Networking is all about who you know and who your friends know. Through networking, there’s an unbelievably large number of people to be reached. And by implementing social networking tools, reaching them becomes even easier. Not only can you see who your friends are connected to, you have a way to contact them in an instant. All of these people are potential leads for you and your business. By getting in contact with them, introducing yourself and what you do, they’ll have you in the forefront of their minds if they need your product or service. When done right, the process of connecting with and managing leads through social networking can be a valuable tool.
When social networking first became a buzzword, it was mainly referring to sites like Facebook and Myspace that were popular with a younger crowd. But with the onset of LinkedIn and Twitter, social networking’s audience expanded greatly, with thousands of people of all ages joining on a daily basis.
For sales representatives especially, this move opened a whole new way of interacting with customers and leads. It makes you, as a salesperson, much more approachable because it brings everyone together on a common platform. Many networking tools offer ways to segment people into groups to provide better organization. If you are considering getting started on social networking as a way to manage your leads, or are already on but are unsure of what to do next, here are a few tips that you should know to get you started and ready for business.
Keep Your Information Consistent
Almost every social networking site requires you to set up a profile of general information including your e-mail address, Web site information, and a photo. When joining these sites, make sure all of your information is the same. Keep the same picture across every site; when leads see it, they’ll be able to put a face to a name and recognize you better. In doing this, you’re creating your online brand, which is an important aspect of doing business through social networking.
Stay Active
Social networking is all about being active. If one of your main goals is to keep in touch with people through your networks, being an active user is key. If someone sees you haven’t updated in a while, they’re not as likely to contact you because they don’t know how long it will be until you see their message. This could mean missing out on a big opportunity. Constant activity will also increase your visibility so friends and colleagues of leads can see you as well. Getting your face, name and brand out wherever possible is a good way to market yourself without a lot of effort – or overhead cost.
Use the Tools Provided
Networks like Facebook allow users to separate their friends into groups; you can use privacy settings to control what on your profile visitors see (for instance, only let business contacts see business-related information) or just use them to keep track of personal friends, business contacts and yes, your leads. You can create groups (ex. “Friends and Clients of John Smith”) and invite people to participate, and alert people to events (ex. “Come to John Smith’s Trade Show Appearance”).
By using social networking to manage your leads and customers, you’re interacting with them on a familiar platform. Even though the Internet seems very impersonal, social media makes it personal. It’s a great way to stay transparent and honest, build important and strategic relationships, and improve your performance and customer satisfaction at the same time.
