience.
Start Building Your Profile
Imagine coming across a brand on social media with a poorly-maintained profile – incomplete, inaccurate business information, lots of spammy promotional posts, zero engagement.
Would you still buy from that brand? Highly unlikely.
That’s how most potential clients think.
Part of your lead generation effort involves building a strong social persona. Once your social profile is up, potential clients are likely going to come across it – and not just potential clients, but also anyone within their extended network.
The last thing you want is to have a social profile that’s anything but presentable.
When you’re building your social profile, be sure to follow these dos and don’ts:
Dos
- Write an “About Us” page that your clients can relate to
- Make your contact information visible – prospects need to know where and how to reach you
- Use a profile photo that’s easily recognizable – no selfies or anything that will make you look unprofessional.
- Tailor your entire social media profile to your audience – your content and profile should be consistent across all your social media channels
- Interact and be active – but don’t overdo it. Moderate your posting and follow a schedule to avoid overwhelming your followers with too much information
Dont’s
- Leave your profile untouched for a long time
- Connect with anyone and everyone – you should look to build relationships with the right people (I’ll get to this in a little bit)
- Post the same messaging repeatedly – this will only make you appear spammy
- Ignore reviews – especially negative feedback. It’s important to show that you care about what clients think and how you address their concerns
Find the Common Ground
One of the common mistakes of agency owners when building their social media profile/s is trying to connect with everyone via their social media accounts.
Why is this wrong? First, you’re not building quality relationships, and second, that’s not the ideal way to find leads that are likely to convert.
To find your future clients, you need to establish a common ground – you don’t simply chat up a lead you recently connected with and jump into a conversation about them needing your services.
Finding a common ground is your first step towards starting a conversation with them, so you have a better rapport when you do reach out.
Here are some ways to establish common ground:
- Check if you’re in the same social circle
- If you’re on LinkedIn, check the people who viewed your profile and your posts
- Find out if they have the same hobbies or interests
- Research about the client to familiarize yourself with their brand
Be the First to Reach Out
Remember, you want clients to buy from you – this means you can’t always expect them to reach out first. Sometimes you have to be the one to initiate the contact.
But, how do you break the ice and approach your leads?
1. Interact with them like you do with your other connections
One of the easiest ways to warm up to potential clients is by interacting with them within communities you’re both members of.
When you do engage, don’t be spammy or sales-y. Be natural. You’re not talking to them to sell – that comes at the later part.
Interact with the intention of leaving an impression to ensure they remember you.
2. Don’t dive into a call – email first
It’s tempting to just pick up the phone and dial the number you found on a lead’s social media profile, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with a cold call. But you should do so only if you’ve already established a connection with your lead.
Instead of calling them, shoot them an email. Sending an email is the best way to make introductions and showcase the value you’re offering, without looking like a pushy salesperson. This is the part where you nurture leads from cold to warm by sending them content targeted at their level of readiness to buy from you.
3. Follow up your email with a call
You connected, sent an email, now what’s next? You don’t stop at sending an email. If you’re doing cold emails, you can also follow it up with a call.
Timing is everything when calling a lead, because you don’t go on a sales talk if the prospect isn’t ready to buy.
So, when is the best time to follow up with a call? Hypothetically, you’ve already established a relationship with a prospect and sent them a sequence of nurturing emails, the best time to call is when the lead transitions from being warm to hot. A purchase is an emotional decision, and leads are more likely to close if there’s an actual person they can talk to.
Social media is simply one aspect of how to generate leads for your company, but don’t discount how powerful it can be. If you’re following the right lead generation recipe – with well-defined goals, the right social media channels, and a solid content strategy – your business will be fielding more leads, and converting more often.